BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2520

By: Johnson

Delivery of Government Efficiency

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill author has informed the committee that 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.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2520 amends the Government Code to include a board of managers appointed under Education Code provisions relating to accountability interventions and sanctions in the definition of "governmental body." The bill expands the meeting notice requirements for governmental bodies to include an agenda for the meeting that is the subject of the notice that:

· 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

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

H.B. 2520 clarifies that provisions relating to personnel matters and closed meetings which do not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee apply to a specific public officer or employee. The bill excepts a governmental body from the application of provisions relating to personnel matters and closed meetings if the governmental body's deliberations of the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a specific public officer or employee 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.

H.B. 2520 repeals Section 551.083, Government Code.

H.B. 2520 applies only to a meeting of a governmental body held on or after the bill's effective date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.