85R1410 LED-D
 
  By: Huffines S.B. No. 117
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Internet broadcast of open meetings of the Texas
  Workforce Commission.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 301, Labor Code, is
  amended by adding Section 301.070 to read as follows:
         Sec. 301.070.  INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN
  MEETINGS.  (a)  The commission shall broadcast over the Internet
  live video and audio of each open meeting of the commission. The
  commission shall provide access to the broadcast on the
  commission's Internet website.
         (b)  Not later than the seventh day after the date an open
  meeting is broadcast under this section, the commission shall make
  available through the commission's Internet website archived video
  and audio of the open meeting.  The commission shall maintain the
  archived video and audio of the open meeting on the commission's
  Internet website until the second anniversary of the date the
  archived video and audio was first made available on the website.
         (c)  The commission shall provide on the commission's
  Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the
  commission is required to post under Subchapter C, Chapter 551,
  Government Code. The notice must be posted on the commission's
  Internet website within the time required for posting notice under
  Subchapter C, Chapter 551, Government Code.
         (d)  The commission may use for an Internet broadcast of an
  open meeting of the commission a room made available to the
  commission on request in any state building, as that term is defined
  by Section 2165.301, Government Code.
         (e)  The commission is exempt from the requirements of this
  section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section
  551.0411, Government Code, or a technical breakdown prevents the
  commission from complying with this section. Following the
  catastrophe or technical breakdown, the commission shall make all
  reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open
  meeting available in a timely manner.
         (f)  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.
         SECTION 2.  Section 301.070, Labor Code, as added by this
  Act, applies only to an open meeting held on or after September 1,
  2019.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.