Bills · 2009-2010 Regular Session

SB 276

Died at session end Official bill text Atom feed

requiring governmental bodies of school districts and certain political subdivisions to post meeting notices and minutes on their Web sites.

Introduced, stopped here
Passes Senate, not reached
Passes Assembly, not reached
Governor signs, not reached
Law, not reached

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

Currently, under the open meetings law, with certain exceptions, meetings of

state and local governmental bodies must be preceded by public notice, must be held

in places that are reasonably accessible to the public, and must be open to the public

at all times, although such meetings may convene in closed session for the purpose

of considering certain matters specified by law.

A public notice of a meeting of a governmental body must contain the time, date,

place, and subject matter of the meeting and must be given at least 24 hours before

the start of the meeting, although shorter notice, but never less than two hours, may

be given under limited circumstances. The notice must be given to news media that

have filed a request to receive such a notice and the notice must appear in the

governmental body's official newspaper or, if none exists, in a news medium likely

to give notice in the area.

Under this bill, a governmental body of a city, village, town, or county (political

subdivision), or school district, that has a Web site is required to post a public notice

of a meeting that is subject to the open meetings law on that political subdivision's

or school district's Web site and also must post any minutes of the meeting that relate

to business conducted during an open session of the meeting. The bill also allows a

town that could otherwise comply with current law notice requirements by posting

the notice in at least three places to meet the requirements by posting at the town

hall and one other public place if the notice is also posted on the town's Web site. The

bill defines "governmental body" to include any formally constituted subunit of the

governing body of a political subdivision or school district.

Votes

Senate: Report introduction and adoption of Senate Amendment 1 to Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by committee on Rural Issues, Biofuels, and Information Technology, Ayes 5, Noes 0 by committee on Rural Issues, Biofuels, and Information Technology

Passed 5–0 Mar 25, 2010 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Refused to reject Senate amendment 3 to Senate substitute amendment 1, Ayes 13, Noes 20

Failed 13–20 Apr 13, 2010 official source full page