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.