HB2065 - 532R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 38-431, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-431. Definitions

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Advisory committee" or "subcommittee" means any entity, however designated, that is officially established, on motion and order of a public body or by the presiding officer of the public body, and whose members have been appointed for the specific purpose of making a recommendation concerning a decision to be made or considered or a course of conduct to be taken or considered by the public body.

2. "Executive session" means a gathering of a quorum of members of a public body from which the public is excluded for one or more of the reasons prescribed in section 38‑431.03. In addition to the members of the public body, officers, appointees and employees as provided in section 38‑431.03 and the auditor general as provided in section 41‑1279.04, only individuals whose presence is reasonably necessary in order for the public body to carry out its executive session responsibilities may attend the executive session.

3. "Legal action" means a collective decision, commitment or promise made by a public body pursuant to the constitution, the public body's charter, bylaws or specified scope of appointment and the laws of this state.

4. "Meeting":

(a) Means the gathering, in person or through technological devices, of a quorum of the members of a public body at which they discuss, propose or take legal action, including any deliberations by a quorum with respect to such that action.

(b) Includes:

(i) A one-way electronic communication by one member of a public body that is sent to a quorum of the members of a public body and that proposes legal action.

(ii) An exchange of electronic communications among a quorum of the members of a public body that involves a discussion, deliberation or the taking of legal action by the public body concerning a matter that may likely come before the public body for action.

5. "Political subdivision" means all political subdivisions of this state, including without limitation all counties, cities and towns, school districts and special districts.

6. "Public body" means the legislature, all boards and commissions of this state or political subdivisions, all multimember governing bodies of departments, agencies, institutions and instrumentalities of this state or political subdivisions, including without limitation all corporations and other instrumentalities whose boards of directors are appointed or elected by this state or a political subdivision. Public body includes all quasi‑judicial bodies and all standing, special or advisory committees or subcommittees of, or appointed by, the public body. Public body includes all commissions and other public entities established by the Arizona Constitution or by way of ballot initiative, including the independent redistricting commission, and this article applies except and only to the extent that specific constitutional provisions supersede this article.

7. "Quasi‑judicial body" means a public body, other than a court of law, possessing the power to hold hearings on disputed matters between a private person and a public agency and to make decisions in the general manner of a court regarding such disputed claims. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 38-431.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-431.01. Meetings shall be open to the public

A. All meetings of any public body shall be public meetings and all persons so desiring shall be permitted to attend and listen to the deliberations and proceedings. All legal action of public bodies shall occur during a public meeting.

B. All public bodies shall provide for the taking of written minutes or a recording of all their meetings, including executive sessions. For meetings other than executive sessions, such the minutes or recording shall include, but not be limited to:

1. The date, time and place of the meeting.

2. The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent.

3. A general description of the matters considered.

4. An accurate description of all legal actions proposed, discussed or taken, and the names of members who propose each motion including a record of how each member voted. The minutes shall also include the names of the members who propose each motion and the names of the persons, as given, making who make statements or presenting present material to the public body and a reference to the legal action about which they made statements or presented material.

C. Minutes of executive sessions shall include items set forth in subsection B, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this section, an accurate description of all instructions given pursuant to section 38‑431.03, subsection A, paragraphs 4, 5 and 7 and such other matters as may be deemed appropriate by the public body.

D. The minutes or a recording of a meeting shall be available for public inspection three working days after the meeting except as otherwise specifically provided by this article.

E. A public body of a city or town with a population of more than two thousand five hundred persons shall:

1. Within three working days after a meeting, except for subcommittees and advisory committees, post on its website, if applicable, either:

(a) A statement describing the legal actions taken by the public body of the city or town during the meeting.

(b) Any recording of the meeting.

2. Within two working days following approval of the minutes, post approved minutes of city or town council meetings on its website, if applicable, except as otherwise specifically provided by this article.

3. Within ten working days after a subcommittee or advisory committee meeting, post on its website, if applicable, either:

(a) A statement describing legal action, if any.

(b) A recording of the meeting.

F. All or any part of a public meeting of a public body may be recorded by any person in attendance by means of a tape recorder or camera or any other means of sonic reproduction, provided that there is no active interference with the conduct of the meeting.

G. The secretary of state for state public bodies, the city or town clerk for municipal public bodies and the county clerk for all other local public bodies shall conspicuously post open meeting law materials prepared and approved by the attorney general on their website. A person elected or appointed to a public body shall review the open meeting law materials at least one day before the day that person takes office.

H. A public body may make an open call to the public during a public meeting, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions, to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the jurisdiction of the public body. At the conclusion of an open call to the public, individual members of the public body may respond to criticism made by those who have addressed the public body, may ask staff to review a matter or may ask that a matter be put on a future agenda. However, members of the public body shall not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during an open call to the public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action.

I. A member of a public body shall not knowingly direct any staff member to communicate in violation of this article.

J. Any posting required by subsection E of this section must remain on the applicable website for at least one year after the date of the posting. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 38-431.07, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-431.07. Violations; enforcement; civil penalty; removal from office; in camera review

A. Any person affected by an alleged violation of this article, the attorney general or the county attorney for the county in which an alleged violation of this article occurred may commence a suit in the superior court in the county in which the public body ordinarily meets, for the purpose of requiring compliance with, or the prevention of violations of, this article, by members of the public body as a whole, or to determine the applicability of this article to matters or legal actions of the public body. For each violation The attorney general may also commence a suit in the superior court in the county in which the public body ordinarily meets against an individual member of a public body for a knowing violation of this article, and in such a suit the court may impose a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars against a each person who knowingly violates this article or who knowingly aids, agrees to aid or attempts to aid another person in violating this article and order such equitable relief as it the court deems appropriate in the circumstances. the court may impose a civil penalty not to exceed five hundred dollars for the first offense and not to exceed five thousand dollars for the second and subsequent offenses. If the court finds that a person who might otherwise be liable under this subsection objected to the action of the public body and the objection is noted on a public record, the court may choose not to impose a civil penalty on that person. The civil penalties awarded pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the general fund of the public body concerned. The court may also order payment to a successful plaintiff in a suit brought under this section of the plaintiff's reasonable attorney fees, by the defendant state, the political subdivision of the state or the incorporated city or town of which the public body is a part or to which it reports. If the court determines that a public officer with intent to deprive the public of information knowingly violated any provision of this article, the court may remove the public officer from office and shall assess the public officer or a person who knowingly aided, agreed to aid or attempted to aid the public officer in violating this article, or both, with all of the costs and attorney fees awarded to the plaintiff pursuant to this section.

B. A public body shall not expend public monies to employ or retain legal counsel to provide legal services or representation to the public body or any of its officers in any legal action commenced pursuant to any provisions of this article, unless the public body has authority to make such the expenditure pursuant to other provisions of law and takes a legal action at a properly noticed open meeting approving such the expenditure prior to before incurring any such obligation or indebtedness.

C. In any action brought pursuant to this section challenging the validity of an executive session, the court may review in camera the minutes of the executive session, and if the court in its discretion determines that the minutes are relevant and that justice so demands, the court may disclose to the parties or admit in evidence part or all of the minutes. END_STATUTE