HBA-TYH H.B. 3317 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3317
By: Chavez
State Affairs
3/30/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

As access to the Internet becomes easier and less costly, many people are
using live video and audio to conduct meetings.  State agencies sometimes
hold meetings in Austin that require employees from other cities to attend.
These employees travel to Austin at state expense.  H.B. 3317 requires a
state agency with offices outside of Austin to broadcast meetings over the
Internet.  The meetings would be archived with the provider for a specified
number of days. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 551, Government Code, by adding
Section 551.128, as follows: 

Sec. 551.128.  INTERNET BROADCAST OF CERTAIN STATE AGENCY MEETINGS. Defines
"Internet."  Requires a state agency that has at least one office outside
Austin to use the Internet for the live broadcast of an open meeting in
accordance with Chapter 559. Requires a state agency that broadcasts a
meeting over the Internet to provide on the Internet the same notice of the
meeting that the governmental body is required to post under Subchapter C.
Provides that the notice on the Internet must be posted within the time
required for posting notice under Subchapter C.  

SECTION 2.  Amends Subtitle A, Title 5, Government Code, by adding Chapter
559, as follows: 

CHAPTER 559.  BROADCAST OF
CERTAIN STATE AGENCY EVENTS OVER INTERNET

Sec. 559.001.  DEFINITION.  Defines "Internet."
 
Sec. 559.002.  BROADCAST OVER INTERNET.  Requires a state agency that has
at least one office outside Austin to use the Internet for the live
broadcast of the meetings, training sessions, seminars, and other events
that would require the agency's employees to travel to Austin.  
 
Sec. 559.003.  INTERNET SITE.  Requires a state agency that broadcasts a
meeting, training session, seminar, or other event over the Internet to
establish an Internet site and provide access to the public to the event
from that site.  Requires the events to be archived and available on the
Internet site for at least 90 days.  Requires the state agency to contract
with a private Internet provider to broadcast the events.  Requires the
private Internet provider to supply the state agency with the software
required to view and listen to the broadcast of the event.  

SECTION 3.  Amends the subchapter heading to Subchapter F, Chapter 551,
Government Code, as follows: 
 
SUBCHAPTER F.  MEETINGS USING TELEPHONE,
VIDEOCONFERENCE, OR INTERNET

Deletes "by," "conference call or," and "call" from the old heading.

SECTION 4.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 5.  Emergency clause.