1-1 By: Madla S.B. No. 760
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 24, 1995; February 27, 1995,
1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human
1-4 Services; April 20, 1995, reported adversely, with favorable
1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
1-6 April 20, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 760 By: Madla
1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-9 AN ACT
1-10 relating to the authorization for the governing body of certain
1-11 hospitals to conduct meetings by telephone conference call.
1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13 SECTION 1. Chapter 311, Health and Safety Code, is amended
1-14 by adding Subchapter E to read as follows:
1-15 SUBCHAPTER E. MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL
1-16 Sec. 311.061. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-17 (1) "Hospital" means a county hospital, county
1-18 hospital authority, or a hospital district.
1-19 (2) "Rural county" means a nonmetropolitan county as
1-20 defined by the United States Census Bureau in its most recent
1-21 census.
1-22 Sec. 311.062. MEETING BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL.
1-23 (a) The governing board of a hospital in a rural county may
1-24 conduct an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call.
1-25 (b) The notice of the telephone conference call meeting must
1-26 specify as the location of the meeting the location where meetings
1-27 of the governing board are usually held. The location designated
1-28 in the notice shall provide two-way communication during each part
1-29 of the telephone conference meeting that is required to be open to
1-30 the public under Chapter 551, Government Code, and the
1-31 identification of each party to the telephone conference call
1-32 meeting shall be clearly stated prior to speaking.
1-33 (c) Each part of the telephone conference call meeting that
1-34 is required to be open to the public shall be audible to the public
1-35 at the location specified in the notice of the meeting as the
1-36 location of the meeting. A member of the public at a meeting under
1-37 this subsection must be able to participate in the meeting to the
1-38 same extent the public is allowed to participate in a meeting held
1-39 at a single location.
1-40 (d) The part of the telephone conference call meeting that
1-41 is open to the public shall be tape-recorded. The tape recording
1-42 shall be made available to the public.
1-43 SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
1-44 amended by adding Section 551.125 to read as follows:
1-45 Sec. 551.125. BOARD MEETINGS FOR CERTAIN HOSPITALS.
1-46 (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), the governing board of a
1-47 hospital in a rural county may conduct an open or closed meeting by
1-48 telephone conference call as provided by Subchapter E, Chapter 311,
1-49 Health and Safety Code.
1-50 (b) The governing board of a hospital in a rural county must
1-51 conduct a minimum of two regularly scheduled meetings of that board
1-52 per year without benefit of the telephone conference call provided
1-53 by Subchapter E, Chapter 311, Health and Safety Code.
1-54 (c) In this section, "hospital" and "rural county" have the
1-55 meanings assigned by Section 311.061, Health and Safety Code.
1-56 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
1-57 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-58 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-59 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-60 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-61 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-62 passage, and it is so enacted.
1-63 * * * * *