| 1 | 1 | | 88R8899 KBB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hunter H.B. No. 2178 |
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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 publication of notices by a governmental entity on the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Internet websites of a newspaper and the Texas Press Association. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 2051, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 2051.054 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 2051.054. INTERNET PUBLICATION OF NOTICES. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subsections (b)(2) and (c) apply only if the Texas Press |
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| 14 | 14 | | Association maintains an Internet website as a statewide repository |
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| 15 | 15 | | of notices. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) A newspaper that publishes a notice shall, at no |
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| 17 | 17 | | additional cost to the governmental entity placing the notice: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) publish the notice on one or more webpages on the |
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| 19 | 19 | | newspaper's Internet website, if the newspaper maintains a website, |
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| 20 | 20 | | that are: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) clearly designated for notices; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) accessible to the public at no cost; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) deliver the notice to the Texas Press Association |
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| 24 | 24 | | for the association to publish on the association's Internet |
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| 25 | 25 | | website described by Subsection (a). |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) The Texas Press Association shall publish each notice it |
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| 27 | 27 | | receives from a newspaper under Subsection (b)(2) on the |
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| 28 | 28 | | association's Internet website described by Subsection (a). The |
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| 29 | 29 | | association must ensure that the website: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) is accessible to the public at no cost; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) is updated as notices are received; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) is searchable and sortable by subject matter, |
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| 33 | 33 | | location, and both subject matter and location; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) offers an e-mail notification service to which a |
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| 35 | 35 | | person may electronically subscribe to receive notifications that a |
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| 36 | 36 | | notice has been published on the website and that allows the |
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| 37 | 37 | | subscriber to limit the notifications by subject matter, location, |
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| 38 | 38 | | or both subject matter and location. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (d) A person required to publish a notice on an Internet |
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| 40 | 40 | | website under this section shall archive the notice on the website |
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| 41 | 41 | | in its entirety, including the date the notice is published. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) The validity of a notice printed in a newspaper and |
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| 43 | 43 | | published on an Internet website under this section is not affected |
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| 44 | 44 | | if: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (1) there is an error in the notice published on the |
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| 46 | 46 | | website; or |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) publication of the notice on the website is |
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| 48 | 48 | | temporarily prevented as the result of a technical issue with the |
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| 49 | 49 | | website. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 51 | 51 | | a notice published on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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