TEXAS (CelebrityAccess) – The Texas House gave unanimous tentative approval Wednesday (March 20) to a bill that requires governmental entities to disclose certain information about concerts and other public events that are funded by taxpayer dollars.
The bill came to light following backlash over the city of McAllen withholding financial details about how much it paid pop star Enrique Iglesias for a Christmas concert back in 2015.
At the time, the city argued that forced disclosure of the amount it paid Iglesias would negatively impact negotiations with other performers, and the Texas Attorney General’s Office agreed, reports to The AP.
While it later surfaced that the city lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on the concert, according to the Texas Tribune, the city’s residents are still unsure of how much Iglesias’ one-hour performance actually cost them.
The bill still needs Senate approval, however, it is among several measures aimed at expanding open records laws in the state of Texas, according to The AP.
The House is scheduled to convene again Thursday morning.
