BILL ANALYSIS
| Senate Research Center | S.B. 1504 |
| 89R596 MP-F | By: Middleton |
| | Local Government |
| | 3/28/2025 |
| | As Filed |
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Gulf Coast Authority (GCA) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1969 to restore Galveston Bay. Over the years the legislature expanded its mission to "protect the waters of the state." GCA supports both municipal and industrial customers and facilitates economic development through its ability to provide safe, reliable, cost-effective, and compliant treatment services.
GCA's board of directors is comprised of nine members from its areas of original jurisdiction: Harris, Galveston, and Chambers Counties. With extensive population growth, congestion, and unpredictable coastal weather situations over the last few decades, it has become challenging for board members to travel the great distance to attend both regular meetings and committee meetings. GCA's board of directors is required to meet regularly to conduct business, and maintaining quorum is difficult with some members traveling over 65 miles and sometimes up to a two-hour commute one-way to attend these meetings.
S.B. 1504 applies only to GCA and provides them with the option, but does not require GCA to meet regularly via telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication for the purposes of establishing a quorum, for voting, or for any other meeting purposes; and provides certain requirements for notice, public access, and recording.
As proposed, S.B. 1504 amends current law relating to meetings of the board of directors of the Gulf Coast Authority.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 2.07, Chapter 409, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular Session, 1969, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h), as follows:
(a)� Requires the board of directors of the Gulf Coast Authority (board) to meet regularly as necessary, rather than requiring it to meet at least once each month and authorizing it to meet at any other time provided in its bylaws.
(d) Authorizes the board, notwithstanding Chapter 551 (Open Meetings), Government Code, Chapter 49 (Provisions Applicable to All Districts), Water Code, or any other law, to hold an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method. Authorizes the board to use a telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method for purposes of establishing a quorum, for voting, or for any other meeting purpose.
(e) Provides that a meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other board meetings.
(f) Requires that the notice of a meeting to be held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method include a toll-free telephone number that a member of the public is authorized to use to hear and, if applicable, speak at the meeting; free-of-charge access information for any audiovisual or audio-only feeds; and instructions for a member of the public to speak at the meeting from a remote location.
(g) Requires the board, if the board prepares an agenda packet or other materials that would have been distributed to members of the public at a face-to-face meeting, to make the packet or other materials available electronically.
(h) Requires that a meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method be recorded.� Requires that the recording be made available to the public.� Requires the board to maintain a copy of the recording for at least one year after the date of the hearing.
SECTION 2.� Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.
