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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the requirements for meetings of certain special |
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districts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 551.128(b-1), Government Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(b-1) A transit authority or department subject to Chapter |
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451, 452, 453, or 460, Transportation Code, an elected school |
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district board of trustees for a school district that has a student |
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enrollment of 10,000 or more, an elected governing body of a |
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home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, a |
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governing body of a special district subject to Chapter 51, 53, 54, |
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or 55, Water Code, that has a population of 500 or more, or a county |
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commissioners court for a county that has a population of 125,000 or |
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more shall: |
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(1) make a video and audio recording of reasonable |
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quality of each: |
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(A) regularly scheduled open meeting that is not |
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a work session or a special called meeting; and |
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(B) open meeting that is a work session or |
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special called meeting if: |
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(i) the governmental body is an elected |
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school district board of trustees for a school district that has a |
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student enrollment of 10,000 or more; and |
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(ii) at the work session or special called |
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meeting, the board of trustees votes on any matter or allows public |
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comment or testimony; and |
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(2) make available an archived copy of the video and |
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audio recording of each meeting described by Subdivision (1) on the |
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Internet. |
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SECTION 2. Section 49.062, Water Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (e) to read |
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as follows: |
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(b) Except as provided by Subsection (e), the [The] board |
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shall designate one or more places inside or outside the district |
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for conducting the meetings of the board. The meeting place may be |
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a private residence or office, provided that the board, in its order |
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establishing the meeting place, declares the same to be a public |
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place and invites the public to attend any meeting of the board. If |
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the board establishes a meeting place or places outside the |
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district, it shall give notice of the location or locations by |
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filing a true copy of the resolution establishing the location or |
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locations of the meeting place or places with the commission and |
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also by publishing notice of the location or locations in a |
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newspaper of general circulation in the district. If the location |
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of any of the meeting places outside the district is changed, notice |
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of the change shall be given in the same manner. |
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(c) Except as provided by Subsection (e), after [After] at |
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least 25 qualified electors are residing in a district, on written |
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request of at least five of those electors, the board shall |
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designate a meeting place and hold meetings within the district if |
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it determines that the meeting place used by the district deprives |
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the residents of a reasonable opportunity to attend district |
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meetings. On the failure to designate the location of the meeting |
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place within the district, five electors may petition the |
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commission to designate a location. If it determines that the |
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meeting place used by the district deprives the residents of a |
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reasonable opportunity to attend district meetings, the commission |
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may designate a meeting place inside or outside the district which |
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is reasonably available to the public and require that the meetings |
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be held at such place. After the next election, the board may |
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designate different meeting places, including one located outside |
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the boundaries of the district. |
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(e) This subsection applies to a district with a population |
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of 500 or more. The board shall designate a place inside the |
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district for conducting the meetings of the board. If the board is |
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unable to designate a suitable meeting place inside the district, |
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the board may designate a place outside the district that is located |
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not farther than 10 miles from the district's boundaries. |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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an open meeting held on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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open meeting that is held before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date of the open meeting, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |