Bill: SB 1640, 86(R) - 2019

Committee

Senate State Affairs

2nd Chamber Committee

House State Affairs

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Yes Neutral Neutral Neutral Positive Neutral

Author(s)

Kirk Watson
Paul Bettencourt

Co-Author(s)

Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
Eric Johnson
Judith Zaffirini

Sponsor(s)

Dade Phelan

Co-Sponsor(s)

Terry Canales
Bobby Guerra
Morgan Meyer
Andrew Murr

Bill Caption

Relating to changing the criminal offense of conspiracy to circumvent the open meetings law.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. 

Bill Analysis

SB 1640 would amend the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) as a response to it being struck down as unconstitutionally vague by the Court of Criminal Appeals in February 2019.  Specifically, the bill would prohibit a member of a governmental body from knowingly engaging in at least one among a series of communications that each occur outside of an open meeting concerning any public business of the governmental body where the individual communications are among fewer than a quorum of members.

In addition, the member would have to know at the time he or she engaged in the series of communications that the series would involve a quorum and constitute a deliberation in violation of TOMA if the communications had occurred in a single instance among every member involved in the series.  

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action supports SB 1640 for promoting the principles of limited government. This bill will help to ensure that meetings between government officials remain transparent and open to the public, so as to keep the government accountable to the people.


Source URL (retrieved on 03/29/2024 08:03 AM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/86r/sb1640?print_view=true