HBA-MPA H.B. 599 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 599
By: Gallego
State Affairs
2/8/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Open Meetings Act, first adopted in 1967, sets out the manner in
which governmental bodies must be open to public scrutiny when they make
decisions affecting public policy or business. Meetings  must be open to
the public, except for expressly authorized executive sessions, and the
public must be given notice of the time, place, and subject matter of
meetings of governmental bodies.  H.B. 599 applies the Open Meetings Act to
district judges as they perform duties related to the management and
administration of the courts. 

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 Section 551.001(3), Government Code, to add a district
judge or gathering of district judges performing management or
administrative functions to a listing of governmental bodies defined for
purposes of open meetings regulations.  Makes nonsubstantive changes. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.