Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1027 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3218 MCK-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1027
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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	16	that is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of
17	17	state government to which the total appropriation made in the
18	18	General Appropriations Act from general revenue for any fiscal year
19	19	beginning on or after September 1, 2025, including any amount of
20	20	general revenue transferred to the governmental body under that Act
21	21	for that fiscal year, is greater than $10 million and for which the
22	22	bill pattern for the General Appropriations Act for the same fiscal
23	23	year designates 100 or more full-time employees.
24	24	(b) A governmental body that becomes subject to this section
25	25	under Subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall comply with this
26	26	section in each following fiscal year.
27	27	(c) A governmental body subject to this section shall
28	28	broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open
29	29	meeting of the governmental body. The governmental body shall
30	30	provide access to the broadcast on the governmental body's Internet
31	31	website.
32	32	(d) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
33	33	meeting is broadcast under this section, the governmental body
34	34	shall make available through the governmental body's Internet
35	35	website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The
36	36	governmental body shall maintain the archived video and audio of
37	37	the open meeting on the governmental body's Internet website until
38	38	the second anniversary of the date the archived video and audio was
39	39	first made available on the website.
40	40	(e) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
41	41	body's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the
42	42	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
43	43	notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
44	44	within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
45	45	(f) The governmental body may use for an Internet broadcast
46	46	of an open meeting of the governmental body a room made available to
47	47	the governmental body on request in any state building, as defined
48	48	by Section 2165.301.
49	49	(g) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
50	50	this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
51	51	551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
52	52	from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
53	53	technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
54	54	reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open
55	55	meeting available in a timely manner.
56	56	(h) The governmental body shall consider contracting
57	57	through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to
58	58	broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to
59	59	minimize the cost of complying with this section.
60	60	Sec. 551.025. INTERNET ACCESS TO RECORDING OF OPEN MEETING.
61	61	(a) This section applies only to a governmental body that is an
62	62	agency within the executive or legislative branch of the state
63	63	government to which Section 551.024 does not apply.
64	64	(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
65	65	meeting is held, a governmental body subject to this section shall
66	66	make available through the governmental body's Internet website or
67	67	a social media account associated with the governmental body:
68	68	(1) an audio recording of the open meeting; or
69	69	(2) a video and audio recording of the open meeting.
70	70	(c) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental
71	71	body's Internet website or a social media account associated with
72	72	the governmental body the same notice of the open meeting that the
73	73	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
74	74	notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website
75	75	or a social media account associated with the governmental body
76	76	within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
77	77	(d) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of
78	78	this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
79	79	551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body
80	80	from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or
81	81	technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all
82	82	reasonable efforts to make the required recording of the open
83	83	meeting available in a timely manner.
84	84	SECTION 2. Sections 551.024 and 551.025, Government Code,
85	85	as added by this Act, apply only to an open meeting held on or after
86	86	September 1, 2027.
87	87	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.