| 1 | 1 | | By: Estes S.B. No. 916 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Kleinschmidt) |
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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 quorums and meetings by teleconference of the Texas |
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| 8 | 8 | | Bioenergy Policy Council and the Texas Bioenergy Research |
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| 9 | 9 | | Committee. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subsection (e), Section 50D.011, Agriculture |
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| 12 | 12 | | Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (e) Subject to Section 50D.017, the [The] policy council is |
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| 14 | 14 | | subject to Chapters 551 and 2001, Government Code. |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 50D, Agriculture Code, is |
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| 16 | 16 | | amended by adding Sections 50D.016 and 50D.017 to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 50D.016. QUORUM. A quorum of the policy council |
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| 18 | 18 | | consists of not less than half of the members of the policy council. |
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| 19 | 19 | | A member who participates in a meeting by telephone conference |
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| 20 | 20 | | call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method |
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| 21 | 21 | | may be counted to establish a quorum. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 50D.017. MEETING BY TELECONFERENCE. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (a) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, or any other |
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| 24 | 24 | | law, the policy council may hold an open or closed meeting by |
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| 25 | 25 | | telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 26 | 26 | | telecommunication method if: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) notice is given for the meeting as for other |
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| 28 | 28 | | meetings; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) the notice specifies a location for the meeting at |
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| 30 | 30 | | which the public may attend; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) each part of the meeting that is required to be |
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| 32 | 32 | | open to the public is audible to the public at the location |
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| 33 | 33 | | specified in the notice of the meeting; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) the meeting is recorded by electronic or other |
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| 35 | 35 | | means and the recording of each portion of the meeting that is |
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| 36 | 36 | | required to be open to the public is made available to the public. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b) A member of the policy council may participate by |
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| 38 | 38 | | telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 39 | 39 | | telecommunication method in a policy council meeting at which other |
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| 40 | 40 | | members are physically present and may vote. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 3. Subsection (e), Section 50D.021, Agriculture |
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| 42 | 42 | | Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (e) Subject to Section 50D.026, [The] research committee is |
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| 44 | 44 | | subject to Chapters 551 and 2001, Government Code. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 4. Subchapter C, Chapter 50D, Agriculture Code, is |
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| 46 | 46 | | amended by adding Sections 50D.025 and 50D.026 to read as follows: |
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| 47 | 47 | | Sec. 50D.025. QUORUM. A quorum of the research committee |
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| 48 | 48 | | consists of not less than half of the members of the research |
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| 49 | 49 | | committee. A member who participates in a meeting by telephone |
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| 50 | 50 | | conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 51 | 51 | | telecommunication method may be counted to establish a quorum. |
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| 52 | 52 | | Sec. 50D.026. MEETING BY TELECONFERENCE. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (a) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, or any other |
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| 54 | 54 | | law, the research committee may hold an open or closed meeting by |
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| 55 | 55 | | telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 56 | 56 | | telecommunication method if: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) notice is given for the meeting as for other |
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| 58 | 58 | | meetings; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) the notice specifies a location for the meeting at |
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| 60 | 60 | | which the public may attend; |
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| 61 | 61 | | (3) each part of the meeting that is required to be |
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| 62 | 62 | | open to the public is audible to the public at the location |
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| 63 | 63 | | specified in the notice of the meeting; and |
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| 64 | 64 | | (4) the meeting is recorded by electronic or other |
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| 65 | 65 | | means and the recording of each portion of the meeting that is |
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| 66 | 66 | | required to be open to the public is made available to the public. |
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| 67 | 67 | | (b) A member of the research committee may participate by |
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| 68 | 68 | | telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 69 | 69 | | telecommunication method in a research committee meeting at which |
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| 70 | 70 | | other members are physically present and may vote. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 72 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 73 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 74 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 75 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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