OPEN MEETINGS ACT Handbook 2024
THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Dear Fellow Texans:
Founding Father James Madison once wrote that democracy without information was “but
prologue to a farce or a tragedy,” and he regarded the diffusion of knowledge as “the only
guardian of true liberty.” Texas law has long agreed the inherent right of Texans to govern
themselves depends on their ability to observe how public officials conduct the people’s
business. The Texas Open Meetings Act was enacted to ensure the Texas government is
transparent, open, and accountable to the people.
At its core, the Texas Open Meetings Act requires government entities to keep official
business accessible to the public. The Open Meetings Act Handbook helps public officials comply
with the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act and familiarizes our citizens with using
the Open Meetings Act as a resource for obtaining information about their government. The
handbook is available online and as a printable document at
www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/openmeetings_hb.pdf.
As Attorney General, I am proud of my office’s efforts to promote open government.
We have established an Open Government Hotline for anyone seeking a better understanding
of their rights and responsibilities under the law. The toll-free number is 877-OPEN TEX
(877-673-6839).
Public access to the proceedings and decision-making processes of government is essential
to a properly functioning and free state. It is my sincere hope that this handbook will make it
easier for public officials and citizens to understand and comply with the Texas Open
Meetings Act.
Best regards,
Ken Paxton
Attorney General of Texas
Table of Contents
I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1
A. Open Meetings Act ........................................................................................................... 1
B. A Governmental Body Must Hold a Meeting to Exercise its Powers .............................. 1
C. Quorum and Majority Vote ............................................................................................... 2
D. Other Procedures .............................................................................................................. 3
II. Recent Amendments ................................................................................................................ 4
A. Section 551.056. Additional Posting Requirements for Certain Municipalities,
Counties, School Districts, Junior College Districts, Development Corporations,
Authorities, and Joint Boards ........................................................................................... 4
B. Other Notable Changes ..................................................................................................... 4
III. Noteworthy Judicial Decisions Since 2022 Handbook ......................................................... 6
A. Judicial Decisions ............................................................................................................... 6
IV. Training for Members of Governmental Bodies .................................................................. 9
V. Governmental Bodies .............................................................................................................. 11
A. Definition .........................................................................................................................11
B. State-Level Governmental Bodies .................................................................................. 12
C. Local Governmental Bodies ........................................................................................... 13
D. Committees and Subcommittees of Governmental Bodies ............................................ 15
E. Advisory Bodies ............................................................................................................. 16
F. Public and Private Entities That Are Not Governmental Bodies .................................... 17
G. Legislature ...................................................................................................................... 17
VI. Meetings................................................................................................................................. 19
A. Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 19
B. Deliberations Among a Quorum of a Governmental Body or Between a Quorum
and a Third Party ............................................................................................................ 19
C. Gathering at Which a Quorum Receives Information from or Provides Information
to a Third Party ............................................................................................................... 20
D. Informal or Social Meetings ........................................................................................... 21
E. Discussions Among a Quorum through a Series of Communications ........................... 22
F. Meetings Using Telephone, Videoconference, and the Internet ..................................... 23
VII. Notice Requirements ........................................................................................................... 28
A. Content ........................................................................................................................... 28
B. Sufficiency ...................................................................................................................... 28
C. Generalized Terms .......................................................................................................... 31
D. Time of Posting .............................................................................................................. 32
E. Place of Posting .............................................................................................................. 35
F. Internet Posting of Notice and Meeting Materials ......................................................... 38
G. Emergency Meetings: Providing and Supplementing Notice......................................... 39
H. Recess in a Meeting: Postponement in Case of a Catastrophe ....................................... 42
I. County Clerk May Charge a Fee for Posting Notice ...................................................... 42
VIII. Open Meetings ................................................................................................................... 43
A. Convening the Meeting .................................................................................................. 43
B. Location of the Meeting ................................................................................................. 43
C. Rights of the Public ........................................................................................................ 43
D. Final Actions ................................................................................................................... 46
IX. Closed Meetings .................................................................................................................... 49
A. Overview of Subchapter D of the Open Meetings Act ................................................... 49
B. Provisions Authorizing Deliberations in Closed Meeting .............................................. 50
C. Closed Meetings Authorized by Other Statutes .............................................................. 61
D. No Implied Authority for Closed Meetings .................................................................... 61
E. Who May Attend a Closed Meeting ............................................................................... 62
X. Records of Meetings ............................................................................................................... 64
A. Minutes or Recordings of Open Meeting ....................................................................... 64
B. Special Recording Requirements ................................................................................... 64
C. Certified Agenda or Recording of Closed Meeting ........................................................ 65
D. Additional Recording Requirements for Certain Districts ............................................. 67
XI. Penalties and Remedies ........................................................................................................ 68
A. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 68
B. Mandamus or Injunction ................................................................................................. 68
C. Voidability of a Governmental Body’s Action in Violation of the Act; Ratification
of Actions ........................................................................................................................ 70
D. Criminal Provisions ........................................................................................................ 72
XII. Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes ............................................................................ 76
A. Other Statutes May Apply to a Public Meeting .............................................................. 76
B. Administrative Procedure Act ........................................................................................ 77
C. The Americans with Disabilities Act .............................................................................. 77
D. The Open Meetings Act and the Whistleblower Act ...................................................... 78
E. The Open Meetings Act Distinguished from the Public Information Act ...................... 79
F. Records Retention .......................................................................................................... 80
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act ............................................................................ 82
Appendix B: Table of Authorities ............................................................................................. 118
Cases .....................................................................................................................................118
Introduction
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
1
I. Introduction
A. Open Meetings Act
The Open Meetings Act (the “Act”) was adopted to help make governmental decision-making
accessible to the public. It requires meetings of governmental bodies to be open to the public,
except for expressly authorized closed sessions,
1
and to be preceded by public notice of the time,
place, and subject matter of the meeting. “The provisions of [the Act] are mandatory and are to be
liberally construed in favor of open government.”
2
The Act was adopted in 1967
3
as article 6252-17 of the Revised Civil Statutes, substantially revised
in 1973,
4
and codified without substantive change in 1993 as Government Code chapter 551.
5
It
has been amended many times since its enactment.
Before addressing the Act itself, we will briefly mention certain other issues relevant to conducting
public meetings.
B. A Governmental Body Must Hold a Meeting to Exercise its Powers
Predating the Act is the common-law rule that decisions entrusted to governmental bodies must be
made by the body as a whole at a properly called meeting.
6
This requirement gives each member
of the body an opportunity to state his or her views to other board members and to give them the
benefit of his or her judgment, so that the decision “may be the composite judgment of the body
as a whole.”
7
This rule may be changed by the Legislature.
8
1
The term “executive session” is often used to mean “closed meeting,” even though the Act uses the latter term.
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.101; Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956, 957 (Tex. 1986) (stating that
an executive session is a meeting or part of a meeting that is closed to the public).
2
See City of Laredo v. Escamilla, 219 S.W.3d 14, 19 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2006, pet. denied); Willmann v.
City of San Antonio, 123 S.W.3d 469, 473 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2003, pet. denied); Toyah Indep. Sch. Dist.
v. Pecos-Barstow Indep. Sch. Dist., 466 S.W.2d 377, 380 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1971, no writ).
3
Act of May 8, 1967, 60th Leg., R.S., ch. 271, § 1, 1967 Tex. Gen. Laws 597, 597–98.
4
Act of Mar. 28, 1973, 63d Leg., R.S., ch. 31, § 1, 1973 Tex. Gen. Laws 45, 45–48.
5
Act of May 4, 1993, 73d Leg., R.S., ch. 268, § 1, 1993 Tex. Gen. Laws 583, 583–89.
6
See Webster v. Tex. & Pac. Motor Transp. Co., 166 S.W.2d 75, 76–77 (Tex. 1942); Fielding v. Anderson, 911
S.W.2d 858, 864 (Tex. App.—Eastland 1995, writ denied).
7
Webster, 166 S.W.2d at 76–77.
8
See Faulder v. Tex. Bd. of Pardons & Paroles, 990 S.W.2d 944, 946 (Tex. App.—Austin 1999, pet. ref’d)
(concluding that board was authorized by statute to perform duties in clemency matters without meeting face-
to-face as a body).
Introduction
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
2
C. Quorum and Majority Vote
The authority vested in a governmental body may generally be exercised only at a meeting of a
quorum of its members.
