A bill that would bring records disclosing how government agencies spend taxpayer money back into public view is likely headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

Senate Bill 943, which passed in the Senate and received initial approval from the House on Friday, would re-establish in the law that information about contracts that governments make with businesses must be public, with some exceptions.

State agencies and local governments had been able to withhold much of that information after a 2015 Texas Supreme Court ruling in Boeing v. Paxton gave them and affected businesses the ability to deny requests if they claimed it could give their competitors an unfair advantage.

The ruling was the basis for the city of McAllen’s refusal in 2015 to disclose how much it paid Latin pop singer Enrique Iglesias for performing at a concert that was part of the festivities at a holiday event that lost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Abbott signed a bill Friday that would require such event information to be public.

Another 2015 Supreme Court case, Greater Houston Partnership v. Paxton, raised the standard for what kinds of entities are considered governmental bodies under the law, allowing more quasi-governmental groups to keep information secret.

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“Today's passage of SB 943 is a strong statement for transparency in government contracting. I am proud to have worked on this legislation over the last two and a half years to bring back the fundamental importance of knowing how our tax dollars are being spent," said Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, in a statement Friday.

Lawmakers had been working on such legislation for years after efforts during last session fell flat. One major difference this session, according to those who worked on the bill, was a greater collaborative effort with groups on both sides of the aisle as well as businesses and their associations.

That group, known as the Texas Sunshine Coalition, was created after last session and includes the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation and left-leaning Center for Public Policy Priorities among others.

"If Texans are to hold their public officials accountable, access to public information is essential,” Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, said in the statement. “I'm proud the Texas Legislature has stood strong for government transparency.”