1-1 By: Wentworth S.B. No. 170 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed December 14, 2000; January 11, 2001, 1-3 read first time and referred to Committee on Administration; 1-4 January 25, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 1-5 5, Nays 0; January 25, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the application of the open meetings law to attendance 1-9 at a legislative committee meeting by a quorum of another 1-10 governmental body. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 551, Government Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Section 551.0035 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 551.0035. ATTENDANCE BY GOVERNMENTAL BODY AT 1-15 LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. (a) This section applies only to 1-16 the attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a meeting of a 1-17 committee of the legislature. This section does not apply to 1-18 attendance at the meeting by members of the legislative committee 1-19 holding the meeting. 1-20 (b) The attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a 1-21 meeting of a committee of the legislature is not considered to be a 1-22 meeting of that governmental body if the deliberations at the 1-23 meeting by the members of that governmental body consist only of 1-24 publicly testifying at the meeting, publicly commenting at the 1-25 meeting, and publicly responding at the meeting to a question asked 1-26 by a member of the legislative committee. 1-27 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 1-28 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 1-29 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 1-30 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 1-31 Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-32 * * * * *