December 4, 2014 11:35 AM

House Administration approves new application for media credentials

A person will have to swear they don’t engage in lobbying in order to get a floor pass

For the first time in more than a decade, the House Administration Committee on Thursday morning adopted a new process for people to apply for a media credential at the Texas Legislature. The privilege of being assigned a media credential, of course, includes permission to be on the floor of the House and Senate when they are in session, which is where some controversy has arisen at times.

This is in no way a question of who is a journalist and who is not. This is a question of who can be on the floor when these legislative bodies are in the midst of their deliberations. The First Amendment will remain intact if someone engaged in lobbying loses their access to the floor during session.

House Administration Chairman Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Ft. Worth, said part of the goal is to increase access for publications that are exclusively online. “There's more electronic media than there used to be," Geren said. "We denied some coverage last time,” he said, referring to Tim Dunn’s AgendaWise.

By Scott Braddock