Honorable Bill Ratliff, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
FROM:
John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1875 by Ratliff (Relating to the application of the open meetings law and the public information law to deliberations and information regarding the safety, security, or integrity of public wholesale water and sewerage supplies and public water and sewerage systems.), As Introduced
As a result of this bill there will be a restriction upon:
(1) the open records law; (2) the open meetings law; and (3) the access to government information.
Under the bill, a governmental body would not be required to conduct an open meeting to deliberate on any matters that concerned the assessment of vulnerability of its water or sewage system to terrorist attack or other intentional acts intended to disrupt the ability of the public wholesale water or sewage supply or the public water or sewage system to provide a safe and reliable supply of water or sewage service. The information relating to the assessment, including portions of any emergency response plan, would be excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 of the Government Code if disclosing the information would present a risk to, or otherwise compromise, the health or safety of the public.