| TO: | Honorable Kelly Hancock, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB115 by Huffines (Relating to the Internet broadcast of certain open meetings.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend Chapter 551 of the Government Code to require certain agencies to broadcast open meetings live over the internet and make an archived broadcast available online for two years. The bill would apply to agencies within the executive or legislative branch that receive an annual appropriation of $40 million or more in General Revenue, including transfers, and have 250 or more full-time equivalent employees, or have 3,000 or more license holders under their jurisdiction. The bill would apply only to open meetings that take place on or after September 1, 2019.
Many large agencies currently comply with provisions of the bill that require video broadcasting and archiving of open meetings on the internet. Those large agencies that do not would be able to come into compliance with no significant fiscal impact. It is assumed those large agencies could implement requirements of the bill within existing resources.
The bill would result in a cost that would be significant to the state's smaller regulatory agencies, which would be subject to provisions of the bill by having 3,000 or more license holders under their jurisdiction. Implementation costs for these agencies would begin in fiscal year 2019, with agencies reporting expenses for items such as video equipment and data storage services. Reported costs beginning in fiscal year 2020 include operating and maintaining video equipment and storage of data as well as hiring contractors for video recording and archiving services.
This analysis assumes that any increased cost to the regulatory agencies, which are statutorily required to generate sufficient revenue to cover its costs of operation, would be offset by an increase in revenue. Therefore, there would be no net fiscal impact to the state.
| Source Agencies: | 300 Trusteed Programs Within the Office of the Governor, 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 305 General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board, 307 Secretary of State, 308 State Auditor's Office, 312 Securities Board, 405 Department of Public Safety, 452 Department of Licensing and Regulation, 454 Department of Insurance, 455 Railroad Commission, 456 Board of Plumbing Examiners, 481 Board of Professional Geoscientists, 503 Texas Medical Board, 508 Board of Chiropractic Examiners, 515 Board of Pharmacy, 520 Board of Examiners of Psychologists, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 533 Executive Council of Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy Examiners, 551 Department of Agriculture, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 601 Department of Transportation, 608 Department of Motor Vehicles, 696 Department of Criminal Justice, 701 Texas Education Agency, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department
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| LBB Staff: | UP, CL, JJ, JLE, JSm, TBo
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