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| 2 | + | (In the Senate - Filed January 6, 2025; February 7, 2025, |
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| 3 | + | read first time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce; |
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| 4 | + | February 12, 2025, re-referred to Committee on Local Government; |
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| 5 | + | March 24, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7, |
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| 6 | + | Nays 0; March 24, 2025, sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | + | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 4 | 8 | | |
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| 5 | 9 | | |
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| 6 | 10 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 7 | 11 | | AN ACT |
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| 8 | 12 | | relating to the establishment and use of a written electronic |
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| 9 | 13 | | communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal |
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| 10 | 14 | | entities. |
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| 11 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 16 | | SECTION 1. Section 551.006(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 13 | 17 | | to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 18 | | (b) Except as provided by Section 551.0061, a [A] |
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| 15 | 19 | | governmental body may have no more than one online message board or |
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| 16 | 20 | | similar Internet application to be used for the purposes described |
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| 17 | 21 | | in Subsection (a). The online message board or similar Internet |
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| 18 | 22 | | application must be owned or controlled by the governmental body, |
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| 19 | 23 | | prominently displayed on the governmental body's primary Internet |
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| 20 | 24 | | web page, and no more than one click away from the governmental |
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| 21 | 25 | | body's primary Internet web page. |
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| 22 | 26 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 551, Government Code, is |
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| 23 | 27 | | amended by adding Section 551.0061 to read as follows: |
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| 24 | 28 | | Sec. 551.0061. WRITTEN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS |
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| 25 | 29 | | ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC FOR CERTAIN MUNICIPAL ENTITIES. (a) The |
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| 26 | 30 | | governing body of a municipality by ordinance or resolution may |
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| 27 | 31 | | authorize a commission or other entity organized under Subchapter |
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| 28 | 32 | | A, Chapter 211, Local Government Code, to establish and use an |
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| 29 | 33 | | online message board or similar Internet application for the |
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| 30 | 34 | | purposes described in Section 551.006(a). |
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| 31 | 35 | | (b) A governing body adopting an ordinance or resolution |
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| 32 | 36 | | under this section may authorize use of the online message board or |
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| 33 | 37 | | similar Internet application for a period of not longer than two |
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| 34 | 38 | | years, and may reauthorize use of the message board or application |
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| 35 | 39 | | in the same manner and for the same period as many times as the |
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| 36 | 40 | | governing body determines is appropriate. The governing body may |
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| 37 | 41 | | rescind an ordinance or resolution adopted under this section at |
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| 38 | 42 | | any time. |
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| 39 | 43 | | (c) An online message board or similar Internet application |
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| 40 | 44 | | authorized by this section is separate from and in addition to a |
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| 41 | 45 | | municipal online message board or similar Internet application |
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| 42 | 46 | | authorized by Section 551.006. |
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| 43 | 47 | | (d) The use and administration of an online message board or |
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| 44 | 48 | | similar Internet application authorized by this section must comply |
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| 45 | 49 | | with the requirements of Section 551.006. |
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| 46 | 50 | | (e) A municipal governing body that authorizes use of an |
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| 47 | 51 | | online message board or similar Internet application under this |
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| 48 | 52 | | section shall require a municipal employee to monitor the message |
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| 49 | 53 | | board or application for compliance with this section and Section |
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| 50 | 54 | | 551.006. |
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| 51 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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