Retains current language - 1/4 page legal notice

Same as HB 31, HB 1376 and 2841

We need to monitor this one. It would make leaking a court document a misdemeanor.

Companion is HB 1741 by Leach

Home address confidentiality - child abduction

The Department of Information Resources:

(c) The department by rule shall specify the services a statewide technology center may provide.

Need to find out the purpose of this bill. It could be detrimental to newspaper.

Need to visit with Middleton. This bill would establish an investigator general for education, but any document the I.G. investigates is not to be released under the PIA - so that would include a document that would otherwise be readily available to the public, such as a budget, a checkbook register, etc.

3/21: met with legislative director - explained error, he will get it fixed. 

Adds a public notice - watch for amendments

Companion bill is HB 1185

Reid’s comments: “There does not appear to be any requirement for public notice of a municipal fee, so SB 767 would not directly displace any existing notice requirements.  There are, of course, newspaper notice requirements for a municipal budget hearing. The bill does not affect those, and actually uses that deadline as the statutory deadline for when email notice must be provided. See proposed Sec. 110.002(d)(3)(A). As Donnis pointed out, the real threat here is that the bill is amended to displace public notice, or that these email notices become commonplace and eventually replace public notice. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on this one. It might be worth reaching out to Senator Parker too, if you all have an existing relationship with him or think that would be productive.”

Committee sub replaces the 18 point type requirement with simply boldface or underline.

This eliminates notice requirements for sale or gift of small pieces of public property to Navigation Districts and Port Authorities for rights-of-way, etc. Not worth fighting over but let’s monitor.
 

This sets up a public database, but “deidentifies suspects on the database. Companion is HB 2043 by Bowers.

3/23 Met with folks from the Bail Project and the Texas ACLU. They explained that this bill will be useful for investigative reporters who are doing statistical analyses of bail practices, and that the aggregated “deidentified” data doesn’t endanger public access to identities of suspects through the usual normal channels.

We do not need to take a position

Reid’s input: It looks like SB 985 does eliminate some newspaper notice regarding zoning changes. As Mike pointed out, this notice is currently required when a zoning change occurs within 200 feet of annexed property that doesn’t appear on a municipality’s tax roll. Instead of newspaper notice, a municipality could just send written notice to the most recent address on the tax roll. I’m not sure how often that comes into play.  

This bill does not change the underlying newspaper notice requirement for zoning regulations and district boundaries in Sec. 211.006(a): 

Sec. 211.006.  PROCEDURES GOVERNING ADOPTION OF ZONING REGULATIONS AND DISTRICT BOUNDARIES.  (a)  The governing body of a municipality wishing to exercise the authority relating to zoning regulations and zoning district boundaries shall establish procedures for adopting and enforcing the regulations and boundaries.  A regulation or boundary is not effective until after a public hearing on the matter at which parties in interest and citizens have an opportunity to be heard.  Before the 15th day before the date of the hearing, notice of the time and place of the hearing must be published in an official newspaper or a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality.

There is already some leeway given to municipalities in Sec. 211.007, regarding the manner of public notice when a zoning commission is involved:

(d)  The governing body of a home-rule municipality may, by a two-thirds vote, prescribe the type of notice to be given of the time and place of a public hearing held jointly by the governing body and the zoning commission.  If notice requirements are prescribed under this subsection, the notice requirements prescribed by Subsections (b) and (c) and by Section 211.006(a) do not apply.

We oppose increases in the amount of a contract that could be let without bidding. This raises from $300,000 to $1 million for highway improvement. However, the old threshold of $300k won't repair a road these days. Bill by Sen. Nichols, is one of our staunchest supporters and maybe the sponsor of an important notice bill for us. 

Kolkhorst is carrying Todd Hunter's oyster bed bill, except that it ELIMINATES a newspaper notice in favor of a government website. 

We met with Hunter to correct the notice problem. Senate and House bills will have committee substitutes with corrected language. Hunter's bill is HB 2475.

3/22/23: Senate passed the corrected bill (restoring public notice in newspaper).

Increases penalty for images/video distributed with intent to alter an election outcome

Contains new newspaper notice language. Watch for amendments

Contains new newspaper notice language. Watch for amendments

Companion is HB 2805

Current language retains existing newspaper notice provisions

Senate version of Sunset bill for TCEQ. Monitor.

Companion is HB 1505 by Keith Bell

Creates new notice

Companion is HB 4940

Contains Newspaper Notice language

Companion is HB 3184 by Senfronia Thompson