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.