Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB341 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R1072 MCK-D
2	2	By: West S.B. No. 341
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the Internet broadcast or audio recording of certain
8	8	open meetings.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Sections 551.024 and 551.025 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 551.024. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN
13	13	MEETINGS. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body
14	14	that is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of
15	15	state government to which the total appropriation made in the
16	16	General Appropriations Act from general revenue for any fiscal year
17	17	beginning on or after September 1, 2021, including any amount of
18	18	general revenue transferred to the governmental body under that Act
19	19	for that fiscal year, is greater than $10 million and for which the
20	20	bill pattern for the General Appropriations Act for the same fiscal
21	21	year designates 100 or more full-time employees.
22	22	(b) A governmental body that becomes subject to this section
23	23	under Subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall comply with this
24	24	section in each following fiscal year.
25	25	(c) A governmental body subject to this section shall
26	26	broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open
27	27	meeting of the governmental body. The governmental body shall
28	28	provide access to the broadcast on the governmental body's Internet
29	29	website.
30	30	(d) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
31	31	meeting is broadcast under this section, the governmental body
32	32	shall make available through the governmental body's Internet
33	33	website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The
34	34	governmental body shall maintain the archived video and audio of
35	35	the open meeting on the governmental body's Internet website until
36	36	the second anniversary of the date the archived video and audio was
37	37	first made available on the website.
38	38	(e) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
39	39	body's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the
40	40	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
41	41	notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
42	42	within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
43	43	(f) The governmental body may use for an Internet broadcast
44	44	of an open meeting of the governmental body a room made available to
45	45	the governmental body on request in any state building, as defined
46	46	by Section 2165.301.
47	47	(g) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
48	48	this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
49	49	551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
50	50	from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
51	51	technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
52	52	reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open
53	53	meeting available in a timely manner.
54	54	(h) The governmental body shall consider contracting
55	55	through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to
56	56	broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to
57	57	minimize the cost of complying with this section.
58	58	Sec. 551.025. INTERNET ACCESS TO AUDIO RECORDING OF OPEN
59	59	MEETING. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body that
60	60	is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of the state
61	61	government to which Section 551.024 does not apply.
62	62	(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
63	63	meeting is held, a governmental body subject to this section shall
64	64	make available through the governmental body's Internet website or
65	65	a social media account associated with the governmental body an
66	66	audio recording of the open meeting.
67	67	(c) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
68	68	body's Internet website or a social media account associated with
69	69	the governmental body the same notice of the open meeting that the
70	70	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
71	71	notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
72	72	or a social media account associated with the governmental body
73	73	within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
74	74	(d) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
75	75	this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
76	76	551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
77	77	from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
78	78	technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
79	79	reasonable efforts to make the required audio recording of the open
80	80	meeting available in a timely manner.
81	81	SECTION 2. Sections 551.024 and 551.025, Government Code,
82	82	as added by this Act, apply only to an open meeting held on or after
83	83	September 1, 2023.
84	84	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.