By McClendon H.B. No. 1264
76R1312 MCK-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to broadcasting public meetings over the Internet.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Section 551.128 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 551.128. INTERNET BROADCAST OF MEETING. (a) In this
1-7 section, "Internet" means the largest nonproprietary nonprofit
1-8 cooperative public computer network, popularly known as the
1-9 Internet.
1-10 (b) Except as otherwise provided by this section, this
1-11 chapter does not prohibit a governmental body from broadcasting an
1-12 open meeting over the Internet.
1-13 (c) A governmental body that broadcasts a meeting over the
1-14 Internet shall establish an Internet site and provide access to the
1-15 broadcast from that site. The governmental body shall:
1-16 (1) provide on the Internet site the same notice of
1-17 the meeting that the governmental body is required to post under
1-18 Subchapter C;
1-19 (2) provide the notice on the Internet site not later
1-20 than one hour after the notice is posted as required by Subchapter
1-21 C; and
1-22 (3) provide a way for the public to comment to the
1-23 governmental body over the Internet on the issues discussed at the
1-24 meeting.
2-1 (d) A meeting broadcast over the Internet is subject to the
2-2 notice requirements applicable to other meetings.
2-3 (e) Each portion of a meeting broadcast over the Internet
2-4 that is required to be open to the public shall be visible and
2-5 audible to the public over the Internet.
2-6 (f) The governmental body shall make at least an audio
2-7 recording of the meeting. The recording shall be made available to
2-8 the public.
2-9 (g) The Department of Information Resources by rule shall
2-10 specify minimum standards for audio and video signals for a meeting
2-11 broadcast over the Internet. The quality of the audio and video
2-12 signals broadcast over the Internet must meet or exceed those
2-13 standards and be of sufficient quality so that members of the
2-14 public watching the broadcast of the meeting can observe the
2-15 demeanor and hear the voice of each participant in the open portion
2-16 of the meeting.
2-17 SECTION 2. The heading to Subchapter F, Chapter 551,
2-18 Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
2-19 SUBCHAPTER F. MEETINGS USING [BY] TELEPHONE,
2-20 [CONFERENCE CALL OR] VIDEOCONFERENCE, OR INTERNET [CALL]
2-21 SECTION 3. (a) The Department of Information Resources
2-22 shall form a task force to determine whether a governmental body
2-23 can receive real-time testimony from a person watching the
2-24 broadcast of a meeting of the governmental body over the Internet.
2-25 (b) The Department of Information Resources shall report its
2-26 findings to the legislature not later than September 1, 2000.
2-27 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-1 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-2 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.