BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 2520
89R4041 JON-D	By: Johnson et al. (Middleton)
	Business & Commerce
	5/16/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The Texas Open Meetings Act was created to increase transparency and community engagement in governmental decision-making by making meetings accessible to the public. State open meetings law requires meetings of governmental bodies, including school boards, to be publicly open, except in expressly authorized scenarios in which conversations are surrounding personally identifying and vulnerable information. However, the bill author has also informed the committee that boards of managers appointed by the Texas Education Agency to lead school districts during state takeovers have not fully complied with such laws, even while assuming the responsibilities of the school board and functioning as such.

H.B. 2520 seeks to address this issue by clarifying that a board of managers is a governmental body for purposes of state open meetings law. The bill also expands meeting notice requirements for governmental bodies under open meetings law transparency provisions and clarifies that provisions relating to personnel matters and closed meetings which do not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to deliberate such matters of a public officer or employee apply to a specific public officer or employee.

H.B. 2520 amends current law relating to the open meetings law.

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 Section 551.001(3), Government Code, to redefine "governmental body."

SECTION 2. Amends Section 551.041, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 551.041. NOTICE OF MEETING REQUIRED. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text and makes no further changes.

(b) Requires that a written notice of a meeting held by a governmental body include an agenda for the meeting that is the subject of the notice that:

(1) is sufficiently specific to inform the public of each subject to be considered in the open portion of the meeting, including any matter that is special or unusual or in which the public may have a particular interest; and

(2) describes any subject to be considered in the closed portion of the meeting, if applicable.

SECTION 3. Amends Section 551.074, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 551.074. PERSONNEL MATTERS; CLOSED MEETING. (a) Provides that Chapter 551 (Open Meetings) does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting:

(1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a specific public officer or employee; or

(2) makes no changes to this subdivision.

(b)� Provides that Subsection (a) does not apply if certain conditions are met, including if the governmental body's deliberations under Subsection (a)(1) concern operational issues that generally impact a class or group of employees, including changes in the duties or compensation of a class or group of employees. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 4. Repealer: Section 551.083 (Certain School Boards; Closed Meeting Regarding Consultation With Representative of Employee Group), Government Code.

SECTION 5. Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 6. Effective date: September 1, 2025.