9
The Code Construction Act
10
states as follows:
(a) A grant of authority to three or more persons as a public body confers the authority on
a majority of the number of members fixed by statute.
11
(b) A quorum of a public body is a majority of the number of members fixed by statute.
12
The Act defines “quorum” as a majority of the governing body, unless otherwise defined by
applicable law or the governing body’s charter.
13
For example, three members of the five-member
commissioners court constitute a quorum for conducting county business, except for levying a
county tax, which requires the presence of at least four members of the court.
14
Ex officio,
nonvoting members of a governmental body are counted for purposes of determining the presence
of a quorum.
15
A person who has been elected to serve as a member of a governmental body but
whose election has not been certified and who has not yet taken the oath of office is not yet a
member of the governmental body.
16
Thus, a meeting between two newly elected persons who
have not yet taken the oath of office and two serving directors is not subject to the Act because no
quorum is present.
17
A board member may not delegate his or her authority to deliberate or vote to
another person, absent express statutory authority to do so.
18
Absent an express provision to the contrary, a proposition is carried in a deliberative body by a
majority of the legal votes cast, a quorum being present.
19
Thus, if a body is “composed of twelve
members, a quorum of seven could act, and a majority of that quorum, four, could bind the body.”
20
9
But see TEX. GOV’T CODE § 418.1102(b) (providing that a quorum is not required of local governmental entities
if the entity’s “jurisdiction is wholly or partly located in the area of a disaster declared by the president . . . or
governor; and . . . a majority of the members of the governing body are unable to be present at a meeting of the
governing body as a result of the disaster”).
10
Id. §§ 311.001–.034 (chapter 311).
11
A statute may expressly provide a different rule. See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 363.105 (providing that two-
thirds majority vote required of a board of crime control and prevention district to reject application for funding).
12
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 311.013; see id. § 312.004 (“A joint authority given to any number of officers or other
persons may be executed by a majority of them unless expressly provided otherwise.”); see also Tex. State Bd.
of Dental Exam’rs v. Silagi, 766 S.W.2d 280, 284 (Tex. App.—El Paso 1989, writ denied) (stating that absent a
statutory provision, the common-law rule that a majority of all members of a board constitutes a quorum applies).
13
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(6).
14
TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 81.006.
15
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0580 (2002) at 2–3 (overruling Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-160 (1992) in part).
16
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0355 (2005) at 3.
17
Id. at 4.
18
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-903 (1988) at 4–5.
19
Comm’rs Ct. of Limestone Cnty. v. Garrett, 236 S.W. 970, 973 (Tex. [Comm’n Op.] 1922); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op.
Nos. GA-0554 (2007) at 2, GA-0412 (2006) at 3.
20
Webster, 166 S.W.2d at 77.
Introduction
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
3
D. Other Procedures
1. In General
Governmental bodies should consult their governing statutes for procedures applicable to their
meetings. Home-rule cities should also consult their charter provisions.
21
Governmental bodies may draw on a treatise such as Robert’s Rules of Order to assist them in
conducting their meetings, as long as the provisions they adopt are consistent with the Texas
Constitution, statutes, and common law.
22
A governmental body subject to the Act may not conduct
its meetings according to procedures inconsistent with the Act.
23
2. Preparing the Agenda
An agenda is “[a] list of things to be done, as items to be considered at a meeting.”
24
The terms
“agenda” and “notice” are often used interchangeably in discussing the Act because of the practice
of posting the agenda as the notice of a meeting or as an appendix to the notice.
25
Some governmental entities are subject to statutes that expressly address agenda preparation.
26
Other entities may adopt their own procedures for preparing the agenda of a meeting.
27
Officers
and employees of the governmental body must avoid deliberations subject to the Act while
preparing the agenda.
28
21
See Shackelford v. City of Abilene, 585 S.W.2d 665, 667 (Tex. 1979) (considering home-rule city charter that
required all city meetings to be open to the public).
22
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0412 (2006) at 2; see also generally Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0554 (2007).
23
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. GA-0412 (2006) at 2; DM-228 (1993) at 3 (addressing governmental body’s
adoption of provisions of Robert’s Rules of Order to govern conduct of meetings).
24
BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY 72 (9th ed. 2009).
25
See, e.g., City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d 762, 764 (Tex. 1991).
26
See TEX. TRANSP. CODE § 201.054 (providing that Chair of Transportation Commission shall oversee the
preparation of an agenda for each meeting).
27
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-473 (1998) at 3 (discussing home-rule city’s procedure for agenda preparation).
28
Id.
Recent Amendments
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
4
II. Recent Amendments
Below is a brief discussion of the relevant enactments of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session:
A. Section 551.056. Additional Posting Requirements for Certain
Municipalities, Counties, School Districts, Junior College Districts,
Development Corporations, Authorities, and Joint Boards
House Bill 3440 amends subsection 551.056(b) in two main aspects.
29
First, it requires specified
governmental bodies or economic development corporations to post a meeting agenda
concurrently with the meeting notice on the entity’s website.
30
Second, it adds “a district or
authority created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution” as
one of the specified governmental bodies subject to the provision.
31
House Bill 3440 also repeals
subsection 551.056(c), which had previously required the concurrent posting of the meeting
agenda of only a subset of governmental bodies and economic development corporations based on
population.
32
The repeal of subsection 551.056(c) does away with the population limitation such
that all of the specified governmental bodies, regardless of population, must post both a meeting
notice and a meeting agenda on their internet website. House Bill 3440 takes effect on September
1, 2023.
33
B. Other Notable Changes
34
The Legislature adopted legislation that does not amend Government Code chapter 551 but
nonetheless implicates open meetings.
House Bill 2800 amends Election Code section 51.002 to require that a meeting of the county
election board be held in person and be open to the public.
35
House Bill 2800 also requires the
county clerk to post notice of a meeting of the county election board on the county’s internet
website, if it maintains one, “[n]ot later than 48 hours before each meeting . . . .”
36
House Bill 2800
takes effect on September 1, 2023.
37
29
See Act of May 28, 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., ch. 855, § 1, 2023 Tex. Sess. Law Serv. 2656 (to be codified at TEX.
GOV’T CODE § 551.056(b)).
30
See id. (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.056(b)).
31
Id. (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.056(b)(8)).
32
See id. § 2.
33
See id. § 4.
34
The Legislature also adopted Senate Bill 335, which amended Human Resources Code chapter 40 to require the
Family and Protective Services Council to broadcast its meetings live over the internet and to provide access to
the meeting over the internet or to make a recording of the meeting available on its internet website within two
days of the meeting. See Tex. S.B. 335, 88th Leg., R.S. (2023). However, the bill was vetoed by Governor
Abbott. See Veto Message of Gov. Abbott, Tex. S.B. 335, 88th Leg., R.S. (2023).
35
See Act of May 24, 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., ch. 733, § 1, 2023 Tex. Sess. Law Serv. 1780, 1781 (to be codified at
TEX. ELEC. CODE § 51.002(d)).
36
Id. (to be codified at TEX. ELEC. CODE § 51.002(e)).
37
See id. § 2.
Recent Amendments
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
5
House Bill 4611 relates to the Health and Human Services Commission, Medicaid, and other social
services.
38
Relevant to open meetings, House Bill 4611 adds several new chapters to the
Government Code, including chapter 522, subchapter E, titled “Public Access to Meetings.”
39
It
requires the Health and Human Services Commission or a health and human services agency, and
their advisory bodies, with certain exceptions, to broadcast live video and audio of each open
meeting, to make a video and audio recording of the meeting, and to provide access to the archived
video and audio recording on their website not later than seven days after the meeting.
40
The bill
also requires the Health and Human Services Commission or a health and human services agency
to provide the same notice of an open meeting that is required by the Act on its internet website
and to do so in the same time required for posting required by the Act.
41
House Bill 4611 expressly
directs the Health and Human Services Commission to consider contracting with a private
individual or entity to broadcast and archive the meeting.
42
It also requires the Health and Human
Services Commission Executive Council established under Government Code chapter 523 to
comply with chapter 522, subchapter E.
43
House Bill 4611 takes effect on April 1, 2025.
44
38
See Act of May 19, 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., ch. 769, § 1.01, 2023 Tex. Sess. Law Serv. 2015.
39
See id. at 2023–24 (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 522.0201–.0206).
40
See id. (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 522.0202(a), (b), 522.0203(a), (c)); see also id. at 2016 (defining
“Commission” and “Health and human services agencies”) (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 521.0001(3),
(5)).
