Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2485 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R10078 MCK-D
2	2	By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 2485
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the entities covered by the open meetings law and the
10	10	live broadcast and archived recording of an open meeting of a
11	11	governmental body.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Section 551.001(3), Government Code, is amended
14	14	to read as follows:
15	15	(3) "Governmental body" means:
16	16	(A) a board, commission, department, committee,
17	17	or agency within the executive or legislative branch of state
18	18	government that is directed by one or more elected or appointed
19	19	members;
20	20	(B) a county commissioners court in the state;
21	21	(C) a municipal governing body in the state;
22	22	(D) a deliberative body that has rulemaking or
23	23	quasi-judicial power and that is classified as a department,
24	24	agency, or political subdivision of a county or municipality;
25	25	(E) a school district board of trustees;
26	26	(F) a county board of school trustees;
27	27	(G) a county board of education;
28	28	(H) the governing board of a special district
29	29	created by law;
30	30	(I) a local workforce development board created
31	31	under Section 2308.253;
32	32	(J) a nonprofit corporation that is eligible to
33	33	receive funds under the federal community services block grant
34	34	program and that is authorized by this state to serve a geographic
35	35	area of the state;
36	36	(K) a nonprofit corporation organized under
37	37	Chapter 67, Water Code, that provides a water supply or wastewater
38	38	service, or both, and is exempt from ad valorem taxation under
39	39	Section 11.30, Tax Code;
40	40	(L) a joint board created under Section 22.074,
41	41	Transportation Code; [and]
42	42	(M) a board of directors of a reinvestment zone
43	43	created under Chapter 311, Tax Code;
44	44	(N) the board of directors of a public facility
45	45	corporation created under Chapter 303, Local Government Code;
46	46	(O) the board of directors of a housing finance
47	47	corporation created under Chapter 394, Local Government Code; and
48	48	(P) the governing body of a housing authority
49	49	created under Chapter 392, Local Government Code.
50	50	SECTION 2. Section 551.128, Government Code, is amended to
51	51	read as follows:
52	52	Sec. 551.128. LIVE [INTERNET] BROADCAST AND ARCHIVED
53	53	RECORDING OF OPEN MEETING. (a) In this section, "Internet" means
54	54	the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network,
55	55	popularly known as the Internet.
56	56	(b) A [Except as provided by Subsection (b-1) and subject to
57	57	the requirements of this section, a] governmental body shall:
58	58	(1) [may] broadcast each [an] open meeting on [over]
59	59	the governmental body's Internet website;
60	60	(2) [.
61	61	[(b-1) A transit authority or department subject to Chapter
62	62	451, 452, 453, or 460, Transportation Code, an elected school
63	63	district board of trustees for a school district that has a student
64	64	enrollment of 10,000 or more, an elected governing body of a
65	65	home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, or a
66	66	county commissioners court for a county that has a population of
67	67	125,000 or more shall:
68	68	[(1)] make a video and audio recording of reasonable
69	69	quality of each[:
70	70	[(A) regularly scheduled] open meeting; [that is
71	71	not a work session or a special called meeting; and
72	72	[(B) open meeting that is a work session or
73	73	special called meeting if:
74	74	[(i) the governmental body is an elected
75	75	school district board of trustees for a school district that has a
76	76	student enrollment of 10,000 or more; and
77	77	[(ii) at the work session or special called
78	78	meeting, the board of trustees votes on any matter or allows public
79	79	comment or testimony;] and
80	80	(3) [(2)] make available an archived copy of the video
81	81	and audio recording of each open meeting [described by Subdivision
82	82	(1)] on the governmental body's Internet website.
83	83	(c) [(b-2) A governmental body described by Subsection
84	84	(b-1) may make available the archived recording of a meeting
85	85	required by Subsection (b-1) on an existing Internet site,
86	86	including a publicly accessible video-sharing or social networking
87	87	site. The governmental body is not required to establish a separate
88	88	Internet site and provide access to archived recordings of meetings
89	89	from that site.
90	90	[(b-3) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1)
91	91	that maintains an Internet site shall make available on that site,
92	92	in a conspicuous manner:
93	93	[(1) the archived recording of each meeting to which
94	94	Subsection (b-1) applies; or
95	95	[(2) an accessible link to the archived recording of
96	96	each such meeting.
97	97	[(b-4)] A governmental body [described by Subsection (b-1)]
98	98	shall:
99	99	(1) make the archived recording of each open meeting
100	100	[to which Subsection (b-1) applies] available on the governmental
101	101	body's Internet website not later than the seventh day [seven days]
102	102	after the date the recording was made; and
103	103	(2) maintain the archived recording on the
104	104	governmental body's Internet website until the second anniversary
105	105	of [for not less than two years after] the date the recording was
106	106	first made available.
107	107	[(b-5) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) is
108	108	exempt from the requirements of Subsections (b-2) and (b-4) if the
109	109	governmental body's failure to make the required recording of a
110	110	meeting available is the result of a catastrophe, as defined by
111	111	Section 551.0411, or a technical breakdown. Following a
112	112	catastrophe or breakdown, a governmental body must make all
113	113	reasonable efforts to make the required recording available in a
114	114	timely manner.]
115	115	(d) [(b-6)] A governmental body [described by Subsection
116	116	(b-1)] may broadcast a regularly scheduled open meeting of the body
117	117	on television.
118	118	(e) A [(c) Except as provided by Subsection (b-2), a]
119	119	governmental body that does not have an [broadcasts a meeting over
120	120	the] Internet website may [shall establish an Internet site and
121	121	provide access to the] broadcast each open meeting and make
122	122	available the archived recording of each open meeting on an
123	123	existing [from that site. The governmental body shall provide on
124	124	the] Internet site, including a publicly accessible video-sharing
125	125	or social networking site. The governmental body shall include in
126	126	the [same] notice of the meeting a description of how to access:
127	127	(1) the live broadcast of the open meeting [that the
128	128	governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
129	129	notice] on the Internet; and
130	130	(2) the archived recording of the open meeting on the
131	131	Internet [must be posted within the time required for posting
132	132	notice under Subchapter C].
133	133	SECTION 3. Section 472.036, Transportation Code, is amended
134	134	to read as follows:
135	135	Sec. 472.036. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN
136	136	MEETINGS. In a manner that complies with Section 551.128
137	137	[551.128(c)], Government Code, a metropolitan planning
138	138	organization that serves one or more counties with a population of
139	139	350,000 or more shall broadcast over the Internet live video and
140	140	audio of each open meeting held by the policy board. Subsequently,
141	141	the organization shall make available through the organization's
142	142	Internet website archived video and audio for each meeting for
143	143	which live video and audio was provided under this section.
144	144	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
145	145	an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act. An
146	146	open meeting held before the effective date of this Act is governed
147	147	by the law in effect on the date the open meeting is held, and the
148	148	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
149	149	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.