Zaffirini Bill Puts State Agency Meetings Online, Starting 2027

The text as introduced · 758 words

89R3218 MCK-D

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 1027

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the Internet broadcast or recording of certain open

meetings.

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

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

amended by adding Sections 551.024 and 551.025 to read as follows:

Sec. 551.024. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN

MEETINGS. (a) This section applies only to a governmental body

that is an agency within the executive or legislative branch of

state government to which the total appropriation made in the

General Appropriations Act from general revenue for any fiscal year

beginning on or after September 1, 2025, including any amount of

general revenue transferred to the governmental body under that Act

for that fiscal year, is greater than $10 million and for which the

bill pattern for the General Appropriations Act for the same fiscal

year designates 100 or more full-time employees.

(b) A governmental body that becomes subject to this section

under Subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall comply with this

section in each following fiscal year.

(c) A governmental body subject to this section shall

broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open

meeting of the governmental body. The governmental body shall

provide access to the broadcast on the governmental body's Internet

website.

(d) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open

meeting is broadcast under this section, the governmental body

shall make available through the governmental body's Internet

website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The

governmental body shall maintain the archived video and audio of

the open meeting on the governmental body's Internet website until

the second anniversary of the date the archived video and audio was

first made available on the website.

(e) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental

body's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the

governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The

notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website

within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.

(f) The governmental body may use for an Internet broadcast

of an open meeting of the governmental body a room made available to

the governmental body on request in any state building, as defined

by Section 2165.301.

(g) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of

this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section

551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body

from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or

technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all

reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open

meeting available in a timely manner.

(h) The governmental body shall consider contracting

through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to

broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to

minimize the cost of complying with this section.

Sec. 551.025. INTERNET ACCESS TO RECORDING OF OPEN MEETING.

(a) This section applies only to a governmental body that is an

agency within the executive or legislative branch of the state

government to which Section 551.024 does not apply.

(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open

meeting is held, a governmental body subject to this section shall

make available through the governmental body's Internet website or

a social media account associated with the governmental body:

(1) an audio recording of the open meeting; or

(2) a video and audio recording of the open meeting.

(c) The governmental body shall provide on the governmental

body's Internet website or a social media account associated with

the governmental body the same notice of the open meeting that the

governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C. The

notice must be posted on the governmental body's Internet website

or a social media account associated with the governmental body

within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.

(d) The governmental body is exempt from the requirements of

this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section

551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the governmental body

from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or

technical breakdown, the governmental body shall make all

reasonable efforts to make the required recording of the open

meeting available in a timely manner.

SECTION 2. Sections 551.024 and 551.025, Government Code,

as added by this Act, apply only to an open meeting held on or after

September 1, 2027.

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