AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are federally mandated and funded transportation planning boards designated for each urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000. MPOs work to carefully plan the way in which existing and future transportation funds are allocated within their boundaries over multiple decades by developing transportation improvement programs (TIPs) and long-range transportation plans (LRTPs). The current extent of statutorily required electronic publication appears limited solely to documents. Despite the extensive influence these documents have over their respective boundaries, there is no requirement that video of MPO policy meetings be made electronically available. These meetings include important deliberation of the planning documents which inform the long-term transportation policy for urban areas.

 

Interested parties contend that the process by which these documents are formed is as vital as the documents themselves. S.B. 1237 requires MPOs to broadcast policy board meetings over the Internet, and requires that MPOs make archived video recordings of policy board meetings available through their Internet websites.

 

As proposed, S.B. 1237 amends current law relating to Internet broadcasts of open meetings held by the policy board of a metropolitan planning organization.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 472, Transportation Code, by adding Section 472.036, as follows:

 

Sec. 472.036. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN MEETINGS. Requires a metropolitan planning organization, in a manner that complies with Section 551.128(c) (requiring a governmental body that broadcasts a meeting over the Internet to establishment an Internet site and provide access to the broadcast from that site), Government Code, to broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open meeting held by the policy board. Requires the organization to subsequently make available through the organization's Internet website archived video and audio for each meeting for which live video and audio was provided under this section.

 

SECTION 2. Provides that the changes in law made by this Act apply only to an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2015.