| 1 | 1 | | By: Williams S.B. No. 293 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Ritter) |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the authority of certain water districts to hold |
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| 8 | 8 | | meetings by teleconference or videoconference. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 551.131 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 551.131. WATER DISTRICTS. (a) In this section, |
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| 13 | 13 | | "water district" means a river authority, groundwater conservation |
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| 14 | 14 | | district, water control and improvement district, or other district |
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| 15 | 15 | | created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, |
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| 16 | 16 | | Texas Constitution. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) This section applies only to a water district whose |
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| 18 | 18 | | territory includes land in three or more counties. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (c) A meeting held by telephone conference call or video |
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| 20 | 20 | | conference call authorized by this section may be held only if: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) the meeting is a special called meeting and |
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| 22 | 22 | | immediate action is required; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) the convening at one location of a quorum of the |
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| 24 | 24 | | governing body of the applicable water district is difficult or |
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| 25 | 25 | | impossible. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (d) A meeting held by telephone conference call must |
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| 27 | 27 | | otherwise comply with the procedures under Sections 551.125(c), |
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| 28 | 28 | | (d), (e), and (f). |
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| 29 | 29 | | (e) A meeting held by video conference call is subject to |
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| 30 | 30 | | the notice requirements applicable to other meetings. In addition, |
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| 31 | 31 | | a meeting held by video conference call shall: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) be visible and audible to the public at the |
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| 33 | 33 | | location specified in the notice of the meeting as the location of |
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| 34 | 34 | | the meeting; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) be recorded by audio and video; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) have two-way audio and video communications with |
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| 37 | 37 | | each participant in the meeting during the entire meeting. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 39 | 39 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 40 | 40 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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