Texas house bill number 1378 has been signed by the governor and is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2016.
The bill requires local governments to be much more open about their debt. The governments will be required to disclose their total debts but also each individual one. From the law:
(D) the combined principal and interest required to pay all outstanding debt obligations on time and in full;
(E) the combined principal and interest required to pay each outstanding debt obligation on time and in full;
Unfortunately:
The requirements to compile and report information under Section 140.008, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, apply only to a fiscal year ending on or after the effective date of this Act. That puts us into 2017 or 2018.
The local governments could voluntarily publish the information before the end of their next fiscal year but I doubt any of us expect them to.
We’ll be on the lookout.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Thanks for the laugh, Brutus.
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