41
See id. at 2024 (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 522.0204).
42
See id. (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 522.0206).
43
See id. at 2031 (to be codified at TEX. GOV’T CODE § 523.0106(c)).
44
See id. § 4.02 at 2371.
Noteworthy Decisions Since 2022 Handbook
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
6
III. Noteworthy Judicial Decisions Since 2022 Handbook
A. Judicial Decisions
In Pete v. Dunn, a federal district court clarified that individuals cannot generally assert claims for
monetary damages for violations of the Act.
45
The pro-se plaintiff, Pete, filed a claim in federal
district court that the Beaumont Independent School District’s adoption of a mask mandate
violated the 1st and 14th Amendments.
46
To these claims, he joined a state-law claim seeking
monetary damages from the school board for violating the Act.
47
The court dismissed his Open
Meetings Act claim as lacking “facial plausibility” under federal pleading rules.
48
The court added
that Pete could not “assert a claim for monetary damages for violations of [the Act]” because the
relief provided for by the Act was injunctive.
49
The court concluded the statute which Pete claimed
was violated did not allow for damages and his pleading failed to state a claim for which relief
could be granted.
50
In Hardy v. Carthage Independent School District, a federal district court ruled on the scope of
section 551.146 of the Act, which makes it an offense to knowingly disclose the certified agenda
or recording of a closed meeting.
51
Hardy filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against his
former employee, the school district.
52
During the deposition of a school board member, the school
district’s counsel objected to a line of questioning related to discussions between board members
at a closed meeting.
53
Counsel advised the board member not to answer questions on the substance
of the closed meeting invoking the criminal penalty in section 551.146.
54
The court stated that
section 551.146 “is not a blanket prohibition against testifying about conversations occurring in a
closed meeting, it merely penalizes disclosure of the certified agenda or recording—nothing
more.”
55
Noting that the plain language of section 551.146 limits its application to the agenda and
recording, the court declined to expand its scope beyond its plain meaning.
56
In Burleson v. Collin County Community College District, the Dallas Court of Appeals considered
who constitutes an “interested person” in section 551.142, which sets out who has standing to sue
for a violation under the Act.
57
In connection with the plaintiffs’ claims, the court had the
45
Pete v. Dunn, No. 1:21-CV-546, 2022 WL 2032306 (E.D. Tex. May 11, 2022).
46
Id. at *1.
47
Id. at *5–6.
48
Id. at 5.
49
Id. at 6.
50
Id.
51
Hardy v. Carthage Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 2:19-CV-00277, 2022 WL 609151 (E.D. Tex. Mar. 1, 2022).
52
Id. at *1.
53
Id.
54
Id.
55
Id.
56
Id. at *2 (noting that its interpretation of section 551.146 is “further corroborated by” Attorney General Opinion
JM-1071, which construed section 551.146’s statutory predecessor to not prohibit persons present at an executive
session from afterwards talking about the subject matter of the session).
57
Burleson v. Collin Cnty. Cmty. Coll. Dist., No. 05-21-00088-CV, 2022 WL 17817965 (Tex. App.—Dallas Dec.
20, 2022, no pet. h.) (mem. op.).
Noteworthy Decisions Since 2022 Handbook
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
7
opportunity to address disagreement among Texas appellate courts.
58
Noting that only one Texas
court requires a plaintiff to allege a particular injury or damage, the court recognized the majority
view is that the Act “broadly confers standing on any person who shares an injury in common with
the general public.”
59
Agreeing with the majority view, the court said “[i]t makes little sense to
require a plaintiff to demonstrate an injury distinct from the general public when ‘the interest
protected by the Open Meetings Act is the interest of the general public.’”
60
In State ex rel. Durden v. Shahan, the Texas Supreme Court addressed the scope of “interested
person” in section 551.142 of the Act in a different context.
61
Durden filed three separate cases in
his official capacity as county attorney on behalf of the State of Texas, two of which involved
violations of the Act.
62
He argued that because Government Code subsection 311.005(2), the Code
Construction Act, defines “person” to include a “governmental subdivision or agency,” that he—
acting as county attorney on the state’s behalf—qualified as an “interested person” under the Act.
63
The court rejected the argument because he “purported to file the[] suits on behalf of the state, not
on behalf of a governmental subdivision or agency.”
64
The court said it found nothing in the Act
or in the Code Construction Act “to support the notion that the state itself qualifies as an ‘interested
person.’”
65
The Court referred to the Legislature’s 2019 amendment of section 551.142, which
authorizes the attorney general to bring certain actions related to the enforcement of one of the
Act’s provisions and observed that such change would have been unnecessary and meaningless if
an “interested person” included the state.
In an unpublished opinion, In re City of Amarillo, the Amarillo Court of Appeals held a meeting
notice failed to substantially comply with the Act.
66
The case involved a taxpayer’s suit against
the City of Amarillo challenging the city’s plan to pay for renovations and expansion of its civic
center complex.
67
For context, the city’s voters had previously voted against a $275 million bond
proposition regarding the civic center complex, and the city was precluded from issuing certificates
of obligation to fund the project for three years.
68
The city worked on a plan involving several
proposed ordinances to generate $260.525 million by other financing mechanisms not requiring
voter approval.
69
The court considered meeting notice issues with respect one of the ordinances.
70
The notice vaguely recited “the discussion and consideration of an ordinance authorizing the
issuance of the City of Amarillo, Texas Combination Tax and Revenue Notes, Series 2022A
58
Id. at *9.
59
Id. (citing Dallas Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Peters, No. 05-14-00759-CV, 2015 WL 8732420, at *9 (Tex. App.—Dallas
Dec. 14, 2015, pet. denied) (mem. op.).
60
Id. (quoting Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. Lowry, 934 S.W.2d 161, 163 (Tex. App.—Austin 1996, orig.
proceeding [leave denied]).
61
State ex rel. Durden v. Shahan, 658 S.W.3d 300 (Tex. 2022).
62
Id. at 302.
63
Id. at 303–04.
64
Id.
65
Id. at 304.
66
In re City of Amarillo, No. 07-22-00341-CV, 2023 WL 5279473, at *5 (Tex. App.—Amarillo Aug. 16, 2023, no
pet. h.) (mem. op.).
67
Id. at *1.
68
See id.
69
See id.
70
See id. at *1–2.
Noteworthy Decisions Since 2022 Handbook
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
8
resolving other matters incident and related thereto including the approval of a paying
agent/registrar agreement and a purchase contract.”
71
Citing two prior Texas Supreme Court cases,
the court first considered whether the notice’s description of the ordinance required a higher degree
of specificity due to any special interest of the public.
72
Then it considered the adequacy of the
notice.
73
In concluding the issue was one of special interest to the public such that the notice required more
detail, the court noted that the project had occupied over a decade of the city’s time and that the
proposed financing “would have an effect to be felt for years to come.”
74
The court was particularly
troubled by the fact that the issue had been submitted to—and rejected by—the voters less than
two years earlier.
75
The court also observed that the notice did not adequately inform the public
that the purpose of the alternative financing vehicle was to revive the “previously-voter-rejected
civic center project.”
76
The court recognized that notice under the Act need not state all the
consequences that might flow from an action, but criticized the city’s vague description of the
financing vehicles and its omission from the notice of the its intent to finance more than a quarter-
billion dollars.
77
Lastly, the court noted the notice was “patently incorrect” and misled the public
by suggesting that the debt would be secured by a “combination of taxes and revenue” instead of
solely by ad valorem taxes as provided by the actual executed ordinance and finance documents.
78
Lastly, the court also considered and disregarded the city’s argument that a citizen’s appearance
at the city council meeting “refuted” any conclusion that the notice was deficient.
79
The court asked
whether attendance by one citizen excused the city’s obligations to its other citizens.
80
The court
concluded the notice did not substantially comply with the Act and found the ordinance void.
81
71
Id. at *2.
72
See id. at *4–5 (relying on Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986) and City of San Antonio
v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d 762, 763 (Tex. 1991)).
73
See id. at *5–6.
74
Id. at *5.
75
Id.
76
Id.
77
See id. at *6 (disagreeing with the city’s position that the Act is satisfied “so long as the notice mentions possible
debt issuance of some amount” when the debt was anticipated to be in excess of $260 million).
78
Id. at *3, 6.
79
See id. at *6.
80
Id.
81
See id.
