BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 2036
86R11002 TSR-F	By: Hall
	Business & Commerce
	4/3/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

S.B. 2036 would authorize Texas agriculture commodity checkoff boards to hold a meeting "by telephone conference call if the convening at one location or a quorum of the board or committee is inconvenient for any member of the board or committee." The bill requires that meetings held by conference call be subject to the notice requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Law and it requires that audio recording of the meetings be available to the public. 

The Texas Legislature has created more than 20 statutes authorizing a wide variety of state and local governing bodies to hold official meetings by telephone conference call or video conference as this is 21st-century good practice.

As proposed, S.B. 2036 amends current law relating to the authority of a commodity producers board or a committee to hold meetings by telephone conference.

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 41, Agriculture Code, by adding Section 41.061, as follows:

Sec. 41.061. MEETINGS BY TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL. (a) Authorizes a board or a committee established by a board, notwithstanding Chapter 551 (Open Meetings), Government Code, to hold an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call if the convening at one location of a quorum of the board or committee is inconvenient for any member of the board or committee.

(b) Provides that the meeting is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other meetings.

(c) Requires the notice of the meeting to specify as the location of the meeting the location where meetings of the board or committee, as applicable, are usually held.

(d) Requires each part of the meeting that is required to be open to the public to be audible to the public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting as the location of the meeting and requires the audio to be recorded. Requires the audio recording to be made available to the public.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.