BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3943 By: Howard, Charlie State Affairs Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Open Meetings Act was passed to make government more transparent, and it requires city councils to abide by open meetings laws, including posting meeting agendas. The attorney general issued an opinion regarding posting items such as "mayor's update" and "city manager's report," and concluded that these do not "sufficiently notify a reader, as a member of the interested public, of the subjects to be addressed at a meeting subject to the Open Meetings Act." C.S.H.B. 3943 authorizes community interest items to be reported on and received at a meeting without notice of the subject of a report if no action is taken and possible action is not discussed. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3943 amends the Government Code to authorize a quorum of the governing body of a municipality to receive from municipal staff, and to authorize a member of the governing body to make a report about, items of community interest during a meeting of the governing body without having given notice of the subject of the report as required by state law on meeting notices if no action is taken and, except as provided by state law on inquiries made at a meeting, possible action is not discussed regarding the information provided in the report. C.S.H.B. 3943 defines items of community interest. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2009. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 3943 defines items of community interest.
BILL ANALYSIS
BILL ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3943
By: Howard, Charlie
State Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)
C.S.H.B. 3943
By: Howard, Charlie
State Affairs
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Open Meetings Act was passed to make government more transparent, and it requires city
councils to abide by open meetings laws, including posting meeting agendas. The attorney general issued an opinion regarding posting items such as "mayor's update" and "city manager's report," and concluded that these do not "sufficiently notify a reader, as a member of the interested public, of the subjects to be addressed at a meeting subject to the Open Meetings Act."
C.S.H.B. 3943 authorizes community interest items to be reported on and received at a meeting
without notice of the subject of a report if no action is taken and possible action is not discussed.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking
authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3943 amends the Government Code to authorize a quorum of the governing body of a municipality to receive from municipal staff, and to authorize a member of the governing body to make a report about, items of community interest during a meeting of the governing body without having given notice of the subject of the report as required by state law on meeting notices if no action is taken and, except as provided by state law on inquiries made at a meeting, possible action is not discussed regarding the information provided in the report. C.S.H.B. 3943 defines items of community interest.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2009.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
C.S.H.B. 3943 defines items of community interest.