Open Meetings (S 381, H 6323)

In February 2016, the ACLU published a report called “Hidden Agenda” in which we took a close look at compliance of agencies with the Open Meetings Act requirement to publicly post their agendas at least 48 hours in advance of the date of their meetings. Our report found many violations in this regard. One of our many recommendations included providing the public with more adequate notice about public meetings, by excluding weekends and holidays from that calculation. This legislation would do just that. During the first week of May, the Senate passed S 381 and the bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. During the last week of June, H 6323 was passed by both the House and the Senate and signed into law. The new notice requirement takes effect on January 1, 2018.