ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fifth Legislature

Second Regular Session

House: GE DPA 8-5-0-0

HB 2412: open meetings; digital recordings

Sponsor: Representative Parker, LD 16

Caucus & COW

Overview

Requires all public bodies to also provide for a digital recording of all their meetings and outlines such regulations.

History

Meetings of any public body must be public meetings and any person who desires is allowed to attend and listen to the proceedings and deliberations.  All public bodies are required to provide for the taking of written minutes or a recording of all their meetings, including executive sessions.  The minutes or a recording of a meeting must be made available for public inspection no later than three working days after the meeting (A.R.S. § 38-431.01).

A public body of a city or town with a population of more than 2,500 people is required to post on its website, within three working days after a meeting, any recording of the meeting and a statement describing the legal actions taken by the public body.  Within two working days after the approval of the minutes, the public body must post on its website approved city or town council meeting minutes.  Finally, within 10 working days after an advisory committee or subcommittee meeting, a public body of a city or town is directed to post on its website a recording of the meeting or a statement describing legal action, if any (A.R.S. § 38-431.01).

Provisions

1.   Directs all public bodies to provide for a digital recording of all their meetings in addition to the statutorily required written minutes. (Sec. 1)

2.   Instructs each public body to additionally post the digital recording of a meeting on its website no later than five working days after the meeting, rather than three days. (Sec. 1)

3.   Removes the requirements related to specific meeting recordings and descriptions of legal actions by a public body of a city or town with a certain population. (Sec. 1)

4.   Modifies the time period for any required posting to remain on the applicable website to three years after the date of the posting, rather than one year. (Sec. 1)

5.   ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal NoteMakes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1)

Amendments

Committee on Government & Elections

1.   Requires the meeting recordings to be audio visual rather than digital.

2.   Specifies that public bodies must provide for the taking of written minutes or a recording of executive sessions.

3.   Stipulates that the public body must include on its website the audio visual recording or a direct link of the audio visual recording.

4.   Asserts that the audio visual recording and minutes of the meeting must be available for public inspection no later than 24 hours after the meeting.

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8.                     HB 2412

9.   Initials SJ  Page 0 Caucus & COW

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