BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1504
	By: Middleton
	Local Government
	7/22/2025
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1969 to restore Galveston Bay. Over the years the legislature expanded its mission to "protect the waters of the state." GCA supports both municipal and industrial customers and facilitates economic development through its ability to provide safe, reliable, cost-effective, and compliant treatment services.

GCA's board of directors is comprised of nine members from its areas of original jurisdiction: Harris, Galveston, and Chambers Counties. With extensive population growth, congestion, and unpredictable coastal weather situations over the last few decades, it has become challenging for board members to travel the great distance to attend both regular meetings and committee meetings. GCA's board of directors is required to meet regularly to conduct business, and maintaining quorum is difficult with some members traveling over 65 miles and sometimes up to a two-hour commute one-way to attend these meetings.

S.B. 1504 applies only to GCA and provides them with the option, but does not require GCA to meet regularly via telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication for the purposes of establishing a quorum, for voting, or for any other meeting purposes; and provides certain requirements for notice, public access, and recording.

S.B. 1504 amends current law relating to meetings of the board of directors of the Gulf Coast Authority.

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 2.07, Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (d), (e), (f), and (g), as follows:

(a)� Requires the board of directors of the Gulf Coast Authority (board) to meet regularly as necessary, rather than requiring it to meet at least once each month and authorizing it to meet at any other time provided in its bylaws.

(d) Authorizes the directors of the board, notwithstanding Chapter 551 (Open Meetings), Government Code, Chapter 49 (Provisions Applicable to All Districts), Water Code, or any other law, to hold an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method as provided by Section 2.07 (Meetings and Actions of the Board). Authorizes the board to use a telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method for purposes of establishing a quorum, for voting, or for any other meeting purpose.

(e) Provides that a meeting of the directors is authorized to be held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method only if the director presiding over the meeting is physically present at the location of the meeting that is open to the public specified in the notice of the meeting during the open portions of the meeting and a video and audio feed of the directors participating in the portions of the meeting required to be open is required to be visible and audible to the public at the meeting location.

(f) Requires a director who participates in a meeting by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method to be considered absent from any portion of the meeting during which audio or video communication with the director is lost or disconnected.

(g) Provides that a meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other board meetings.

SECTION 2.� Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.