| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the Internet broadcast and archiving of open meetings |
|
|
of the Health and Human Services Commission, health and human |
|
|
services agencies, and related advisory entities. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 531.0121, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(c) The commission shall make available on the commission's |
|
|
Internet website: |
|
|
(1) the master calendar; |
|
|
(2) all meeting materials for an advisory committee |
|
|
meeting; and |
|
|
(3) streaming live video and audio of each advisory |
|
|
committee meeting. |
|
|
(e) The commission shall ensure that advisory committee |
|
|
meetings are broadcast, are archived on the Internet website of the |
|
|
agency to which the advisory committee provides advice, and are |
|
|
subject to public notice requirements to the same extent and in the |
|
|
same manner that the broadcast, archiving, and notice of agency |
|
|
meetings are required under Section 531.0165. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 531, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 531.0165 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 531.0165. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN |
|
|
MEETINGS. (a) In this section, "agency" means the commission or a |
|
|
health and human services agency. |
|
|
(b) Each agency shall: |
|
|
(1) broadcast over the Internet live video and audio |
|
|
of each open meeting of the agency; |
|
|
(2) make a video and audio recording of reasonable |
|
|
quality of the broadcast; and |
|
|
(3) provide access to the archived video and audio on |
|
|
the agency's Internet website. |
|
|
(c) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open |
|
|
meeting is broadcast under this section, the agency shall make |
|
|
available through the agency's Internet website archived video and |
|
|
audio of the open meeting. The agency shall maintain the archived |
|
|
video and audio of the open meeting on the agency's Internet website |
|
|
for not less than two years after the date the archived video and |
|
|
audio was first made available on the website. |
|
|
(d) Each agency shall provide on the agency's Internet |
|
|
website the same notice of the open meeting that the agency is |
|
|
required to post under Subchapter C, Chapter 551. The notice must |
|
|
be posted on the agency's Internet website within the time required |
|
|
for posting notice under Subchapter C, Chapter 551. |
|
|
(e) Each agency may use for an Internet broadcast of an open |
|
|
meeting of the agency a room made available to the agency on request |
|
|
in any state building, as that term is defined by Section 2165.301. |
|
|
(f) Each agency is exempt from the requirements of this |
|
|
section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section |
|
|
551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the agency from |
|
|
complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or |
|
|
technical breakdown, the agency shall make all reasonable efforts |
|
|
to make the required video and audio of the open meeting available |
|
|
in a timely manner. |
|
|
(g) The commission shall consider contracting through |
|
|
competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to |
|
|
broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to |
|
|
minimize the cost of complying with this section. |
|
|
(h) The requirements of this section also apply to the |
|
|
meetings of any advisory body that advises the executive |
|
|
commissioner or an agency. The archived video and audio of an |
|
|
advisory body's meeting must be made available through the Internet |
|
|
website of the agency to which the advisory body provides advice. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Sections 531.0051(g) and (m), Government Code, |
|
|
are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(g) The council shall comply with the requirements of |
|
|
Section 531.0165 [give public notice of the date, time, and place of
|
|
|
each meeting held by the council.
A live video transmission of
|
|
|
each meeting must be publicly available through the Internet]. The |
|
|
archived video and audio of a council meeting must be made available |
|
|
through the commission's Internet website. |
|
|
(m) Except as provided by Section 531.0165(d), Chapters 551 |
|
|
and 2110 do not apply to the council. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|
|
an open meeting held on or after September 1, 2023. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |