HBA-KDB, RKM C.S.H.B. 35 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 35 By: McClendon State Affairs 3/22/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) 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. C.S.H.B. 35 authorizes a meeting of a governmental body that extends into three or more counties to be held by videoconference call only if a majority of the quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting. 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 C.S.H.B. 35 amends the Government Code to provide that a meeting of a state governmental body or a governmental body that extends into three or more counties may be held by a video conference call only if a majority of the quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting. The bill provides that the notice of such a meeting must specify as a location of the meeting each location where a majority of the quorum of the governmental body will be physically present and specify the intent to have a majority of the quorum of the governmental body present at that location. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 35 differs from the original bill by restoring current law which allows a meeting to be held by videoconference call only if a quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting. The substitute adds as an exemption, a provision to allow a meeting of a state governmental body or a governmental body that extends into three or more counties to be held by videoconference call only if a majority of the quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting. The original bill allowed all governmental bodies to hold meetings by videoconference call without regard to where or whether a quorum or a majority of the quorum was physically present.