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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the Internet broadcast of open meetings of the Texas |
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Board of Criminal Justice. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 492, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 492.0061 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 492.0061. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN |
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MEETINGS. (a) The department shall broadcast over the Internet |
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live video and audio of each open meeting of the board. The |
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department shall provide access to the broadcast on the |
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department's Internet website. |
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(b) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open |
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meeting is broadcast under this section, the department shall make |
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available through the department's Internet website archived video |
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and audio of the open meeting. The department shall maintain the |
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archived video and audio of the open meeting on the department's |
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Internet website until the second anniversary of the date the |
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archived video and audio was first made available on the website. |
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(c) The department shall provide on the department's |
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Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the board |
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is required to post under Subchapter C, Chapter 551. The notice |
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must be posted on the department's Internet website within the time |
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required for posting notice under Subchapter C, Chapter 551. |
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(d) The department may use for an Internet broadcast of an |
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open meeting of the board a room made available to the department on |
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request in any state building, as that term is defined by Section |
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2165.301. |
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(e) The department is exempt from the requirements of this |
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section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section |
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551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the department from |
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complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or |
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technical breakdown, the department shall make all reasonable |
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efforts to make the required video and audio of the open meeting |
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available in a timely manner. |
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(f) The board shall consider contracting through |
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competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to |
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broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to |
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minimize the cost of complying with this section. |
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SECTION 2. Section 492.0061, Government Code, as added by |
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this Act, applies only to an open meeting held on or after September |
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1, 2019. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |