FOIA and Public Records
Axcess1 Texas
FOIA and Public Records management, built around PIA
Built around your law — not around generic case management.
Built around your law — not around generic case management
Many case-management products ask a public body to adapt its process to the software. Axcess1 is configured around the legislation, the procedures, the vocabulary and the reporting obligations of each jurisdiction. An organization chooses its Act once; every screen, deadline, letter and report then follows it.
Generic case management
The organization adapts to the software.
Axcess1
The software follows the legislation and the way government works.
Legislation supported
Texas Public Information Act (Tex. Gov't Code ch. 552)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Governmental bodies (§ 552.003(1)): boards, commissions, departments, committees, institutions, agencies and offices within or created by the executive or legislative branch of state government; county commissioners courts; municipal governing bodies; school district boards of trustees; governing boards of special districts; certain deliberative bodies of counties and municipalities; the part of an organization that spends or is supported by public funds. Not covered: the judiciary (§ 552.0035). |
| Time limit to respond | 10 working days (Gov't Code § 552.221(a) ("promptly": as soon as possible under the circumstances, within a reasonable time, without delay) and § 552.221(d) (10 business days)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | The Act sets no fixed extension. If the information cannot be produced within 10 business days after the request, the officer certifies that in writing to the requestor and sets a date and hour within a reasonable time when it will be available (§ 552.221(d)); likewise for information in active use or in storage (§ 552.221(c)). A body impacted by a catastrophe may suspend the Act's requirements for up to 7 consecutive days, extendable once by 7, on notice to the Attorney General (§ 552.2325). (Gov't Code § 552.221(c)-(d)) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (Gov't Code § 552.302 (no timely request for an Attorney General decision: the information is presumed public and must be released unless there is a compelling reason to withhold it)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third-party notice | Notice under Gov't Code § 552.305(d) (good-faith written notice to the person whose proprietary information is at issue, not later than the 10th business day after the request is received); 10 days for the third party to respond |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (Gov't Code § 552.301(d) (written statement to the requestor and copy of the request for a decision), § 552.301(e-1) (copy of the comments), § 552.221(f)-(g) (no responsive information; previous determination), § 552.306(c)(4) (withholding as authorized by the opinion)). |
| Fees | No application fee. Amounts in U.S. dollars, set by the Attorney General's rules (§ 552.262). 50 or fewer pages of paper records: per-page charge only (§ 552.261(a)). Written itemized estimate if charges exceed $40; the request is withdrawn if the requestor does not respond within 10 business days (§ 552.2615). Deposit or bond if over $100 ($50 for bodies with fewer than 16 full-time employees) (§ 552.263). Waiver or reduction when the copy primarily benefits the general public (§ 552.267). |
| Review and complaints | Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Open Records Division (Gov't Code §§ 552.301, 552.304, 552.306, 552.321, 552.324, 552.328 (no appeal period for the requestor: the governmental body must itself ask for the decision)) |
Loaded for this Act
- 84 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: Public information request (PIA, Gov't Code § 552.221).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Written certification that the information cannot be produced within 10 business days (or is in active use or in storage), with the date and hour it will be available, § 552.221(c)-(d) — enter the date set; Request to the requestor to clarify or narrow the request, § 552.222(b) (request considered withdrawn if no written response by the 61st day, § 552.222(d)); Written notice that the governmental body has no responsive information, § 552.221(f) (not later than the 10th business day after the request is received); Written notice that information is withheld under a previous determination, identifying it, § 552.221(g) (not later than the 10th business day); Written itemized estimate of charges over $40, § 552.2615 (request considered withdrawn if the requestor does not respond in writing within 10 business days); Deposit or bond required, § 552.263 (the request is considered received on the date the deposit or bond is received; withdrawn if not made before the 10th business day); Request for an Attorney General decision stating the exceptions that apply, § 552.301(a)-(b) (not later than the 10th business day after the written request is received); Written statement to the requestor that a decision has been requested, with a copy of the communication to the Attorney General, § 552.301(d) (not later than the 10th business day)….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-03. Texas Constitution and Statutes (Texas Legislature Online) — Government Code, Chapter 552, Public Information · Texas Constitution and Statutes, file server — Government Code, Chapter 552 (full text as opened) · Texas Constitution and Statutes, file server — Government Code, Chapter 662, Holidays and Recognition Days (§ 662.003)
