Monitoring the Session

SB 710

bill lets zoning commissions run their own online message boards

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the establishment and use of a written electronic communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal entities.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

City council permission required. Separate from the one allowed board.

The bill lets a city council allow its zoning commission or similar zoning body to run its own online message board where members can discuss public business in writing, separate from the city's one allowed board. The authorization lasts up to two years at a time, can be renewed or revoked whenever the council wants, and the board must follow the same open-meetings rules that already apply to such boards. Cities that use the option must assign a city employee to monitor the board for compliance, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: BUZZER BEATER. Final vote May 30, 2025: the Senate concurred in the House amendments. 3 days before the session ended Jun 2, 2025.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB710 · 2025-01-06

SOLD BY

Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

ITEM

relating to the establishment and use of a written electronic communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal entities.

WHAT IT DOES

City council permission required. Separate from the one allowed board.

The bill lets a city council allow its zoning commission or similar zoning body to run its own online message board where members can discuss public business in writing, separate from the city's one allowed board. The authorization lasts up to two years at a time, can be renewed or revoked whenever the council wants, and the board must follow the same open-meetings rules that already apply to such boards. Cities that use the option must assign a city employee to monitor the board for compliance, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 24, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Business & Commerce
  5. Rereferred to committee
  6. Referred to Local Government
  7. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  8. Considered in public hearing
  9. Testimony taken in committee
  10. Left pending in committee
  11. Considered in public hearing
  12. Vote taken in committee
  13. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  14. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  15. Committee report printed and distributed
  16. Placed on intent calendar
  17. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  18. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  19. Vote recorded in Journal
  20. Three day rule suspended
  21. Record vote
  22. Read 3rd time
  23. Passed
  24. Record vote
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the Senate
  27. Read first time
  28. Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs
  29. Considered in formal meeting
  30. Committee substitute considered in committee
  31. Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent
  32. Reported favorably as substituted
  33. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  34. Committee report distributed
  35. Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar
  36. Considered in Local & Consent Calendars
  37. Placed on Local, Consent, and Res. Calendar
  38. Read 2nd time
  39. Passed to 3rd reading
  40. Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
  41. Read 3rd time
  42. Passed
  43. Record vote RV#3832
  44. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  45. Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
  46. House passage as amended reported
  47. House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
  48. Read
  49. Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
  50. Record vote
  51. Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
  52. Reported enrolled
  53. Signed in the Senate
  54. Signed in the House
  55. Sent to the Governor
  56. Signed by the Governor
  57. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 117 yea · 24 nay

Senate · 30 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 28, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Mar 27, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Sarah Eckhardt

Donors

Donald Henley$117,500Dale Linebarger$38,769Stephen McNally$24,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Donald Henley$117,500.00
Dale Linebarger$38,769.25
Stephen McNally$24,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes5

Senate May 30, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Eckhardt moved to concur in the House amendment to SB 710. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 28, 2025

Yea
117
Nay
24
Present, not voting
2
Absent
2
Excused
5
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 3832

SB 710 (Ashby, Bonnen, Capriglione, Cook, DeAyala, Geren, Hefner, Hickland, Hull, Isaac, King, Lambert, Landgraf, Leach, Lowe, Metcalf, Money, Oliverson, Patterson, Schatzline, Slawson, Toth, Troxclair, and Wharton - no) (117 - 24 - 2)

Shared roll motion

The following bills which were considered on second reading on the previous legislative day on the local, consent, and resolutions calendar were laid before the house, read third time, and passed by the following record vote (members registering votes and the results of the vote are shown following the bill number). (Record 3832): 141 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 117 (published)
  • Nay: 24 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 5 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 27, 2025

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
1
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 27, 2025

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
1
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Sources

Senator Eckhardt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 710 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Mar 27, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
1
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses5
For
5
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • City of Denton1 registration
  • Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas1 registration
  • Self; Texans For Housing1 registration
  • Texas Association of Broadcasters1 registration
  • Texas UU Justice Ministry1 registration
Sources

5 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 24, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Jan 6, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Sponsors
John H. Bucy IIIDHouse 136

House committee · Intergovernmental Affairs · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Local Government · Committee vote 7 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

HB 5382 by Bucy (identical)

Subjects

City Government--Land Use & Zoning

Electronic Information Systems

Open Meetings

EMAIL & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

INTERNET

Text

The text as introduced · 397 words

89R4684 GP-D

By: Eckhardt
S.B. No. 710

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the establishment and use of a written electronic

communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal

entities.

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

SECTION 1. Section 551.006(b), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(b) Except as provided by Section 551.0061, a [ A ]

governmental body may have no more than one online message board or

similar Internet application to be used for the purposes described

in Subsection (a). The online message board or similar Internet

application must be owned or controlled by the governmental body,

prominently displayed on the governmental body's primary Internet

web page, and no more than one click away from the governmental

body's primary Internet web page.

SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 551, Government Code, is

amended by adding Section 551.0061 to read as follows:

Sec. 551.0061. WRITTEN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC FOR CERTAIN MUNICIPAL ENTITIES. (a) The

governing body of a municipality by ordinance or resolution may

authorize a commission or other entity organized under Subchapter

A, Chapter 211, Local Government Code, to establish and use an

online message board or similar Internet application for the

purposes described in Section 551.006(a).

(b) A governing body adopting an ordinance or resolution

under this section may authorize use of the online message board or

similar Internet application for a period of not longer than two

years, and may reauthorize use of the message board or application

in the same manner and for the same period as many times as the

governing body determines is appropriate. The governing body may

rescind an ordinance or resolution adopted under this section at

any time.

(c) An online message board or similar Internet application

authorized by this section is separate from and in addition to a

municipal online message board or similar Internet application

authorized by Section 551.006.

(d) The use and administration of an online message board or

similar Internet application authorized by this section must comply

with the requirements of Section 551.006.

(e) A municipal governing body that authorizes use of an

online message board or similar Internet application under this

section shall require a municipal employee to monitor the message

board or application for compliance with this section and Section

551.006.

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