Accessibility and Site Policies

Topics on this page: Accessibility | Links | Privacy and Security | Public Information

Accessibility Policy

The Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company (Trust Company) is committed to making its website accessible to all users. To make the site more accessible, we include several features designed to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. Some of these features are described below.

A descriptive text equivalent is provided for images and other non-text elements, aiding users who listen to the content of the site by using a screen reader, rather than reading the site.

Information on the site is generally available in HTML or other accessible format. When publishing a document in a non-accessible format, we will also make an accessible version available on request. The Trust Company may post information in PDF format. Please see the Adobe site to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software used to open and read PDF files.

The Trust Company is committed to making its website accessible according to the standards set forth by the State of Texas. To improve the accessibility of our website, we test any major redesign with screen readers and other tools. The results of these reviews are incorporated into the website. We currently use various tools for site validation and it is our goal to achieve the highest level of accessibility attainable.

The Trust Company welcomes comments on how to improve the site's accessibility for users with disabilities. If you use assistive technology and the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, please email the Trust Company Webmaster. To enable us to respond in a manner most helpful to you, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the preferred format in which to receive the material, the Web address of the requested material, and your contact information.

Additional information about accessibility programs in Texas is available from the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities at http://www.governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/.

Link Policy

Links to the Trust Company

Advance permission to link to the Trust Company’s website(s) is not necessary. However, be aware that the Trust Company subpages may change at any time without notice. Entities and individuals linking to the Trust Company must continuously verify links to our subpages.

Entities and individuals linking to the Trust Company shall not capture the Trust Company pages within frames, present the Trust Company content as its own, or otherwise misrepresent the Trust Company content. Furthermore, they shall not misinform users about the origin or ownership of the Trust Company content. Certain information on the Trust Company may be trademarked, service-marked, or otherwise protected as intellectual property. Protected intellectual property must be used in accordance with state and federal laws and must reflect the proper ownership of the intellectual property.

Any link to the Trust Company site should be a full forward link that passes the client browser to the Trust Company unencumbered. The "Back" button should return the visitor to original site if the visitor wishes to back out.

Links from the Trust Company

This section outlines the criteria and requirements that external websites must meet to have a link on the Trust Company website. It also details how links are accepted and removed from the Trust Company website.

The Trust Company reserves the right to link to external websites that it feels would provide a service or otherwise be of value to constituents.

Acceptance Criteria

The Trust Company may link to federal, state, and local governments that provide information and services that benefit Texas citizens, Texas local government, and Texas state agencies. At its discretion, the Trust Company will consider link requests to non-governmental websites that contain information and/or services that further the purpose of the Trust Company, including sites of the Trust Company-contracted vendors, relevant finance-related associations and timely and relevant financial publications.

The Trust Company website is not a forum for public communication and debate. The criteria outlined in this section have been established to ensure that the Trust Company website remains a non-public forum.

Every link request must undergo review to determine its relevance and appropriateness to the purpose of the Trust Company. Links are approved for the Trust Company based on the following criteria:

  • The external website corresponds with the purpose of the Trust Company
  • The site's content is appropriate with respect to the purpose of the Trust Company and the site is not a:
    • Site that exhibits hate, bias, discrimination, pornography, libelous or otherwise defamatory content;
    • Site that advocates or promotes the use of alcohol or tobacco;
    • Site belonging to or supporting a political affiliation; or
    • Site that furthers the agenda of a political organization or candidate running for office.

The Trust Company reserves the right to deny links if it determines that a website contains misleading or unsubstantiated claims, conflicts with the purpose of the Trust Company, or does not meet one or more of the criteria set forth in this document.

Review Process

  • Email link requests to the Trust Company Webmaster, indicating “Link Request” in the subject line. Each link request should address how the site meets the acceptance criteria outlined above.
  • The link request will be reviewed against the acceptance criteria set forth above. The decision of the Trust Company Webmaster is final as to whether the requesting site may have a link from the Trust Company.
  • Approved sites must comply with the following conditions for link maintenance and may be required to enter into a written linking agreement with the Trust Company.

Conditions for Link Maintenance on the Trust Company Website

To give superior customer service to citizens and businesses accessing governmental information and services through the Trust Company, we require that external websites linked from the Trust Company meet the following conditions in order to maintain a link on the Trust Company:

  • The linked site must provide the user with access to an email address and/or a customer service telephone number so that users may contact the site if there are problems with format, accuracy, timeliness, or payment processing.
  • Linked sites should not excessively burden the Trust Company customer support system. If the site excessively burdens the Trust Company customer support system, the Trust Company has discretion to take linked site off of the Trust Company website.
  • When the user clicks on the external website link, he/she must have easy access back to the Trust Company. One of two options can accomplish this:
    • A link to the Trust Company can be established on the external website's main page; or
    • The "Back" button returns the user to the Trust Company.
  • Linked sites must have a privacy and security policy accessible from their home page informing the user of what information is collected, how it is collected, and how it is used. The Trust Company encourages linked sites to comply with industry-accepted accessibility standards to ensure that persons with disabilities may access these sites.
  • Linked sites must notify the Trust Company at the email address provided below if the site to which the Trust Company links becomes inaccurate or inactive.

Removal Process

The Trust Company reserves the right to remove links if it determines that a website contains misleading or unsubstantiated claims, conflicts with the purpose of the Trust Company, or does not meet one or more of the criteria set forth above in the Acceptance Criteria section or set out above in the Conditions for Link Maintenance on the Trust Company section.

Links from the Trust Company will be reviewed regularly and may be removed for the following reasons:

  • The link no longer points to the original information or resource to which it was intended to point;
  • The website pointed to by the link contains inaccurate or misleading information or has changed such that it is no longer in compliance with the acceptance criteria;
  • The website pointed to by the link violates the conditions for link maintenance;
  • Access to the information has become difficult due to non-standard formatting, lengthy download times, or intrusive advertising;
  • The link is permanently unreachable or remains unavailable for a lengthy period; and
  • The external website fails to comply with the written linking agreement, if any.

The decision of the Trust Company Webmaster is final as to whether a link is to be removed from the Trust Company.

Contact Information

For questions and concerns regarding the linking policy, email the Trust Company Webmaster.

Privacy and Security Policy

The Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company (Trust Company) maintains this website as a public service. This policy describes the Trust Company’s privacy and security practices regarding information collected from visitors to the site, including what information is collected and how that information is used. The policy applies to all pages beginning with www.ttstc.com.

Please note that all information collected or maintained by the Trust Company is subject to the provisions of the Texas Public Information Act (Chapter 552, Texas Government Code). The identity of most members of the public who communicate with the Trust Company through the Internet is confidential under Texas law. Exceptions to confidentiality may be reviewed at Texas Government code, Section 552.

Use/Release of Information

Server Logs/Log Analysis Tools

The Trust Company uses server logs and log analysis tools to create summary statistics about website usage to improve site management. The statistics are used for purposes such as assessing what information is of most interest to users, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. The Trust Company does not report or use this information in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information, and does not release the information to any outside parties unless required to do so under applicable law.

The following information is collected for this analysis:

  • User/client hostname - Hostname (or IP address, if DNS is disabled) of the user/client requesting access.
  • HTTP header, "user-agent" - Type of browser used, the browser version, and the operating system it is running on.
  • HTTP header, "referer" - Page from which the user/client accessed the current page.
  • System date - Date and time of the user/client request.
  • Full request - Exact request the user/client made.
  • Status - Status code the server returned to the user/client.
  • Content length - Length, in bytes, of the document sent to the user/client.
  • Method - Request method used.
  • Uniform Resource Identifier (URI or URL) - Location of a resource on the server.
  • Query string of the URL - Anything after the question mark in a URL.
  • Protocol - Transport protocol and version used.

The Trust Company monitors network traffic for site security purposes and to ensure that the site remains available to all users. Unauthorized attempts to upload information, change information on this site, or otherwise cause damage are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under Texas Penal Code Chapters 33 (Computer Crimes) or 33A (Telecommunications Crimes). Except as may be required for authorized law enforcement investigations, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. It is possible that parts of raw data logs could be determined to be open records by the Office of the Attorney General. If such a determination were made subsequent to a Public Information Act request for the logs, the Trust Company would be required to disclose parts of the logs deemed open by the Office of the Attorney General or court of law.

E-Mail

The Trust Company may not sell or release the e-mail addresses of most members of the public that have been provided to communicate electronically, unless the affirmative consent of the affected member of the public has been obtained. Exemptions to this confidentiality may be reviewed at Texas Government Code, Section 552.137. Personally identifiable information contained in a question or comment sent to the Trust Company in an e-mail message or submitted in an online form is only used by the Trust Company to respond to the request and to analyze trends. The Trust Company may redirect the message to a Texas government agency or Texas government employee who is in a better position to answer the question.

Web-Based Forms

The Trust Company may use Web-based forms. Personally identifiable information collected from Web-based forms has a specified use (for example, registration, survey response, etc.) and the Trust Company uses the information only for that purpose. Each Web-based form contains a link to this privacy policy.
An individual who submits information in electronic format through this website is entitled, on request, to receive and review the information the Trust Company collects about the individual, and to have the Trust Company correct the information. To do this, please email the Trust Company Webmaster.

Cookies and Web Bugs

The Trust Company website may use cookies as part of site analytics tools or to provide interactive pages, such as Web-based forms and surveys. The Trust Company does not use cookies for other purposes. The Trust Company website does not use Web bugs (also called Web beacons or Clear GIFs) to track or report visitor information.

For Additional Information

Additional information regarding State of Texas privacy and security policies is provided on the Department of Information Resources' website:  Privacy and Security Policy Guidelines.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also provides information for educating consumers and businesses about the importance of personal information privacy.

If you have questions or comments about the Trust Company’s privacy and security policy, please send e-mail to the Trust Company Webmaster or call 512 463-3535.

The Public Information Act

Texas Government Code, Chapter 552, gives you the right to access government records; and an officer for public information and the officer's agent may not ask why you want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public. Certain exceptions may apply to the disclosure of the information. Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision, or information for which an exception to disclosure has not been sought.

Rights of Requestors

You have the right to:

  • Prompt access to information that is not confidential or otherwise protected;
  • Receive treatment equal to all other requestors, including accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements;
  • Receive certain kinds of information without exceptions, like the voting record of public officials, and other information;
  • Receive a written itemized statement of estimated charges, when charges will exceed $40, in advance of work being started and opportunity to modify the request in response to the itemized statement;
  • Choose whether to inspect the requested information (most often at no charge), receive copies of the information or both;
  • A waiver or reduction of charges if the governmental body determines that access to the information primarily benefits the general public;
  • Receive a copy of the communication from the governmental body asking the Office of the Attorney General for a ruling on whether the information can be withheld under one of the accepted exceptions, or if the communication discloses the requested information, a redacted copy;
  • Lodge a written complaint about overcharges for public information with the Office of the Attorney General. Complaints of other possible violations may be filed with the county or district attorney of the county where the governmental body, other than a state agency, is located. If the complaint is against the county or district attorney, the complaint must be filed with the Office of the Attorney General.

Responsibilities of Governmental Bodies

All governmental bodies responding to information requests have the responsibility to:

  • Establish reasonable procedures for inspecting or copying public information and inform requestors of these procedures;
  • Treat all requestors uniformly and shall give to the requestor all reasonable comfort and facility, including accommodation in accordance with ADA requirements;
  • Be informed about open records laws and educate employees on the requirements of those laws;
  • Inform requestors of the estimated charges greater than $40 and any changes in the estimates above 20 percent of the original estimate, and confirm that the requestor accepts the charges, or has amended the request, in writing before finalizing the request;
  • Inform the requestor if the information cannot be provided promptly and set a date and time to provide it within a reasonable time;
  • Request a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding any information the governmental body wishes to withhold, and send a copy of the request for ruling, or a redacted copy, to the requestor;
  • Segregate public information from information that may be withheld and provide that public information promptly;
  • Make a good faith attempt to inform third parties when their proprietary information is being requested from the governmental body;
  • Respond in writing to all written communications from the Office of the Attorney General regarding charges for the information. Respond to the Office of the Attorney General regarding complaints about violations of the Act.

Procedures to Obtain Information

  1. Submit a request by mail, fax, email or in person according to a governmental body's reasonable procedures.
  2. Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the governmental body to accurately identify and locate the information requested.
  3. Cooperate with the governmental body's reasonable efforts to clarify the type or amount of information requested.

Information to be released

  • You may review it promptly, and if it cannot be produced within 10 working days the public information officer will notify you in writing of the reasonable date and time when it will be available.
  • Keep all appointments to inspect records and to pick up copies. Failure to keep appointments may result in losing the opportunity to inspect the information at the time requested.

Cost of Records

  • You must respond to any written estimate of charges within 10 days of the date the governmental body sent it or the request is considered automatically withdrawn.
  • If estimated costs exceed $100.00 (or $50.00 if a governmental body has fewer than 16 full time employees) the governmental body may require a bond, prepayment or deposit.
  • You may ask the governmental body to determine whether providing the information primarily benefits the general public, resulting in a waiver or reduction of charges.
  • Make a timely payment for all mutually agreed charges. A governmental body can demand payment of overdue balances exceeding $100.00, or obtain a security deposit, before processing additional requests from you.

Information that may be withheld due to an exception

  • By the 10th business day after a governmental body receives your written request, a governmental body must:
    1. request an Attorney General opinion and state which exceptions apply;
    2. notify the requestor of the referral to the Attorney General; and
    3. notify third parties if the request involves their proprietary information.
  • Failure to request an Attorney General opinion and notify the requestor within 10 business days will result in a presumption that the information is open unless there is a compelling reason to withhold it.
  • Requestors may send a letter to the Attorney General arguing for release, and may review arguments made by the governmental body. If the arguments disclose the requested information, the requestor may obtain a redacted copy.
  • The Attorney General must issue a decision no later than the 45th working day from the day after the attorney general received the request for a decision. The attorney general may request an additional 10 working day extension.
  • Governmental bodies may not ask the Attorney General to “reconsider” an opinion.

Complaints

For complaints regarding failure to release public information please contact your local County or District Attorney. In Travis County, you may contact the County Attorney at (512) 854-9415 or the District Attorney at (512) 854-9400.

You may also contact the Office of the Attorney General, Open Records Hotline, at (512) 478-6736 or toll-free at (877) 673-6839.

For complaints regarding overcharges, please contact the Office of the Attorney General by phone at (512) 475-2497 or by fax at (512) 236-6169.

Requesting Information from the Trust Company

Please submit your request by mail to:
Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company
Open Records Division
208 East 10th Street
Austin, Texas 78701

Or, submit your request to the Public Information Officer by email.