TO:	Honorable Chris Paddie, Chair, House Committee on State Affairs

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB327 by Howard (Relating to the Internet broadcast or audio recording 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. These provisions of the bill would apply to agencies within the executive or legislative branch that receive an annual appropriation of $10 million or more in General Revenue, including transfers, and have 100 or more full-time employees. The bill would require agencies within the executive or legislative branch that do not meet these criteria to make an archived audio recording of an open meeting. The bill would apply only to open meetings that take place on or after September 1, 2023.

Many large agencies currently comply with provisions of the bill that require video broadcasting and archiving of open meetings on the internet. It is assumed that most large agencies could implement requirements of the bill within existing resources. Costs associated with implementing provisions of the bill could be significant for smaller agencies. For example, the Texas Medical Board indicates significant costs associated with increasing network bandwidth and contracting with a third-party vendor to implement the provisions of the bill.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 87TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 10, 2021

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