Training for Members of Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
9
IV. Training for Members of Governmental Bodies
Section 551.005 requires each elected or appointed public official who is a member of a
governmental body subject to the Act to complete a course of training addressing the member’s
responsibilities under the Act. The public official must complete the training not later than the 90th
day after taking the oath of office, if required to take an oath to assume duties as a member of the
governmental body, or after the public official otherwise assumes these duties if the oath is not
required.
Completing training as a member of the governmental body satisfies the training requirements for
the member’s service on a committee or subcommittee of the governmental body and ex officio
service on any other governmental body. The training may also be used to satisfy any
corresponding training requirements concerning the Act that another law requires members of a
governmental body to complete. The failure of one or more members of a governmental body to
complete the training does not affect the validity of an action taken by the governmental body.
The attorney general is required to ensure that the training is made available, and the attorney
general’s office may provide the training and may approve any acceptable training course offered
by a governmental body or other entity. The attorney general must also ensure that at least one
course approved or provided by the attorney general’s office is available at no cost on videotape,
DVD, or a similar and widely available medium.
82
The training course must be at least one and no more than two hours long and must include
instruction on the following subjects:
(1) the general background of the legal requirements for open meetings;
(2) the applicability of this chapter to governmental bodies;
(3) procedures and requirements regarding quorums, notice and recordkeeping under this
chapter;
(4) procedures and requirements for holding an open meeting and for holding a closed
meeting under this chapter;
(5) penalties and other consequences for failure to comply with this chapter.
83
The entity providing the training shall provide a certificate of completion to public officials who
complete the training course. A governmental body shall maintain and make available for public
inspection the record of its members’ completion of training. A certificate of course completion is
82
An Open Meetings Act training video is available online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-
government/open-meetings-act-training.
83
In its review of Open Meetings Act training materials submitted for approval, the Office of the Attorney General
considers whether the written materials demonstrate that each subject is accurately and sufficiently covered.
Materials may be submitted for review at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-government/online-
training-application-approval.
Training for Members of Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
10
admissible as evidence in a criminal prosecution under the Act, but evidence that a defendant
completed a training course under this section is not prima facie evidence that the defendant
knowingly violated the Act.
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
11
V. Governmental Bodies
A. Definition
Section 551.002 of the Government Code provides that “[e]very regular, special, or called meeting
of a governmental body shall be open to the public, except as provided by this chapter.”
84
“Governmental body” is defined by subsection 551.001(3) as follows:
“Governmental body” means:
(A) a board, commission, department, committee, or agency within the executive or
legislative branch of state government that is directed by one or more elected
or appointed members;
(B) a county commissioners court in the state;
(C) a municipal governing body in the state;
(D) a deliberative body that has rulemaking or quasi-judicial power and that is
classified as a department, agency, or political subdivision of a county or
municipality;
(E) a school district board of trustees;
(F) a county board of school trustees;
(G) a county board of education;
(H) the governing board of a special district created by law;
(I) a local workforce development board created under Section 2308.253;
(J) a nonprofit corporation that is eligible to receive funds under the federal
community services block grant program and that is authorized by this state to
serve a geographic area of the state;
85
and
(K) a nonprofit corporation organized under Chapter 67, Water Code, that provides
a water supply or wastewater service, or both, and is exempt from ad valorem
taxation under Section 11.30, Tax Code;
(L) a joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code; and
84
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.002. An agency financed entirely by federal money is not required by the Act to conduct
an open meeting. Id. § 551.077.
85
See 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 9901–26 (Community Services Block Grant Program).
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
12
(M) a board of directors of a reinvestment zone created under Chapter 311, Tax
Code.
Section 551.0015 provides that certain property owners’ associations in a defined geographic area
in a county with a population of 2.8 million or more or in a county adjacent to a county with a
population of 2.8 million or more are subject to the Act in the same manner as a governmental
body.
86
B. State-Level Governmental Bodies
Subsection 551.001(3)(A), the definition of “governmental body” applicable to state-level entities,
does not name specific entities but instead sets out a general description of such entities. Thus, a
state-level entity will be a governmental body within the Act if it is “within the executive or
legislative branch of state government” and under the direction of “one or more elected or
appointed members.”
87
Moreover, it must have supervision or control over public business or
policy.
88
A university auxiliary enterprise was a governmental body under the Act because (1) as
an auxiliary enterprise of a state university, it was part of the executive branch of state government;
(2) a board of directors elected by its membership controlled the entity, formulated policy, and
operated the organization; (3) the board acted by vote of a quorum; (4) the board’s business
concerned public education and involved spending public funds; and (5) the university exerted
little control over the auxiliary enterprise.
89
In contrast, an advisory committee without control or
supervision over public business or policy is not subject to the Act, even though its membership
includes some members, but less than a quorum, of a governmental body.
90
See Handbook Part
V.E.
The subsection 551.001(3)(A) definition of “governmental body” includes only entities within the
executive and legislative departments of the State. It therefore excludes the judiciary from the
Act.
91
Other entities are excluded from the Act or from some parts of the Act by statutes other than chapter
551. For instance, the Texas HIV Medication Advisory Committee is expressly excluded from the
86
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0015; but see TEX. PROP. CODE § 209.0051(c) (requiring that regular and special board
meetings of property owner associations not otherwise subject to chapter 551 be open to the owners),
209.0051(b)(1) (defining “board meeting” as “a deliberation between a quorum of the voting board of the
property owners’ association, or between a quorum of the voting board and another person, during which
property owners’ association business is considered and the board takes formal action”).
87
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3)(A); see id. § 551.003.
88
Id. § 551.001(4) (definition of “meeting”); Beasley v. Molett, 95 S.W.3d 590, 606 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2002,
pet. denied); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0019 (2003) at 5.
89
Gulf Reg’l Educ. Television Affiliates v. Univ. of Houston, 746 S.W.2d 803, 809 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th
Dist.] 1988, writ denied); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-438 (1974) at 4 (concluding that Athletic Council of The
University of Texas, as governmental body that supervises public business, must comply with the Act).
90
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JM-331 (1985) at 3 (concluding that citizens advisory panel of Office of Public Utility
Counsel, with no power to supervise or control public business, is not governmental body), H-994 (1977) at 2–
3 (concluding that committee appointed to study process of choosing university president and make
recommendations to Board of Regents not subject to the Act).
91
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-740 (1987) at 4 (concluding that meetings of district judges to choose county
auditor is not subject to the Act).
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
13
definition of “governmental body” but still must hold its open meetings in compliance with chapter
551, “except that the provisions allowing executive sessions do not apply to the committee.”
92
C. Local Governmental Bodies
Subsection 551.001(3)(B) through (M) lists a number of specific types of local governmental
bodies. These include a county commissioners court, a municipal governing body and the board
of trustees of a school district.
Subsection 551.001(3)(D) describes another kind of local governmental body: “a deliberative body
that has rulemaking or quasi-judicial power and that is classified as a department, agency, or
political subdivision of a county or municipality.
93
An inquiry into a local entity’s powers and
relationship to the city or county government is necessary to determine whether it is a
governmental body under subsection 551.001(3)(D).
A judicial decision guides us in applying subsection 551.001(3)(D) to particular entities. The court
in City of Austin v. Evans
94
analyzed the powers of a city grievance committee and determined it
was not a governmental body within this provision. The court stated that the committee had no
authority to make rules governing personnel disciplinary standards or actions or to change the rules
on disciplinary actions or complaints.
95
It could only make recommendations and could not
adjudicate cases. The committee did not possess quasi-judicial power, described as including the
following:
(1) the power to exercise judgment and discretion;
(2) the power to hear and determine or to ascertain facts and decide;
(3) the power to make binding orders and judgments;
(4) the power to affect the personal or property rights of private persons;
(5) the power to examine witnesses, to compel the attendance of witnesses, and to hear the
litigation of issues on a hearing; and
(6) the power to enforce decisions or impose penalties.
96
An entity did not need all of these powers to be considered quasi-judicial, but the more of those
powers it had, the more clearly it was quasi-judicial in the exercise of its powers.
97
92
TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE § 85.276(d).
93
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3)(D).
94
City of Austin v. Evans, 794 S.W.2d 78, 83 (Tex. App.—Austin 1990, no writ).
95
Id.
96
Id. (emphasis omitted); see also Blankenship v. Brazos Higher Educ. Auth., Inc., 975 S.W.2d 353, 360 (Tex.
App.—Waco 1998, pet. denied).
97
City of Austin, 794 S.W.2d at 83.
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
14
The court in Fiske v. City of Dallas
98
concluded that a citizens group set up to advise the city
council as to persons qualified to serve as municipal judges was not a governmental body within
the Act because it was not part of the city council or a committee of the city council, and it had no
rulemaking power or quasi-judicial power.
99
In contrast, Attorney General Opinion DM-426 (1996) concluded that a municipal housing
authority created under chapter 392 of the Local Government Code was a governmental body
subject to the Act.
100
It was “a department, agency, or political subdivision of a . . . municipality”
as well as “a deliberative body that has rule-making or quasi-judicial power” within section
551.001(3)(D) of the Act.
101
Attorney General Opinion DM-426 concluded on similar grounds that
a county housing authority was a governmental body.
102
Subsection 551.001(3)(H) provides “the governing board of a special district created by law”
103
is
a governmental body. This office has concluded that a hospital district
104
and the Dallas Area Rapid
Transit Authority
105
are special districts.
Sierra Club v. Austin Transportation Study Policy Advisory Committee
106
is the only judicial
decision that has addressed the meaning of “special district” in the Act. The court in Sierra Club
decided that the Austin Transportation Study Policy Advisory Committee (ATSPAC) was a
“special district” within the Act. The committee, a metropolitan planning organization that engaged
in transportation planning under federal law, consisted of state, county, regional and municipal
public officials. Its decisions as to transportation planning within a five-county area were used by
federal agencies to determine funding for local highway projects. Although such committees did
not exist when the Act was adopted in 1967, the court compared ATSPAC’s functions to those of
a “governmental body” and concluded that the committee was the kind of body that the Act should
govern.
107
The court relied on the following definition of special district:
a limited governmental structure created to bypass normal borrowing limitations,
to insulate certain activities from traditional political influence, to allocate
functions to entities reflecting particular expertise, to provide services in otherwise
98
Fiske v. City of Dallas, 220 S.W.3d 547, 551 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2007, no pet.).
99
See id.; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0361 (2005) at 5–7 (concluding that a county election commission
is not a deliberative body with rulemaking or quasi-judicial powers).
100
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-426 (1996) at 2.
101
Id. at 2.
102
Id.; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0327 (2001) at 2 (concluding that board of the Bryan-College Station
Economic Development Corporation did not act in a quasi-judicial capacity or have rulemaking power), H-467
(1974) at 3 (concluding that city library board, a department of the city, did not act in a quasi-judicial capacity
or have rulemaking power).
103
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3)(H).
104
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-238 (1974) at 2.
105
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-595 (1986) at 2.
106
Sierra Club v. Austin Transp. Study Pol’y Advisory Comm., 746 S.W.2d 298, 301 (Tex. App.—Austin 1988, writ
denied).
107
Id. at 300–01.
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
15
unincorporated areas, or to accomplish a primarily local benefit or improvement,
e.g., parks and planning mosquito control, sewage removal.
108
Relying on the Sierra Club case, this office has concluded that a committee of judges meeting to
participate in managing a community supervision and corrections department is a “special district”
subject to the Act.
109
It also relied on Sierra Club to decide that the Act applied to the Border
Health Institute, a consortium of public and private entities established to assist the work of health-
related institutions in the Texas-Mexico border region.
110
It determined that other governmental
entities, such as a county committee on aging created under the Non-Profit Corporation Act, were
not “special districts.”
111
D. Committees and Subcommittees of Governmental Bodies
Generally, meetings of less than a quorum of a governmental body are not subject to the Act.
112
However, when a governmental body appoints a committee that includes less than a quorum of the
parent body and grants it authority to supervise or control public business or public policy, the
committee may itself be a “governmental body” subject to the Act.
113
In Willmann v. City of San
Antonio,
114
the city council established a subcommittee consisting of less than a quorum of council
members and charged it with recommending the appointment and reappointment of municipal
judges.
115
The appellate court, reviewing the conclusion on summary judgment that the committee
was not subject to the Act, stated that a “governmental body does not always insulate itself from .
. . [the Act’s] application simply because less than a quorum of the parent body is present.”
116
Because the evidence indicated that the subcommittee actually made final decisions and the city
council merely “rubber stamped” them, the appellate court reversed the summary judgment as to
the Open Meetings Act issue.
117
Attorney General Opinion GA-0957 recently concluded that if a quorum of a governmental body
attends a meeting of a committee of the governmental body at which a deliberation as defined by
108
Id. at 301 (quoting BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY 1253 (5th ed. 1986)).
109
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-395 (1996) at 3–4; but see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. KP-0038 (2015) at 2
(acknowledging statutory changes to judges’ managerial authority modified conclusion in DM-395).
110
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0280 (2004) at 8–9; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-426 (1996) at 4
(concluding that regional housing authority created under chapter 392 of the Local Government Code is special
district within the Act).
111
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-7 (1991) at 2–3; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0160 (1999) at 3
(concluding that ad hoc intergovernmental working group of employees is not a “special district” within the
Act).
112
See Hays Cnty. v. Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship, 106 S.W.3d 349, 356 (Tex. App.—Austin 2003, no pet.); Tex.
Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0407 (2001) at 9.
113
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0060 (1999) at 2, JC-0053 (1999) at 3; Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-97-058 (1997) at 2–5;
LO-97-017 (1997) at 5.
114
Willmann v. City of San Antonio, 123 S.W.3d 469 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2003, pet. denied).
115
See id. at 471–72.
116
Id. at 478.
117
See id. at 480; see also Finlan v. City of Dallas, 888 F. Supp. 779, 785 (N.D. Tex. 1995) (noting concern that
danger exists that full council is merely a “rubber stamp” of committee); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0060
(1999) at 3, H-823 (1976) at 2, H-438 (1974) at 3 (discussing “rubber stamping” of committee and subcommittee
decisions).
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
16
the Act takes place, the committee meeting will constitute a meeting of the governmental body.
118
Yet, in at least one statute, the Legislature has expressly provided that a committee of a board
“where less than a quorum of any one board is present is not subject to the provisions of the open
meetings law.”
119
E. Advisory Bodies
An advisory committee that does not control or supervise public business or policy is not subject
to the Act,
120
even though its membership includes some members, but less than a quorum, of a
governmental body.
121
For example, the multidisciplinary team established to review offenders’
records under the Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators Act was not subject to the Act.
122
The team made an initial assessment of certain offenders to determine whether they should be
subject to further evaluation for civil commitment. Subsequent assessments by other persons
determined whether commitment proceedings should be filed. Thus, the team lacked ultimate
supervision or control over public business or policy.
123
However, if a governmental body that has established an advisory committee routinely adopts or
“rubber stamps” the advisory committee’s recommendations, the committee probably will be
considered to be a governmental body subject to the Act.
124
Thus, the fact that a committee is called
an advisory committee does not necessarily mean it is excepted from the Act.
The Legislature has adopted statutes providing that particular advisory committees are subject to
the Act, including a board or commission established by a municipality to assist it in developing a
zoning plan or zoning regulations,
125
the nursing advisory committee established by the statewide
health coordinating council,
126
advisory committees for existing Boll Weevil Eradication zones
appointed by the commissioner of the Official Cotton Growers’ Boll Weevil Eradication
Foundation,
127
and an education research center advisory board.
128
118
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0957 (2012) at 2–3.
119
TEX. WATER CODE § 49.064 (applicable to general law water districts); see also Tarrant Reg’l Water Dist. v.
Bennett, 453 S.W.3d 51, 58 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2014, pet. denied) (discussing Water Code section 49.064
in relation to the Act and questioning previous attorney general opinions’ conclusions that an advisory committee
could be subject to the Act as a governmental body).
120
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0232 (2004) at 3–5 (concluding that student fee advisory committee established
under Education Code section 54.5031 is not subject to the Act).
121
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JM-331 (1985) at 3 (concluding that citizens advisory panel of Office of Public Utility
Counsel, with no power to supervise or control public business, is not governmental body), H-994 (1977) at 3
(discussing fact question as to whether committee appointed to study process of choosing university president
and make recommendations to Board of Regents is subject to the Act).
122
See Beasley, 95 S.W.3d at 606.
123
Id.
124
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. H-467 (1974) at 3–4, H-438 (1974) at 3.
125
TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 211.0075.
126
TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE § 104.0155(e).
127
TEX. AGRIC. CODE § 74.1041(e).
128
TEX. EDUC. CODE § 1.006(b).
