By West S.B. No. 1252
76R8287 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 OPEN MEETING. (a) In
1-7 this section, "Internet" means the largest nonproprietary
1-8 cooperative public computer network, popularly known as the
1-9 Internet.
1-10 (b) Subject to the requirements of this section, a
1-11 governmental body may broadcast an open meeting over the Internet.
1-12 (c) A governmental body that broadcasts a meeting over the
1-13 Internet shall establish an Internet site and provide access to the
1-14 broadcast from that site. The governmental body shall provide on
1-15 the Internet site the same notice of the meeting that the
1-16 governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The
1-17 notice on the Internet must be posted within the time required for
1-18 posting notice under Subchapter C.
1-19 SECTION 2. The subchapter heading to Subchapter F, Chapter
1-20 551, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
1-21 SUBCHAPTER F. MEETINGS USING [BY] TELEPHONE,
1-22 [CONFERENCE CALL OR] VIDEOCONFERENCE, OR INTERNET [CALL]
1-23 SECTION 3. (a) The Department of Information Resources
1-24 shall form a task force to determine whether:
2-1 (1) a governmental body can:
2-2 (A) receive real-time testimony from a person
2-3 watching the broadcast of a meeting of the governmental body over
2-4 the Internet; and
2-5 (B) provide a way for the public to comment to
2-6 the governmental body over the Internet on the issues discussed at
2-7 the meeting; and
2-8 (2) the audio and video signals broadcast over the
2-9 Internet can be of sufficient quality so that members of the public
2-10 watching the broadcast of the meeting can observe the demeanor and
2-11 hear the voice of each participant in the open portion of the
2-12 meeting.
2-13 (b) The Department of Information Resources shall report its
2-14 findings to the legislature not later than September 1, 2000.
2-15 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-16 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
2-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.