Sec. 531.0165. INTERNET BROADCAST AND ARCHIVE OF OPEN MEETINGS. (a) In this section, "agency" means the commission or a health and human services agency.

(b) Each agency shall:

(1) broadcast over the Internet live video and audio of each open meeting of the agency;

(2) make a video and audio recording of reasonable quality of the broadcast; and

(3) provide access to the archived video and audio on the agency's Internet website.

(c) Not later than the seventh day after the date an open meeting is broadcast under this section, the agency shall make available through the agency's Internet website archived video and audio of the open meeting. The agency shall maintain the archived video and audio of the open meeting on the agency's Internet website for not less than two years after the date the archived video and audio was first made available on the website.

(d) Each agency shall provide on the agency's Internet website the same notice of the open meeting that the agency is required to post under Subchapter C, Chapter 551. The notice must be posted on the agency's Internet website within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C, Chapter 551.

(e) Each agency may use for an Internet broadcast of an open meeting of the agency a room made available to the agency on request in any state building, as that term is defined by Section 2165.301.

(f) Each agency is exempt from the requirements of this section to the extent a catastrophe, as defined by Section 551.0411, or a technical breakdown prevents the agency from complying with this section. Following the catastrophe or technical breakdown, the agency shall make all reasonable efforts to make the required video and audio of the open meeting available in a timely manner.

(g) The commission shall consider contracting through competitive bidding with a private individual or entity to broadcast and archive an open meeting subject to this section to minimize the cost of complying with this section.

(h) The requirements of this section also apply to the meetings of any advisory body that advises the executive commissioner or an agency. The archived video and audio of an advisory body's meeting must be made available through the Internet website of the agency to which the advisory body provides advice.

Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 81 (H.B. 630), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.