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
17
F. Public and Private Entities That Are Not Governmental Bodies
Nonprofit corporations established to carry out governmental business generally are not subject to
the Act because they are not within the Act’s definition of “governmental body.”
129
A nonprofit
created under the Texas Nonprofit Corporation Act to provide services to a county’s senior citizens
was not a governmental body because it was not a governmental structure, and it had no power to
supervise or control public business.
130
However, the Act itself provides that certain nonprofit corporations are governmental bodies.
131
Other statutes provide that specific kinds of nonprofit corporations are subject to the Act, such as
development corporations created under the Development Corporation Act of 1979
132
and the
governing body of an open-enrollment charter school, which may be a private school or a nonprofit
entity.
133
If a nonprofit corporation provides in its articles of incorporation or bylaws that its board
of directors will conduct meetings in accord with the Act, then the board must do so.
134
A private entity does not become a governmental body within the Act merely because it receives
public funds.
135
A city chamber of commerce, a private entity, is not a governmental body within
the Act although it receives public funds.
136
G. Legislature
There is very little authority on section 551.003. A 1974 attorney general letter advisory discussed
its connection with Texas Constitution article III, section 11, which provides in part that “[e]ach
House may determine the rules of its own proceedings . . . .”
137
The letter advisory raised the
possibility that the predecessor of section 551.003 is unconstitutional to the extent of conflict with
Texas Constitution article III, section 11, stating that “neither House may infringe upon or limit
the present or future right of the other to adopt its own rules.”
138
However, it did not address the
constitutional issue, describing the predecessor to Government Code section 551.003 as an
exercise of rulemaking power for the 1973–74 legislative sessions.
139
The Texas Supreme Court addressed Government Code section 551.003 in a 2000 case challenging
the Senate’s election by secret ballot of a senator to perform the duties of lieutenant governor.
140
Members of the media contended that the Act prohibited the Senate from voting by secret ballot.
141
129
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3); cf. id. § 552.003(1)(A)(xi) (including certain nonprofit corporations in definition
of “governmental body” for purposes of the Public Information Act).
130
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-7 (1991) at 3.
131
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3)(J)–(K).
132
TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 501.072.
133
TEX. EDUC. CODE § 12.1051.
134
Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-96-146 (1996) at 5.
135
Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-98-040 (1998) at 2.
136
Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-93-055 (1993) at 3.
137
Tex. Att’y Gen. LA-84 (1974) at 2.
138
Id.
139
See id.
140
In re The Tex. Senate, 36 S.W.3d 119 (Tex. 2000).
141
See id. at 119.
Governmental Bodies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
18
The Supreme Court stated that section 551.003 “clearly covers the Committee of the Whole Senate.
Thus, its meeting and votes cannot be secret ‘except as specifically provided’ by the Texas
Constitution.”
142
The court then determined that Texas Constitution article III, section 41, which
authorizes the Senate to elect its officers by secret ballot, provided an exception to section
551.003.
143
More recently, the attorney general recognized in Opinion KP-0347 that pursuant to article III,
section 11, “House and Senate rules supersede any contradictory procedural requirements for the
Legislature found in the Texas Open Meetings Act or other state law.”
144
142
Id. at 120.
143
See id.
144
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. KP-0347 (2021) at 2; see TEX. CONST. art. III, § 11.
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
19
VI. Meetings
A. Definitions
The Act applies to a governmental body, as defined by subsection 551.001(3), when it engages in
a “regular, special, or called meeting.”
145
Informal meetings of a quorum of members of a
governmental body are also subject to the Act.
146
“Deliberation,” a key term for understanding the Act, is defined as follows:
“Deliberation” means a verbal or written exchange between a quorum of a
governmental body, or between a quorum of a governmental body and another
person, concerning an issue within the jurisdiction of the governmental body.
147
“Deliberation” and “discussion” are synonymous for purposes of the Act.
148
And since 2019, the
definition of “deliberation” includes written materials.
149
The Act includes two definitions of “meeting.”
150
Subsection 551.001(4)(A) uses the term
“deliberation” to define “meeting”:
(A) a deliberation between a quorum of a governmental body, or between a quorum
of a governmental body and another person, during which public business or public
policy over which the governmental body has supervision or control is discussed or
considered or during which the governmental body takes formal action . . . .
151
B. Deliberations Among a Quorum of a Governmental Body or Between a
Quorum and a Third Party
The following test has been applied to determine when a discussion among members of a statewide
governmental entity is a “meeting” as defined by subsection 551.001(4)(A):
(1) The body must be an entity within the executive or legislative department of
the state.
(2) The entity must be under the control of one or more elected or appointed members.
145
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.002.
146
Acker v. Tex. Water Comm’n, 790 S.W.2d 299, 300 (Tex. 1990) (considering meeting in restroom of two
members of three-person board); Bexar Medina Atascosa Water Dist. v. Bexar Medina Atascosa Landowners’
Ass’n, 2 S.W.3d 459, 460–61 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1999, pet. denied) (considering “informational
gathering” of water district board with landowners in board member’s barn).
147
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(2).
148
Bexar Medina Atascosa Water Dist., 2 S.W.3d at 461.
149
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(2).
150
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. GA-0896 (2011) at 2, JC-0307 (2000) at 5, DM-95 (1992) at 5.
151
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(4)(A).
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
20
(3) The meeting must involve formal action or deliberation between a quorum of
members.
152
(4) The discussion or action must involve public business or public policy.
(5) The entity must have supervision or control over that public business or policy.
153
Statewide governmental bodies that have supervision or control over public business or policy are
subject to the Act, and so are the local governmental bodies expressly named in the definition of
“governmental body.”
154
In contrast, a group of public officers and employees in a county who met
to share information about jail conditions did not supervise or control public business or public
policy and thus was not subject to the Act.
155
A purely advisory body, which has no authority over
public business or policy, is not subject to the Act,
156
unless a governmental body routinely adopts
or “rubber stamps” the recommendations of the advisory body.
157
See Part V.E.
C. Gathering at Which a Quorum Receives Information from or Provides
Information to a Third Party
Subsection 551.001(4)(B) defines “meeting” as follows:
(B) except as otherwise provided by this subdivision, a gathering:
(i) that is conducted by the governmental body or for which the
governmental body is responsible;
(ii) at which a quorum of members of the governmental body is present;
(iii) that has been called by the governmental body; and
(iv) at which the members receive information from, give information to,
ask questions of, or receive questions from any third person, including
an employee of the governmental body, about the public business or
public policy over which the governmental body has supervision or
control.
152
Deliberation between a quorum and a third party now satisfies this part of the test. See id. § 551.001(2).
153
Gulf Reg’l Educ. Television Affiliates v. Univ. of Houston, 746 S.W.2d 803, 809 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th
Dist.] 1988, writ denied) (citing Attorney General Opinion H-772 (1976)); see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-
0232 (2004) at 3–5 (relying on quoted test to determine that student fee advisory committee established under
Education Code section 54.5031 is not subject to the Act).
154
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(3).
155
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0504 (2007) at 3.
156
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. H-994 (1977) at 2 (concluding that committee appointed to study process of choosing
university president and to make recommendations to Board of Regents likely is not subject to the Act), H-772
(1976) at 6 (concluding that meeting of group of employees, such as general faculty of university, is not subject
to the Act), H-467 (1974) at 3 (concluding that city library board, which is advisory only, is not subject to the
Act).
157
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. H-467 (1974) at 4, H-438 (1974) at 3–4.
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
21
The term does not include the gathering of a quorum of a governmental body at a
social function unrelated to the public business that is conducted by the body, or the
attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a regional, state, or national
convention or workshop, ceremonial event, press conference, or the attendance by
a quorum of a governmental body at a candidate forum, appearance, or debate to
inform the electorate, if formal action is not taken and any discussion of public
business is incidental to the social function, convention, workshop, ceremonial
event, press conference, forum, appearance, or debate.
The term includes a session of a governmental body.
158
Subsection 551.001(4)(A) applies when a quorum of a governmental body engages in
deliberations, either among the members of the quorum or between the quorum and a third party.
159
Subsection 551.001(4)(B) reaches gatherings of a quorum of a governmental body even when the
members of the quorum do not participate in deliberations among themselves or with third
parties.
160
Under the circumstances described by subsection 551.001(4)(B), the governmental body
may be subject to the Act when it merely listens to a third party speak at a gathering the
governmental body conducts or for which the governmental body is responsible.
