HBA-KDB, RKM H.B. 35 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 35 By: McClendon State Affairs 2/23/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Holding public meetings through the use of videoconference calls offers the potential for lowering the costs associated with traveling to the meetings and increasing participation in the meetings. However, current law states that a videoconference call may only be used in a public meeting if a quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting. House Bill 35 authorizes a public meeting to be held by videoconference call among the members of a governmental body, even if a quorum is not physically present at one location. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 35 amends the Government Code to authorize a meeting to be held by videoconference call among the members of a governmental body, even if a quorum is not physically present at one location. The bill authorizes one or more of the members of the governmental body participating in the meeting held by videoconference call to be physically present at any location of the meeting. The bill provides that the notice of a meeting to be held by videoconference call must specify as a location of the meeting each location where a member of the governmental body who will participate in the meeting will be physically present. The bill requires each location where a member of the governmental body participating in the meeting is physically present to be open to the public during the open portions of the meeting. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.