87R1883 MCK-D

By: Patterson H.B. No. 768

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the requirement that certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 551.128(b-1), Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b-1) A transit authority or department subject to Chapter 451, 452, 453, or 460, Transportation Code, [an elected school district board of trustees for a school district that has a student enrollment of 10,000 or more, an elected governing body of a home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, or a county commissioners court for] a county that has a population of 5,000 [125,000] or more, and any political subdivision located wholly or partly in a county that has a population of 5,000 or more shall:

(1) make a video and audio recording of reasonable quality of each:

(A) regularly scheduled open meeting that is not a work session or a special called meeting; and

(B) open meeting that is a work session or special called meeting if:

(i) the governmental body is an elected school district board of trustees for a school district that has a student enrollment of 10,000 or more; and

(ii) at the work session or special called meeting, the board of trustees votes on any matter or allows public comment or testimony; and

(2) make available an archived copy of the video and audio recording of each meeting described by Subdivision (1) on the Internet.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act. An open meeting held before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date of the open meeting, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.