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.
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