By: Schwertner  S.B. No. 335
         (In the Senate - Filed December 21, 2022; February 15, 2023,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce;
  March 16, 2023, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 11,
  Nays 0; March 16, 2023, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to meetings of the Family and Protective Services Council
  held using certain telecommunication devices.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 40.021, Human Resources Code, is amended
  by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
         (g)  A council meeting held by use of a telephone conference
  call, video conference call, or other similar telecommunication
  device:
               (1)  is subject to the notice requirements applicable
  to other meetings;
               (2)  must be open to the public and audible to the
  public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting;
               (3)  must provide two-way audio communication:
                     (A)  between all board members attending the
  meeting during the entire meeting; and
                     (B)  if public testimony is provided at the
  meeting, between all board members and a member of the public
  testifying at the specified meeting location during the public
  testimony portion of the meeting; and
               (4)  if the two-way audio communication link described
  by Subdivision (3) is disrupted at any time, may not continue until
  the two-way audio communication link is reestablished.
         SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  a Family and Protective Services Council meeting held on or after
  the effective date of this Act.  A meeting held before the effective
  date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date of the
  meeting, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
 
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