| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to open meetings and public information training for |
|
|
certain public officials and attorneys regarding the open meetings |
|
|
and public information laws. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 551.005, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a-1) An attorney employed or engaged to assist a public |
|
|
official or governmental body in administering the |
|
|
responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
|
|
this chapter shall complete the training required by this section. |
|
|
The attorney must complete the training regarding the |
|
|
responsibilities of the governmental body and of its officers and |
|
|
employees under this chapter not later than the 10th day after the |
|
|
date the attorney is employed or engaged to assist the public |
|
|
official or governmental body with those responsibilities. An |
|
|
attorney may not be compensated by a governmental body for the time |
|
|
required to take and complete the training unless the attorney is an |
|
|
employee of the governmental body. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 552.012, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(c) A public official may designate a public information |
|
|
coordinator to be [to satisfy the training requirements of this |
|
|
section for the public official if the public information |
|
|
coordinator is] primarily responsible for administering the |
|
|
responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
|
|
this chapter. Designation of a public information coordinator |
|
|
under this subsection does not relieve a public official from the |
|
|
duty to comply with this section or any other requirement of this |
|
|
chapter that applies to the public official. The designated public |
|
|
information coordinator shall complete the training course |
|
|
regarding the responsibilities of the governmental body with which |
|
|
the coordinator serves and of its officers and employees under this |
|
|
chapter not later than the 90th day after the date the coordinator |
|
|
assumes the person's duties as coordinator. |
|
|
(c-1) An attorney employed or engaged to assist a public |
|
|
official, public information coordinator, or governmental body in |
|
|
administering the responsibilities of the public official, public |
|
|
information coordinator, or governmental body under this chapter |
|
|
shall complete the training required by this section. The attorney |
|
|
must complete the training regarding the responsibilities of the |
|
|
governmental body and its officers and employees under this chapter |
|
|
not later than the 10th day after the date the attorney is employed |
|
|
or engaged to assist the public official, public information |
|
|
coordinator, or governmental body with those responsibilities. An |
|
|
attorney may not be compensated by a governmental body for the time |
|
|
required to take and complete the training unless the attorney is an |
|
|
employee of the governmental body. |
|
|
SECTION 3. (a) Each attorney described by Section |
|
|
551.005(a-1), Government Code, as added by this Act, who assists a |
|
|
public official or governmental body in administering the |
|
|
responsibilities of the public official or governmental body under |
|
|
Chapter 551 of that code on the effective date of this Act must |
|
|
complete the course of training required by Section 551.005 of that |
|
|
code on or before October 1, 2025. |
|
|
(b) Each attorney described by Section 552.012(c-1), |
|
|
Government Code, as added by this Act, who assists a public |
|
|
official, public information coordinator, or governmental body in |
|
|
administering the responsibilities of the public official, public |
|
|
information coordinator, or governmental body under Chapter 552 of |
|
|
that code on the effective date of this Act must complete the course |
|
|
of training required by Section 552.012 of that code on or before |
|
|
October 1, 2025. |
|
|
(c) A public official serving on the effective date of this |
|
|
Act who has not previously completed the training required by |
|
|
Section 552.012, Government Code, because the public official |
|
|
previously designated a public information coordinator to complete |
|
|
the training requirements for the public official must complete the |
|
|
training required by Section 552.012, Government Code, as amended |
|
|
by this Act, on or before January 1, 2026. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |