Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB623 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85R7123 YDB-D
2	2	By: Burton S.B. No. 623
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of a public information Internet
8	8	website.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subtitle A, Title 5, Government Code, is amended
11	11	by adding Chapter 561 to read as follows:
12	12	CHAPTER 561. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE
13	13	Sec. 561.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
14	14	(1) "Governmental entity" means:
15	15	(A) a state agency in the executive, legislative,
16	16	or judicial branch of state government, including an institution of
17	17	higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code; or
18	18	(B) a political subdivision of this state.
19	19	(2) "Public information" means a public or legal
20	20	notice that a governmental entity is required to publish under a
21	21	statute or rule and any other information that a governmental
22	22	entity submits for publication on the public information Internet
23	23	website.
24	24	(3) "Public information Internet website" means the
25	25	official state Internet website developed and maintained by the
26	26	comptroller under this chapter.
27	27	Sec. 561.002. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE. (a)
28	28	The comptroller shall develop and maintain an Internet website of
29	29	public information, including archived public information.
30	30	(b) The public information Internet website must be
31	31	designed to:
32	32	(1) allow a governmental entity to easily post public
33	33	information or the comptroller to post public information on
34	34	receipt of the information from the entity;
35	35	(2) allow the public to search and sort the public
36	36	information on the Internet website by:
37	37	(A) a specific municipality or county;
38	38	(B) a governmental entity name;
39	39	(C) the type of governmental entity;
40	40	(D) the date the public information is submitted;
41	41	(E) the date an event or deadline stated in the
42	42	public information occurred; and
43	43	(F) any additional criteria approved by the
44	44	comptroller;
45	45	(3) allow the public to search and view archived
46	46	public information posted on the Internet website;
47	47	(4) allow a person to subscribe to e-mail notices of
48	48	public information associated with a specific governmental entity;
49	49	(5) be easily accessible by the public 24 hours a day,
50	50	7 days a week, through the Texas.gov Internet website that includes
51	51	a direct link to the public information Internet website;
52	52	(6) have a unique and easy to remember Internet
53	53	website address; and
54	54	(7) have adequate systems for protection, backup, and
55	55	contingency planning to address power outages, systematic
56	56	failures, and electronic security.
57	57	(c) The comptroller shall develop a process for a
58	58	governmental entity to access the public information Internet
59	59	website to post public information or modify information previously
60	60	posted by the entity or to submit the information or modified
61	61	information to the comptroller for posting on the Internet website.
62	62	Sec. 561.003. REQUIRED SUBMISSION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION.
63	63	Each governmental entity:
64	64	(1) shall submit for inclusion on the public
65	65	information Internet website any public or legal notice the entity
66	66	is required to publish under statute or rule; and
67	67	(2) may submit any other public information the entity
68	68	elects to submit.
69	69	Sec. 561.004. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE DOES NOT
70	70	SATISFY PUBLICATION REQUIREMENT. A governmental entity's
71	71	submission of public information to the public information Internet
72	72	website does not satisfy a publication requirement under other law.
73	73	Submission of public information to the Internet website shall be
74	74	made in addition to any other publication requirement.
75	75	Sec. 561.005. IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY OR PENALTY. A
76	76	governmental entity that in good faith attempts to submit public
77	77	information to the public information Internet website and that
78	78	satisfies the publication requirements for that information under
79	79	other law is not subject to liability or other penalty for a failure
80	80	in posting the public information to the public information
81	81	Internet website or in delivery of an e-mail notice of the posted
82	82	public information.
83	83	SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
84	84	of this Act, but not later than September 1, 2018:
85	85	(1) the comptroller of public accounts shall develop
86	86	the public information Internet website as required by Chapter 561,
87	87	Government Code, as added by this Act; and
88	88	(2) each governmental entity in this state shall begin
89	89	submitting public information to the public information Internet
90	90	website in the format and manner required by the comptroller and
91	91	Chapter 561, Government Code, as added by this Act.
92	92	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.