By: Bivins S.B. No. 1578
97S0824/1
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to authorizing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
1-2 Board to hold certain meetings by telephone conference call or
1-3 video conference call.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
1-6 amended by adding Section 551.126 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 551.126. HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD. (a) In
1-8 this section, "board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
1-9 Board.
1-10 (b) The board may hold an open meeting by telephone
1-11 conference call or video conference call in order to consider a
1-12 higher education impact statement if the preparation of a higher
1-13 education impact statement by the board is to be provided under the
1-14 rules of either the house of representatives or the senate.
1-15 (c) A meeting held by telephone conference call must comply
1-16 with the procedures described in Section 551.125.
1-17 (d) A meeting held by video conference call is subject to
1-18 the notice requirements applicable to other meetings. In addition,
1-19 a meeting held by video conference call shall:
1-20 (1) be visible and audible to the public at the
1-21 location specified in the notice of the meeting as the location of
1-22 the meeting;
1-23 (2) be recorded by audio and video; and
2-1 (3) have two-way audio and video communications with
2-2 each participant in the meeting during the entire meeting.
2-3 SECTION 2. Subsection (b), Section 61.025, Education Code,
2-4 is amended to read as follows:
2-5 (b) Except as provided by Section 551.126, Government Code,
2-6 the [The] board shall hold regular quarterly meetings in the city
2-7 of Austin, and other meetings at places and times scheduled by it
2-8 in formal sessions and called by the chairman.
2-9 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-14 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-15 passage, and it is so enacted.