AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Many government bodies are required to post notices of their meetings in a local newspaper in order to inform the public of that meeting for purposes of citizen participation in local government. In the last decade, newspaper readership has declined, and the use of Internet sources for information has dramatically increased. The requirement of governments to pay third parties for notices now amounts to a subsidy for media companies, as their services are no longer the only possibility to provide adequate notice to the public, nor are they the most effective.

 

S.B. 392 amends Chapter 551, Section 551.057, Government Code, to include a provision that allows governments to meet their notice requirements thought Internet postings alone, rather than through print.

 

As proposed, S.B. 392 amends current law relating to posting notice of a meeting of a governmental body on the Internet instead of in a newspaper.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 551, Government Code, by adding Section 551.057, as follows:

 

Sec. 551.057. INTERNET POSTING INSTEAD OF NEWSPAPER POSTING.  Provides that a governmental body that is required by law to post notice of a meeting in a newspaper may instead post notice of the meeting on the Internet, notwithstanding any other law. Provides that a governmental body that is required by law to post notice of a meeting on the Internet is not required to post notice in a newspaper.

 

SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2015.