| 1 | 1 | | By: Middleton S.B. No. 1504 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 8 | | relating to meetings of the board of directors of the Gulf Coast |
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| 9 | 9 | | Authority. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 2.07, Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st |
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| 12 | 12 | | Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, is amended by amending |
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| 13 | 13 | | Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h) to |
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| 14 | 14 | | read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (a) The board shall meet regularly as necessary [at least |
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| 16 | 16 | | once each month, and may meet at any other time provided in its |
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| 17 | 17 | | bylaws]. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (d) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, Chapter |
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| 19 | 19 | | 49, Water Code, or any other law, the board may hold an open or |
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| 20 | 20 | | closed meeting by telephone conference call, videoconference, or |
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| 21 | 21 | | other similar telecommunication method. The board may use a |
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| 22 | 22 | | telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 23 | 23 | | telecommunication method for purposes of establishing a quorum, for |
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| 24 | 24 | | voting, or for any other meeting purpose. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (e) A meeting held by telephone conference call, |
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| 26 | 26 | | videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method is |
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| 27 | 27 | | subject to the notice requirements applicable to other board |
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| 28 | 28 | | meetings. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (f) The notice of a meeting to be held by telephone |
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| 30 | 30 | | conference call, videoconference, or other similar |
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| 31 | 31 | | telecommunication method must include: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) a toll-free telephone number that members of the |
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| 33 | 33 | | public may use to hear and, if applicable, speak at the meeting; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) free-of-charge access information for any |
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| 35 | 35 | | audiovisual or audio-only feeds; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (3) instructions for a member of the public to speak at |
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| 37 | 37 | | the meeting from a remote location. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (g) If the board prepares an agenda packet or other |
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| 39 | 39 | | materials that would have been distributed to members of the public |
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| 40 | 40 | | at a face-to-face meeting, the board shall make the packet or other |
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| 41 | 41 | | materials available electronically. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (h) A meeting held by telephone conference call, |
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| 43 | 43 | | videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method shall |
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| 44 | 44 | | be recorded. The recording shall be made available to the public. |
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| 45 | 45 | | The board shall maintain a copy of the recording for at least one |
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| 46 | 46 | | year after the date of the hearing. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 48 | 48 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 49 | 49 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 50 | 50 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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