Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1473 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R1864 MP-D
2	2	By: Gates H.B. No. 1473
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the requirements for meetings held and Internet
8	8	websites developed by certain special purpose districts.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 551.1283, Government Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 551.1283. GOVERNING BODY OF CERTAIN WATER DISTRICTS:
13	13	INTERNET WEBSITES [POSTING OF MEETING MATERIALS]; RECORDING OF
14	14	MEETINGS [CERTAIN HEARINGS]. (a) In this section, "board" means the
15	15	governing body of a special purpose district to which this section
16	16	applies.
17	17	(a-1) This section only applies to a special purpose
18	18	district subject to Chapter 51, 53, 54, or 55, Water Code, that has
19	19	a population of 500 or more.
20	20	(b) A [On written request of a district resident made to the
21	21	district not later than the third day before a public hearing to
22	22	consider the adoption of an ad valorem tax rate, the] district shall
23	23	develop and maintain an Internet website [make an audio recording
24	24	of reasonable quality of the hearing and provide the recording to
25	25	the resident in an electronic format not later than the fifth
26	26	business day after the date of the hearing. The district shall
27	27	maintain a copy of the recording for at least one year after the
28	28	date of the hearing].
29	29	(c) A district shall make available on the district's
30	30	Internet website:
31	31	(1) contact information for each member of the board;
32	32	(2) the time and place of the next meeting of the
33	33	board;
34	34	(3) a live video stream of each meeting of the board;
35	35	(4) a video recording of each meeting of the board
36	36	posted not later than the fifth business day after the date of the
37	37	meeting and maintained for not less than one year;
38	38	(5) the minutes of each meeting of the board; and
39	39	(6) information about:
40	40	(A) the budget set by the district; and
41	41	(B) any tax rate set by the district [post the
42	42	minutes of the meeting of the governing body to the district's
43	43	Internet website if the district maintains an Internet website].
44	44	SECTION 2. Section 49.062(b), Water Code, is amended to
45	45	read as follows:
46	46	(b) The board shall designate one or more places inside [or
47	47	outside] the district for conducting the meetings of the board. The
48	48	meeting place may be a private residence or office, provided that
49	49	the board, in its order establishing the meeting place, declares
50	50	the same to be a public place and invites the public to attend any
51	51	meeting of the board. If the board establishes that no suitable
52	52	place exists for meeting inside the district, a meeting place or
53	53	places outside the district may be designated. The board [, it]
54	54	shall give notice of the location or locations of a meeting place or
55	55	places outside the district by filing a true copy of the resolution
56	56	establishing the location or locations of the meeting place or
57	57	places and a justification of why the meeting will not be held in
58	58	the district or within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, if
59	59	applicable, with the commission and also by publishing notice of
60	60	the location or locations in a newspaper of general circulation in
61	61	the district. If the location of any of the meeting places outside
62	62	the district is changed, notice of the change shall be given in the
63	63	same manner.
64	64	SECTION 3. Sections 49.062(c), (c-1), (e), (f), and (g),
65	65	Water Code, are repealed.
66	66	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.