Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1442 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	~~89R21016~~ MCK-D
	1	+	89R3218 MCK-D
2	2		By: Howard H.B. No. 1442
3		-	~~Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1442:~~
4		-	~~By: Capriglione C.S.H.B. No. 1442~~
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5	5
6	6
7	7		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8		AN ACT
9	9		relating to the Internet broadcast or recording of certain open
10	10		meetings.
11	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12		SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
13	13		amended by adding Sections 551.024 and 551.025 to read as follows:
14	14		Sec. 551.024. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN
15	15		MEETINGS. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body
16		-	that is an agency within the executive branch of state government:
17		-	(1) to which the total appropriation made in the
18		-	General Appropriations Act from general revenue as specified in the
19		-	method of financing for any fiscal year beginning on or after
20		-	September 1, 2025, including any amount of general revenue
21		-	transferred to the governmental body under that Act for that fiscal
22		-	year, is greater than $10 million; and
23		-	(2) for which the bill pattern for the General
24		-	Appropriations Act for the same fiscal year designates 100 or more
25		-	full-time equivalent positions.
	16	+	that is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of
	17	+	state government to which the total appropriation made in the
	18	+	General Appropriations Act from general revenue for any fiscal year
	19	+	beginning on or after September 1, 2025, including any amount of
	20	+	general revenue transferred to the governmental body under that Act
	21	+	for that fiscal year, is greater than $10 million and for which the
	22	+	bill pattern for the General Appropriations Act for the same fiscal
	23	+	year designates 100 or more full-time employees.
26	24		(b) A governmental body that becomes subject to this section
27	25		under Subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall comply with this
28	26		section in each following fiscal year.
29	27		(c) A governmental body subject to this section shall
30	28		broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open
31	29		meeting of the governmental body. The governmental body shall
32	30		provide access to the broadcast on the governmental body's Internet
33	31		website.
34	32		(d) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
35	33		meeting is broadcast under this section, the governmental body
36	34		shall make available through the governmental body's Internet
37	35		website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The
38	36		governmental body shall maintain the archived video and audio of
39	37		the open meeting on the governmental body's Internet website until
40	38		the second anniversary of the date the archived video and audio was
41	39		first made available on the website.
42	40		(e) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
43	41		body's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the
44	42		governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
45	43		notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
46	44		within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
47	45		(f) The governmental body may use for an Internet broadcast
48	46		of an open meeting of the governmental body a room made available to
49	47		the governmental body on request in any state building, as defined
50	48		by Section 2165.301.
51	49		(g) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
52	50		this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
53	51		551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
54	52		from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
55	53		technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
56	54		reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open
57	55		meeting available in a timely manner.
58	56		(h) The governmental body shall consider contracting
59	57		through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to
60	58		broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to
61	59		minimize the cost of complying with this section.
62	60		Sec. 551.025. INTERNET ACCESS TO RECORDING OF OPEN MEETING.
63	61		(a) This section applies only to a governmental body that is an
64		-	agency within:
65		-	(1) the legislative branch of the state government; or
66		-	(2) the executive branch of the state government to
67		-	which Section 551.024 does not apply.
	62	+	agency within the executive or legislative branch of the state
	63	+	government to which Section 551.024 does not apply.
68	64		(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
69	65		meeting is held, a governmental body subject to this section shall
70	66		make available through the governmental body's Internet website or
71	67		a social media account associated with the governmental body:
72	68		(1) an audio recording of the open meeting; or
73	69		(2) a video and audio recording of the open meeting.
74	70		(c) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
75	71		body's Internet website or a social media account associated with
76	72		the governmental body the same notice of the open meeting that the
77	73		governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
78	74		notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
79	75		or a social media account associated with the governmental body
80	76		within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
81	77		(d) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
82	78		this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
83	79		551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
84	80		from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
85	81		technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
86	82		reasonable efforts to make the required recording of the open
87	83		meeting available in a timely manner.
88		-	(e) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), this section does not
89		-	apply to a commodity producers board created under Chapter 41,
90		-	Agriculture Code. This subsection expires September 1, 2030.
91	84		SECTION 2. Sections 551.024 and 551.025, Government Code,
92	85		as added by this Act, apply only to an open meeting held on or after
93	86		September 1, 2027.
94	87		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.