Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB318 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~86R27720~~ SRS-D
	1	+	86R348 SRS-D
2	2		By: Howard H.B. No. 318
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 318:
4		-	By: Deshotel C.S.H.B. No. 318
5	3
6	4
7	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	6		AN ACT
9		-	relating to the Internet broadcast or audio recording of certain
10		-	open meetings.
	7	+	relating to the Internet broadcast of certain open meetings.
11	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	9		SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
13		-	amended by adding ~~Sections~~ 551.024 ~~and 551.025~~ to read as follows:
	10	+	amended by adding Section 551.024 to read as follows:
14	11		Sec. 551.024. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN
15	12		MEETINGS. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body
16	13		that is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of
17	14		state government to which the total appropriation made in the
18	15		General Appropriations Act from general revenue for any fiscal year
19	16		beginning on or after September 1, 2019, including any amount of
20	17		general revenue transferred to the governmental body under that Act
21		-	for that fiscal year, is greater than $10 million and for which the
	18	+	for that fiscal year, is greater than $40 million and for which the
22	19		bill pattern for the General Appropriations Act for the same fiscal
23		-	year designates ~~100~~ or more full-time employees.
	20	+	year designates 250 or more full-time employees.
24	21		(b) A governmental body that becomes subject to this section
25	22		under Subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall comply with this
26	23		section in each following fiscal year.
27	24		(c) A governmental body subject to this section shall
28	25		broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open
29	26		meeting of the governmental body. The governmental body shall
30	27		provide access to the broadcast on the governmental body's Internet
31	28		website.
32	29		(d) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
33	30		meeting is broadcast under this section, the governmental body
34	31		shall make available through the governmental body's Internet
35	32		website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The
36	33		governmental body shall maintain the archived video and audio of
37	34		the open meeting on the governmental body's Internet website until
38	35		the second anniversary of the date the archived video and audio was
39	36		first made available on the website.
40	37		(e) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
41	38		body's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the
42	39		governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
43	40		notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
44	41		within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
45	42		(f) The governmental body may use for an Internet broadcast
46	43		of an open meeting of the governmental body a room made available to
47	44		the governmental body on request in any state building, as defined
48	45		by Section 2165.301.
49	46		(g) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
50	47		this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
51	48		551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
52	49		from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
53	50		technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
54	51		reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open
55	52		meeting available in a timely manner.
56	53		(h) The governmental body shall consider contracting
57	54		through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to
58	55		broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to
59	56		minimize the cost of complying with this section.
60		-	Sec. 551.025. INTERNET ACCESS TO AUDIO RECORDING OF OPEN
61		-	MEETING. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body that
62		-	is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of the state
63		-	government to which Section 551.024 does not apply.
64		-	(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
65		-	meeting is held, a governmental body subject to this section shall
66		-	make available through the governmental body's Internet website or
67		-	a social media account associated with the governmental body an
68		-	audio recording of the open meeting.
69		-	(c) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
70		-	body's Internet website or a social media account associated with
71		-	the governmental body the same notice of the open meeting that the
72		-	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
73		-	notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
74		-	or a social media account associated with the governmental body
75		-	within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
76		-	(d) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
77		-	this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
78		-	551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
79		-	from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
80		-	technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
81		-	reasonable efforts to make the required audio recording of the open
82		-	meeting available in a timely manner.
83		-	SECTION 2. Sections 551.024 and 551.025, Government Code,
84		-	as added by this Act, apply only to an open meeting held on or after
85		-	September 1, 2021.
	57	+	SECTION 2. Section 551.024, Government Code, as added by
	58	+	this Act, applies only to an open meeting held on or after September
	59	+	1, 2021.
86	60		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.