By Madla                                               S.B. No. 760
       74R6197 JMM-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the authorization for the governing body of certain
    1-3  hospitals to conduct meetings by telephone conference call.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 311, Health and Safety Code, is amended
    1-6  by adding Subchapter E to read as follows:
    1-7          SUBCHAPTER E.  MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL
    1-8        Sec. 311.061.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:
    1-9              (1)  "Hospital" means a county hospital, county
   1-10  hospital authority, or a hospital district.
   1-11              (2)  "Rural county" means a nonmetropolitan county as
   1-12  defined by the United States Census Bureau in its most recent
   1-13  census.
   1-14        Sec. 311.062.  MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL.  (a)
   1-15  The governing board of a hospital in a rural county may conduct an
   1-16  open or closed meeting by telephone conference call.
   1-17        (b)  The notice of the telephone conference call meeting must
   1-18  specify as the location of the meeting the location where meetings
   1-19  of the governing board are usually held.
   1-20        (c)  Each part of the telephone conference call meeting that
   1-21  is required to be open to the public shall be audible to the public
   1-22  at the location specified in the notice of the meeting as the
   1-23  location of the meeting.  A member of the public at a meeting under
   1-24  this subsection must be able to participate in the meeting to the
    2-1  same extent the public is allowed to participate in a meeting held
    2-2  at a single location.
    2-3        (d)  The part of the telephone conference call meeting that
    2-4  is open to the public shall be tape-recorded.  The tape recording
    2-5  shall be made available to the public.
    2-6        SECTION 2.  Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
    2-7  amended by adding Section 551.125 to read as follows:
    2-8        Sec. 551.125.  BOARD MEETINGS FOR CERTAIN HOSPITALS.  (a) The
    2-9  governing board of a hospital in a rural county may conduct an open
   2-10  or closed meeting by telephone conference call as provided by
   2-11  Subchapter E, Chapter 311, Health and Safety Code.
   2-12        (b)  In this section, "hospital" and "rural county" have the
   2-13  meanings assigned by Section 311.061, Health and Safety Code.
   2-14        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   2-19  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-20  passage, and it is so enacted.