By: West S.B. No. 1252
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to broadcasting public meetings over the Internet.
1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-3 SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is
1-4 amended by adding Section 551.128 to read as follows:
1-5 Sec. 551.128. INTERNET BROADCAST OF OPEN MEETING. (a) In
1-6 this section, "Internet" means the largest nonproprietary
1-7 cooperative public computer network, popularly known as the
1-8 Internet.
1-9 (b) Subject to the requirements of this section, a
1-10 governmental body may broadcast an open meeting over the Internet.
1-11 (c) A governmental body that broadcasts a meeting over the
1-12 Internet shall establish an Internet site and provide access to the
1-13 broadcast from that site. The governmental body shall provide on
1-14 the Internet site the same notice of the meeting that the
1-15 governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
1-16 notice on the Internet must be posted within the time required for
1-17 posting notice under Subchapter C.
1-18 SECTION 2. The subchapter heading to Subchapter F, Chapter
1-19 551, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
1-20 SUBCHAPTER F. MEETINGS USING [BY] TELEPHONE,
1-21 [CONFERENCE CALL OR] VIDEOCONFERENCE, OR INTERNET [CALL]
1-22 SECTION 3. (a) The Department of Information Resources
1-23 shall form a task force to determine whether:
1-24 (1) a governmental body can:
2-1 (A) receive real-time testimony from a person
2-2 watching the broadcast of a meeting of the governmental body over
2-3 the Internet; and
2-4 (B) provide a way for the public to comment to
2-5 the governmental body over the Internet on the issues discussed at
2-6 the meeting; and
2-7 (2) the audio and video signals broadcast over the
2-8 Internet can be of sufficient quality so that members of the public
2-9 watching the broadcast of the meeting can observe the demeanor and
2-10 hear the voice of each participant in the open portion of the
2-11 meeting.
2-12 (b) The Department of Information Resources shall report its
2-13 findings to the legislature not later than September 1, 2000.
2-14 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-15 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
2-16 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-17 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-18 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-19 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.