161
D. Informal or Social Meetings
When a quorum of the members of a governmental body assembles in an informal setting, such as
a social occasion, it will be subject to the requirements of the Act if the members engage in a verbal
exchange about public business or policy. The Act’s definition of a meeting expressly excludes
gatherings of a “quorum of a governmental body at a social function unrelated to the public
business that is conducted by the body[.]”
162
The definition also excludes from its reach the
attendance by a quorum at certain other events such as a regional, state or national convention or
workshop, ceremonial events, press conferences, and a candidate forum, appearance, or debate to
inform the electorate.
163
In both instances, there is no “meeting” under the Act “if formal action is
not taken and any discussion of public business is incidental to the social function, convention,
workshop, ceremonial event, [or] press conference[.]”
164
158
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(4)(B).
159
Id. § 551.001(4)(A); but see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0989 (2013) at 2 (concluding that a private consultation
between a member of a governmental body and an employee that does not take place within the hearing of a
quorum of other members does not constitute a meeting under subsection 551.001(4)).
160
Cf. Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0248 (2000) at 2 (concluding that quorum of state agency board may testify at
public hearing conducted by another agency), JC-0203 (2000) at 4 (concluding that quorum of members of
standing committee of hospital district may attend public speech and comment on matters of hospital district
business within supervision of committee).
161
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-2000) at 3–4 (discussing the Act’s application when quorum of governmental body
listens to members of the public in a session commonly known as a “public comment” session, “public forum”
or “open mike” session).
162
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(4)(B).
163
See id.
164
Id. (emphasis added).
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
22
E. Discussions Among a Quorum through a Series of Communications
On occasion, a governmental body has tried to avoid complying with the Act by deliberating about
public business without a quorum being physically present in one place and claiming that this was
not a “meeting” within the Act.
165
Conducting secret deliberations and voting over the telephone,
when no statute authorized this, was one such method.
166
Section 551.143 as originally written prohibited machinations to avoid complying with the Act by
criminalizing multiple meetings in numbers less than a quorum to “conspire to circumvent the
Act.” One example of such a so-called walking quorum was described by Esperanza Peace and
Justice Center v. City of San Antonio.
167
Amended section 551.143 now prohibits discussion about an item of public business among a
quorum of a governmental body through a series of communications. Section 551.143 provides
that it is a criminal offense for a member of a governmental body to knowingly engage “in at least
one communication among a series of communications that each occur outside of a meeting” and
that “concern an issue within the jurisdiction of the governmental body in which the members
engaging in the individual communications constitute fewer than a quorum of members but the
members engaging in the series of communications constitute a quorum of members[.]”
168
The
member must know at the time he or she engaged in the communication that the series of
communications “involved or would involve a quorum” and would “constitute a deliberation once
a quorum of members engaged in the series of communications.”
169
Section 551.006 authorizes members of a governmental body to communicate through an online
message board or similar internet application.
170
A governmental body utilizing an electronic
message board may have only one such board and it can be used by only members of the
governmental body and their authorized staff.
171
The online message board must be prominently
displayed on the governmental body’s primary internet web page and no more than one click away
from that page.
172
A governmental body that removes a communication from the online message
board that has been posted for at least 30 days must maintain the posting for a period of six years,
and the communication is public information under the Public Information Act.
173
Most
importantly, a governmental body may not vote or take any action by communication on an online
message board.
174
165
One court of appeals stated that “[o]ne board member asking another board member her opinion on a matter does
not constitute a deliberation of public business.” Foreman v. Whitty, 392 S.W.3d 265, 277 (Tex. App.—San
Antonio 2012, no pet.).
166
See Hitt v. Mabry, 687 S.W.2d 791, 793, 796 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1985, no writ).
167
Esperanza Peace & Just. Ctr. v. City of San Antonio, 316 F. Supp. 2d. 433 (W.D. Tex. 2001).
168
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.143(a)(1).
169
Id. § 551.143(a)(2).
170
Id. § 551.006.
171
Id. § 551.006(b), (c) (providing that a posting by a staff member must include the staff member’s name and title).
172
Id. § 551.006(b).
173
Id. § 551.006(d).
174
Id. § 551.006(e).
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
23
F. Meetings Using Telephone, Videoconference, and the Internet
A governmental body may not conduct meetings subject to the Act by telephone or
videoconference unless a statute expressly authorizes it to do so.
175
1. Telephone Meetings
The Act authorizes governmental bodies to conduct meetings by telephone conference call under
limited circumstances and subject to procedures that may include special requirements for notice,
record-keeping and two-way communication between meeting locations.
176
A governmental body may hold an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call if:
(1) an emergency or public necessity exists within the meaning of Section 551.045
of this chapter; and
(2) the convening at one location of a quorum of the governmental body is difficult
or impossible; or
(3) the meeting is held by an advisory board.
177
The emergency telephone meeting is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other
meetings held under the Act. The open portions of the meeting are required to be audible to the
public at the location specified in the notice and must be recorded. The provision also requires the
location of the meeting to be set up to provide two-way communication during the entire
conference call and the identity of each party to the conference call to be clearly stated prior to
speaking.
178
The Act authorizes the governing board of an institution of higher education, water districts whose
territory includes land in three or more counties, the Board for Lease of University Lands, or the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to meet by telephone conference call if the meeting
is a special called meeting, immediate action is required, and it is difficult or impossible to convene
a quorum at one location.
179
The Texas Board of Criminal Justice may hold an emergency meeting
by telephone conference call,
180
and, at the call of its presiding officer, the Board of Pardons and
Paroles may hold a hearing on clemency matters by telephone conference call.
181
The Act permits
175
See generally Hitt, 687 S.W.2d at 796; Elizondo v. Williams, 643 S.W.2d 765, 766–67 (Tex. App.—San Antonio
1982, no writ) (telephone meetings); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-207 (1993) at 3 (videoconference meeting);
but see Harris Cnty. Emergency Serv. Dist. No. 1 v. Harris Cnty. Emergency Corps., 999 S.W.2d 163, 169 (Tex.
App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1999, no pet.) (concluding that telephone discussion by fewer than a quorum of
board members about placing items on the agenda, without evidence of intent, did not violate the Act.
176
TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 551.121–.126, .129–.131 (authorizing meetings by telephone conference call under
specified circumstances).
177
Id. § 551.125(b); see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0379 (2005) at 2–3 (addressing Government Code subsection
551.125(b)(3)).
178
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.125(b)–(f).
179
Id. § 551.121(c).
180
Id. § 551.123.
181
Id. § 551.124.
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
24
the board of trustees of the Teacher Retirement System to hold an open or closed meeting by
telephone conference call if a quorum of the board is present at one location and other requirements
of the Act are followed.
182
Section 551.091 authorizes certain county commissioners courts to hold an “open or closed
meeting, including a telephone conference call, solely to deliberate about disaster or emergency
conditions and related public safety matters that require an immediate response without complying
with the requirements” of chapter 551.
183
The commissioners court must be in a county “for which
the governor has issued an executive order or proclamation declaring a state of disaster or
emergency” and “in which transportation to the meeting location is dangerous or difficult as a
result of the disaster or emergency.”
184
Statutes other than the Act authorize some governing bodies to meet by telephone conference call
under limited circumstances. For example, if the joint chairs of the Legislative Budget Board are
physically present at a meeting, and the meeting is held in Austin, any number of the other board
members may attend by use of telephone conference call, videoconference call, or other similar
telecommunication device.
185
A governmental body may consult with its attorney by telephone conference call, videoconference
call or communications over the internet, unless the attorney is an employee of the governmental
body.
186
If the governmental body deducts employment taxes from the attorney’s compensation,
the attorney is an employee of the governmental body.
187
The restriction against remote
communications with an employee attorney does not apply to the governing board of an institution
of higher education or the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
188
2. Videoconference Call Meetings
The Act also authorizes governmental bodies to conduct meetings by videoconference call and,
unlike with telephone meetings, does not limit that authority to emergency circumstances.
189
Section 551.127 authorizes a member or employee of a governmental body to participate remotely
in a meeting of the governmental body through a videoconference call if there is live video and
182
Id. § 551.130.
183
Id. § 551.091(b). Section 551.091 expires on September 1, 2027. See id. § 551.091(e).
184
Id. § 551.091(a).
185
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 322.003(d); see also TEX. AGRIC. CODE §§ 41.205(b) (Texas Grain Producer Indemnity
Board), 62.0021(a) (State Seed and Plant Board); TEX. FIN. CODE § 11.106(c) (Finance Commission); TEX.
