Committee approves bill requiring public bodies to post meetings on websites or social media when they maintain them

The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee approved House Bill 1823, a transparency measure that requires a governmental entity that maintains a website or social media page to post meeting notices at least 48 hours before a meeting and at least two hours before an emergency meeting.

Senator Clark Tucker, the sponsor on the Senate side, said the bill simply updates the public‑notice framework for the Internet age. ‘‘If you have a website or social media page and you're gonna have a meeting…you gotta publish it on your website or social media page 48 hours before the meeting,’’ Tucker said.

Committee members raised practical concerns for small towns that do not have dedicated staff to maintain a website or social account. Tucker pointed out the bill is limited to entities that ‘‘own or maintain a website or social media page’’ and does not create an obligation for bodies that lack an online presence. He also noted the underlying statute (and current practice) requires notice to the media and that failure to post could be litigated, but he said the bill does not create a separate criminal penalty.

Senators also discussed whether the statute should define ‘‘meeting’’; Tucker said this bill addresses official meetings of a governing body and that a separate bill discussed earlier addresses informal conversations among members.

After discussion the committee moved and passed the bill by voice vote; sponsors said the measure is intended to make notice more accessible to the public through modern channels rather than replace existing media‑notice obligations.