1-1  By:  Wentworth, et al.                                S.B. No. 1020
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1993; March 15, 1993, read
    1-3  first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;
    1-4  April 14, 1993, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 8,
    1-5  Nays 1; April 14, 1993, sent to printer.)
    1-6                            COMMITTEE VOTE
    1-7                          Yea     Nay      PNV      Absent 
    1-8        Harris of Dallas   x                               
    1-9        Rosson                     x                       
   1-10        Carriker           x                               
   1-11        Henderson                                      x   
   1-12        Leedom             x                               
   1-13        Lucio              x                               
   1-14        Luna               x                               
   1-15        Nelson                                         x   
   1-16        Patterson          x                               
   1-17        Shelley            x                               
   1-18        Sibley                                         x   
   1-19        West               x                               
   1-20        Whitmire                                       x   
   1-21                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-22                                AN ACT
   1-23  relating to the application of the open meetings law to certain
   1-24  meetings of governmental bodies.
   1-25        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-26        SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 1, Chapter 271, Acts of
   1-27  the 60th Legislature, Regular Session, 1967 (Article 6252-17,
   1-28  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:
   1-29        (a)  "Meeting" means:
   1-30              (1)  any deliberation between a quorum of members of a
   1-31  governmental body, or between a quorum of members of a governmental
   1-32  body and any other person, at which any public business or public
   1-33  policy over which the governmental body has supervision or control
   1-34  is discussed or considered, or at which any formal action is taken;
   1-35  or
   1-36              (2)  a gathering at which a quorum of members of a
   1-37  governmental body is present and at which the body receives
   1-38  information from, gives information to, asks questions of, or
   1-39  receives questions from any third person, including an employee of
   1-40  the governmental body, about the public business or public policy
   1-41  over which the body has supervision or control.
   1-42        It shall not be construed that the intent of this definition
   1-43  is to prohibit the gathering of members of the governmental body in
   1-44  numbers of a quorum or more for social functions unrelated to the
   1-45  public business which is conducted by the body or for attendance of
   1-46  regional, state, or national conventions or workshops as long as no
   1-47  formal action is taken and any discussion of public business is
   1-48  incidental to the functions, conventions, or workshops.
   1-49        SECTION 2.  Subsection (r), Section 2, Chapter 271, Acts of
   1-50  the 60th Legislature, Regular Session, 1967 (Article 6252-17,
   1-51  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), as added by Section 2, Chapter 549,
   1-52  Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular Session, 1987, is repealed.
   1-53        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-54  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-55  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-56  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-57  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   1-58  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   1-59  passage, and it is so enacted.
   1-60                               * * * * *
   1-61                                                         Austin,
   1-62  Texas
   1-63                                                         April 14, 1993
   1-64  Hon. Bob Bullock
   1-65  President of the Senate
   1-66  Sir:
   1-67  We, your Committee on State Affairs to which was referred S.B.
   1-68  No. 1020, have had the same under consideration, and I am
    2-1  instructed to report it back to the Senate with the recommendation
    2-2  that it do pass and be printed.
    2-3                                                         Harris of
    2-4  Dallas, Chairman
    2-5                               * * * * *
    2-6                               WITNESSES
    2-7                                                  FOR   AGAINST  ON
    2-8  ___________________________________________________________________
    2-9  Name:  James E. Cousar                           x
   2-10  Representing:  Common Cause-Texas
   2-11  City:  Austin
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   2-13  Name:  Susan Horton                                      x
   2-14  Representing:  Tx Municipal League
   2-15  City:  Austin
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   2-17  Name:  Suzy Woodford                             x
   2-18  Representing:  Common Cause-Texas
   2-19  City:  Austin
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   2-21  Name:  Barbara Taute                             x
   2-22  Representing:  Texas Media
   2-23  City:  Austin
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