| 1 | 1 | | 89R3588 GP-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Johnson S.B. No. 1295 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to open meetings and public information training for |
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| 10 | 10 | | certain public officials and attorneys regarding the open meetings |
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| 11 | 11 | | and public information laws. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 551.005, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 14 | 14 | | adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a-1) An attorney employed or engaged to assist a public |
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| 16 | 16 | | official or governmental body in administering the |
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| 17 | 17 | | responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
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| 18 | 18 | | this chapter shall complete the training required by this section. |
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| 19 | 19 | | The attorney must complete the training regarding the |
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| 20 | 20 | | responsibilities of the governmental body and of its officers and |
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| 21 | 21 | | employees under this chapter not later than the 10th day after the |
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| 22 | 22 | | date the attorney is employed or engaged to assist the public |
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| 23 | 23 | | official or governmental body with those responsibilities. An |
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| 24 | 24 | | attorney may not be compensated by a governmental body for the time |
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| 25 | 25 | | required to take and complete the training unless the attorney is an |
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| 26 | 26 | | employee of the governmental body. |
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| 27 | 27 | | SECTION 2. Section 552.012, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 28 | 28 | | amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as |
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| 29 | 29 | | follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) A public official may designate a public information |
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| 31 | 31 | | coordinator to be [to satisfy the training requirements of this |
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| 32 | 32 | | section for the public official if the public information |
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| 33 | 33 | | coordinator is] primarily responsible for administering the |
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| 34 | 34 | | responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
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| 35 | 35 | | this chapter. Designation of a public information coordinator |
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| 36 | 36 | | under this subsection does not relieve a public official from the |
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| 37 | 37 | | duty to comply with this section or any other requirement of this |
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| 38 | 38 | | chapter that applies to the public official. The designated public |
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| 39 | 39 | | information coordinator shall complete the training course |
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| 40 | 40 | | regarding the responsibilities of the governmental body with which |
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| 41 | 41 | | the coordinator serves and of its officers and employees under this |
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| 42 | 42 | | chapter not later than the 90th day after the date the coordinator |
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| 43 | 43 | | assumes the person's duties as coordinator. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (c-1) An attorney employed or engaged to assist a public |
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| 45 | 45 | | official, public information coordinator, or governmental body in |
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| 46 | 46 | | administering the responsibilities of the public official, public |
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| 47 | 47 | | information coordinator, or governmental body under this chapter |
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| 48 | 48 | | shall complete the training required by this section. The attorney |
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| 49 | 49 | | must complete the training regarding the responsibilities of the |
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| 50 | 50 | | governmental body and its officers and employees under this chapter |
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| 51 | 51 | | not later than the 10th day after the date the attorney is employed |
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| 52 | 52 | | or engaged to assist the public official, public information |
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| 53 | 53 | | coordinator, or governmental body with those responsibilities. An |
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| 54 | 54 | | attorney may not be compensated by a governmental body for the time |
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| 55 | 55 | | required to take and complete the training unless the attorney is an |
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| 56 | 56 | | employee of the governmental body. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. (a) Each attorney described by Section |
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| 58 | 58 | | 551.005(a-1), Government Code, as added by this Act, who assists a |
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| 59 | 59 | | public official or governmental body in administering the |
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| 60 | 60 | | responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
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| 61 | 61 | | Chapter 551 of that code on the effective date of this Act must |
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| 62 | 62 | | complete the course of training required by Section 551.005 of that |
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| 63 | 63 | | code on or before October 1, 2025. |
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| 64 | 64 | | (b) Each attorney described by Section 552.012(c-1), |
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| 65 | 65 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, who assists a public |
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| 66 | 66 | | official, public information coordinator, or governmental body in |
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| 67 | 67 | | administering the responsibilities of the public official, public |
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| 68 | 68 | | information coordinator, or governmental body under Chapter 552 of |
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| 69 | 69 | | that code on the effective date of this Act must complete the course |
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| 70 | 70 | | of training required by Section 552.012 of that code on or before |
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| 71 | 71 | | October 1, 2025. |
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| 72 | 72 | | (c) A public official serving on the effective date of this |
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| 73 | 73 | | Act who has not previously completed the training required by |
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| 74 | 74 | | Section 552.012, Government Code, because the public official |
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| 75 | 75 | | previously designated a public information coordinator to complete |
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| 76 | 76 | | the training requirements for the public official must complete the |
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| 77 | 77 | | training required by Section 552.012, Government Code, as amended |
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| 78 | 78 | | by this Act, on or before January 1, 2026. |
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| 79 | 79 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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