bill making hospital districts livestream board meetings

The text as introduced · 366 words

89R9914 MPF-D

By: Perez of El Paso
H.B. No. 3562

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to posting and other requirements applicable to meetings

of the governing body of a hospital district.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, is

amended by adding Section 551.1287 to read as follows:

Sec. 551.1287. GOVERNING BODY OF HOSPITAL DISTRICT:

INTERNET POSTING OF MEETING MATERIALS AND BROADCAST OF OPEN

MEETING. (a) In this section, "hospital board" means the governing

body of a hospital district created under general or special law.

(b) A hospital board, for any regularly scheduled meeting of

the board for which notice is required under this chapter, shall:

(1) post as early as practicable in advance of the

meeting on the Internet website of the hospital district any

written agenda and related supplemental written materials provided

to the members of the board in advance of the meeting by the board

for the members' use during the meeting;

(2) broadcast the meeting, other than any portion of

the meeting closed to the public as authorized by law, over the

Internet in the manner prescribed by Section 551.128; and

(3) record the broadcast and make that recording

publicly available in an online archive located on the hospital

district's Internet website.

(c) Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to written materials

that the general counsel or another appropriate attorney for the

hospital district states in writing are confidential or may be

withheld from public disclosure under Chapter 552.

(d) A hospital board is not required to comply with the

requirements of this section if compliance is not possible because

of an act of God, force majeure, or a similar cause not reasonably

within the board's control.

(e) A hospital district shall maintain a publicly

accessible Internet website for the purpose of complying with this

section.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

an open meeting of the governing body of a hospital district for

which notice is given under Chapter 551, Government Code, on or

after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.