Bill Text: TX HB283 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the requirement that certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 46-13)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-17 - Effective on 1/1/16 [HB283 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB283-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 283 |
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relating to the requirement that certain governmental bodies make | ||
audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the | ||
Internet. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 551.128, Government Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (b-1), | ||
(b-2), (b-3), (b-4), (b-5), and (b-6) to read as follows: | ||
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1) and subject | ||
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may broadcast an open meeting over the Internet. | ||
(b-1) A transit authority or department subject to Chapter | ||
451, 452, 453, or 460, Transportation Code, an elected school | ||
district board of trustees for a school district that has a student | ||
enrollment of 10,000 or more, an elected governing body of a | ||
home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, or a | ||
county commissioners court for a county that has a population of | ||
125,000 or more shall: | ||
(1) make a video and audio recording of reasonable | ||
quality of each regularly scheduled open meeting that is not a work | ||
session or a special called meeting; and | ||
(2) make available an archived copy of the video and | ||
audio recording of each meeting described by Subdivision (1) on the | ||
Internet. | ||
(b-2) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) may | ||
make available the archived recording of a meeting required by | ||
Subsection (b-1) on an existing Internet site, including a publicly | ||
accessible video-sharing or social networking site. The | ||
governmental body is not required to establish a separate Internet | ||
site and provide access to archived recordings of meetings from | ||
that site. | ||
(b-3) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) | ||
that maintains an Internet site shall make available on that site, | ||
in a conspicuous manner: | ||
(1) the archived recording of each meeting to which | ||
Subsection (b-1) applies; or | ||
(2) an accessible link to the archived recording of | ||
each such meeting. | ||
(b-4) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) | ||
shall: | ||
(1) make the archived recording of each meeting to | ||
which Subsection (b-1) applies available on the Internet not later | ||
than seven days after the date the recording was made; and | ||
(2) maintain the archived recording on the Internet | ||
for not less than two years after the date the recording was first | ||
made available. | ||
(b-5) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) is | ||
exempt from the requirements of Subsections (b-2) and (b-4) if the | ||
governmental body's failure to make the required recording of a | ||
meeting available is the result of a catastrophe, as defined by | ||
Section 551.0411, or a technical breakdown. Following a catastrophe | ||
or breakdown, a governmental body must make all reasonable efforts | ||
to make the required recording available in a timely manner. | ||
(b-6) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) may | ||
broadcast a regularly scheduled open meeting of the body on | ||
television. | ||
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (b-2), a [ |
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governmental body that broadcasts a meeting over the Internet shall | ||
establish an Internet site and provide access to the broadcast from | ||
that site. The governmental body shall provide on the Internet site | ||
the same notice of the meeting that the governmental body is | ||
required to post under Subchapter C. The notice on the Internet must | ||
be posted within the time required for posting notice under | ||
Subchapter C. | ||
SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to | ||
an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act. An | ||
open meeting held before the effective date of this Act is governed | ||
by the law in effect on the date of the open meeting, and the former | ||
law is continued in effect for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2016. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 283 was passed by the House on May 13, | ||
2015, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 4, 1 present, not | ||
voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 283 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
25, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
Date | ||
_____________________ | ||
Governor |