Legislation-to-feature matrix
| Legislative requirement | Axcess1 support |
|---|---|
| Statutory deadline | 10 working days (Gov't Code § 552.221(a) ("promptly": as soon as possible under the circumstances, within a reasonable time, without delay) and § 552.221(d) (10 business days)): calculated automatically for each request; overdue and upcoming requests on the dashboard. |
| Extensions and holds | Recorded as events that move the due date, each tied to its section of the Act. |
| Exemptions and exclusions | The provisions of PIA in the redaction editor, each with its section number. |
| Third parties and consultations | Notices, consultation packages and their due dates tracked on the request. |
| Fees | Fee notices and payments recorded on the request. |
| Reviews, appeals and complaints | Recorded on the request timeline with their dates and outcome. |
| Redaction | Done by the analyst in the built-in editor; optional AI suggestions that the analyst accepts or rejects. |
| Decision letters | Generated from templates for this Act, with the provisions cited. |
| Release | A release package built from the reviewed records; redactions are permanent in the released file. |
| Annual statistics | Annual access statistics for the period, with each figure traceable to its requests. |
| Audit trail | Every action on a request is recorded with the user and the time. |
From request to release
1Receive and validate
The request is entered with its type, requester and date received; a number is issued from your own numbering pattern.
2Calculate the deadline
The due date follows the Act: 10 working days (Gov't Code § 552.221(a) ("promptly": as soon as possible under the circumstances, within a reasonable time, without delay) and § 552.221(d) (10 business days)). Holds and extensions move it and are recorded.
3Assign and search
The request is assigned to an officer; the units holding records are tasked and their answers tracked.
4Collect and review
Records are uploaded (PDF, Office files, scans with text recognition) and reviewed page by page.
5Apply the provisions and redact
The analyst marks a passage and picks the provision of this Act; the released copy shows the section relied on.
6Consult
Consultation packages are produced per party, with their due dates.
7Approve
The response goes to the approver's inbox for review and signature.
8Release
The release package and the decision letter are generated from the request.
9Report
Requests, processing times, decisions and provisions invoked are counted for the period you choose.
Agentic AI across the lifecycle
AI is switched off until your administrator turns it on, one capability at a time. AI assists. Authorized officials decide.
Intake agent
Proposes a new request from a message, the portal or a drop folder; an officer confirms it.
Document intelligence
Summarizes and classifies the records and finds the people and organizations named in them.
Responsiveness agent
Suggests which records answer the request.
Exemption assist
Proposes provisions of PIA with reasons; redaction candidates appear in the editor.
Consultation agent
Suggests who should be consulted and on which pages.
Quality assurance agent
Checks a package a second time before release.
Deadline watch
Lists the requests at risk of running late.
Copilot
Answers questions about a request, citing the records it used.
Migration
Case history, requesters and documents are brought over from the system you use today, so you do not start from an empty database.
Deployment
Hosted by SoftSim in Canada, on your own private cloud or servers, or standalone on a PC or Mac.
Security
Each organization's records are separate, access is controlled by role and every action is recorded. Run on your own servers, your records never leave your premises.
Try it free for 30 days
One licence, the full product, no obligation. Or see it first in a 30-minute demonstration.
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Axcess1 supports configurable workflows designed around the applicable legislation. Government organizations remain responsible for legal interpretation and statutory decisions. Summaries of the legislation are paraphrases prepared from the published text; they are not legal advice.