TLRC position
Support
2023 · Government
Open meetings - agenda posted 48 hours prior to meeting.
HB 0023 / SB 0027
Bill description
Open Meetings - As enacted, requires a legislative body for a municipal, metropolitan, or county government to make available to the public, at no charge and at least 48 hours prior to a meeting, the agenda for the upcoming meeting in a place accessible to the public; authorizes such body to deliberate or act upon matters not listed on the agenda if the body follows its bylaws or properly adopted rules and procedures and complies with all other applicable state laws.
Open Meetings - As enacted, requires a legislative body for a municipal, metropolitan, or county government to make available to the public, at no charge and at least 48 hours prior to a meeting, the agenda for the upcoming meeting in a place accessible to the public; authorizes such body to deliberate or act upon matters not listed on the agenda if the body follows its bylaws or properly adopted rules and procedures and complies with all other applicable state laws.
Bill sponsors
TLRC statement
Transparency is critical in our legislative processes at all levels of government. This bill will bring greater transparency to the happening of public meetings of local legislative bodies at both the county and municipal levels.
Ideally, we would have liked to see a requirement of at least 5 business days for an agenda of a legislative body to be made available to the public. But this bill certainly gets us a bit closer. It also sets forth a reasonable expectation that a legislative body will not use its ability to discuss matters beyond the stated agenda to hide topics of discussion from the public.