GOV’T CODE §§ 501.139(b) (Correctional Managed Health Care Committee), 436.054 (Texas Military
Preparedness Commission).
186
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.129(a), (d).
187
Id. § 551.129(e).
188
Id. § 551.129(f).
189
Id. § 551.127.
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
25
audio feed of the remote participant that is broadcast live at the meeting and the feed complies
with the other provisions of section 551.127.
190
As a preliminary matter, a meeting held by videoconference call must meet the regular notice
requirements of the Act.
191
In addition, section 551.127 authorizes two logistical scenarios
depending on the territorial jurisdiction of the governmental body and requires that the notice
specify a particular location of the meeting and who will be physically present there, as follows:
A state governmental body or a governmental body that extends into three or more counties may
meet by videoconference call only if the member of the governmental body presiding over the
meeting is physically present at one location of the meeting.
192
The notice must specify that
location, which must be open to the public during the open portions of the meeting, as well as state
the intent to have the member of the governmental body presiding over the meeting present
there.
193
For all other governmental bodies, the Act authorizes a meeting by videoconference call only if a
full quorum of the governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting.
194
In
that instance, the notice must specify that location, as well as the intent to have a quorum present
there.
195
The location where the presiding member is physically present must be open to the public during
the open portions of the meeting.
196
Beyond notice and location, the Act specifies certain technical requirements. The meeting location
where the quorum or presiding member is present as well as each remote location from which a
member participates “shall have two-way audio and video communication with each other location
during the entire meeting.”
197
The Act requires that, while speaking, each participant’s face must
be clearly visible and the voice audible to each other participant and to the members of the public
in attendance at the location where the quorum or presiding member is present and any other
location of the meeting that is open to the public.
198
The Act additionally requires that each open
portion of the meeting is to be visible and audible to the public at the meeting location where the
190
Id. § 551.127(a-1); see id. § 551.127(a) (“[T]his chapter does not prohibit a governmental body from holding an
open or closed meeting by videoconference call.”). Subsection 81.001(b) of the Local Government Code, which
provides that the county judge, if present, is the presiding officer of the county commissioners court, does not
apply to a meeting held by videoconference. See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 81.001(b). The subsection ensures
that a county judge may remotely participate in a videoconference meeting while another member of the
commissioners court presides over the meeting at the physical location accessible to the public.
191
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.127(d).
192
Id. § 551.127(c).
193
Id. § 551.127(e).
194
Id. § 551.127(b).
195
Id. § 551.127(e).
196
Id.
197
Id. § 551.127(h). “The audio and video signals perceptible by members of the public at each location of the
meeting described by Subsection (h) must be of sufficient quality so that members of the public at each location
can observe the demeanor and hear the voice of each participant in the open portion of the meeting.” Id.
§ 551.127(j).
198
Id. § 551.127(h).
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
26
quorum or presiding member is present and that at any time that the meeting is no longer visible
and audible to the public, the meeting must be recessed until the problem is resolved.
199
The
meeting must be adjourned if the problem is not resolved in six hours.
200
The Act tasks the
Department of Information Resources to specify minimum standards for the audio and video
signals required at a videoconference meeting and the quality of the signals at each location of the
meeting must meet or exceed those standards.
201
Generally speaking, a remote participant “shall be counted as present at the meeting for all
purposes.”
202
However, if the audio or video communication is lost for any portion of the meeting,
the remote participant is considered absent during that time.
203
Should this occur, the governmental
body may continue the meeting only as follows: (1) If the meeting is being held by a statewide
body or one that extends into three or more counties, there must continue to be a quorum
participating in the meeting. (2) If the meeting is held by another governmental body, a full quorum
must remain physically present at the meeting location.
204
Section 551.127 also requires the governmental body to “make at least an audio recording of the
meeting” and to make the recording available to the public.
205
And section 551.127 expressly
permits a governmental body to allow a member of the public to testify at a meeting from a remote
location by videoconference call.
206
Relating to certain special districts subject to specific chapters of the Water Code and with a
population of 500 or more, subsection 551.1283(e) provides that “[n]othing in this chapter shall
prohibit a district from allowing a person to watch or listen to a board meeting by video or
telephone conference call.”
207
3. Meetings Broadcast over the Internet
Section 551.128 of the Act provides that with certain exceptions a governmental body has
discretion to broadcast an open meeting over the internet and sets out the requirements for a
broadcast.
208
The exceptions referred to in section 551.128(b-1) make the broadcast of open
meetings over the internet mandatory for a transit authority or department, an elected school
district board of trustees for a school district with a student enrollment of 10,000 or more, an
elected governing body of a home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, and
a county commissioners court in a county with a population of 125,000 or more.
209
199
See id. § 551.127(f).
200
Id.
201
Id. § 551.127(i); see 1 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §§ 209.1–.33 (Tex. Dept. of Info. Res., Minimum Standards for Meetings
Held by Videoconference). The Department of Information Resources has published guidelines at
https://pubext.dir.texas.gov/portal/internal/resources/DocumentLibrary/Videoconferencing%20Guidelines.pdf.
202
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.127(a-2).
203
See id. § 551.127(a-3).
204
See id.
205
Id. § 551.127(g).
206
See id. § 551.127(k).
207
See id. § 551.1283(e).
208
Id. § 551.128(b).
209
Id. § 551.128(b-1).
Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
27
A governmental body required to broadcast its open meetings over the internet under section
551.128(b-1) must make a video and audio recording of “each regularly scheduled open meeting
that is not a work session or a special called meeting” and must make the recording available not
later than seven days after the date of the meeting.
210
And the governmental body must maintain
an archived recording of the meeting on the internet “for not less than two years after the date the
recording was first made available.”
211
Subsection 551.128(b-1) further requires an elected school
district board of trustees of a school district with an enrollment of 10,000 or more to make an audio
or video recording of any work session or special called meeting at which the board of trustees
“votes on any matter or allows public comment or testimony.”
212
Subsection 551.128(b-2) provides
that a governmental body is not required to establish a separate internet site but may make the
archived recording available “on an existing Internet site, including a publicly accessible video-
sharing or social networking site.”
213
Similarly, section 472.036 of the Transportation Code
requires a metropolitan planning organization that serves one or more counties with a population
of 350,000 to broadcast over the internet each open meeting held by the policy board of the
metropolitan planning organization.
214
Certain junior college districts and general academic teaching institutions are required under
sections 551.1281 and 551.1282 to broadcast their open meetings in the manner provided by
section 551.128.
215
An internet broadcast does not substitute for conducting an in-person meeting
but provides an additional way of disseminating the meeting.
Outside of the Act, certain entities may have specific provisions imposing broadcasting
requirements.
216
210
Id. § 551.128(b-1)(1), (b-4)(1).
211
Id. § 551.128(b-4)(2).
212
See id. § 551.128(b-1)(B).
213
See id. § 551.128(b-2).
214
See TEX. TRANSP. CODE § 472.036.
215
See TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 551.1281–.1282.
216
See id. § 531.0165 (imposing broadcasting and recording requirements on the Health and Human Services
Commission and related entities).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
28
VII. Notice Requirements
A. Content
The Act requires written notice of all meetings. Section 551.041 of the Act provides:
A governmental body shall give written notice of the date, hour, place, and subject
of each meeting held by the governmental body.
217
A governmental body must give the public advance notice of the subjects it will consider in an
open meeting or a closed executive session.
218
The Act does not require the notice of a closed
meeting to cite the section or subsection numbers of provisions authorizing the closed meeting.
219
No judicial decision or attorney general opinion states that a governmental body must indicate in
the notice whether a subject will be discussed in open or closed session,
220
but some governmental
bodies do include this information. If the notices posted for a governmental body’s meetings
consistently distinguish between subjects for public deliberation and subjects for executive session
deliberation, an abrupt departure from this practice may raise a question as to the adequacy of the
notice.
221
Governmental actions taken in violation of the notice requirements of the Act are voidable.
222
If
some actions taken at a meeting do not violate the notice requirements while others do, only the
actions in violation of the Act are voidable.
223
(For a discussion of the voidability of the
governmental body’s actions, refer to Part XI.C. of this Handbook).
B. Sufficiency
The notice must be sufficient to apprise the general public of the subjects to be considered during
the meeting. In City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals,
224
the Texas Supreme Court
considered whether the following item in the notice posted for a city council meeting gave
sufficient notice of the subject to be discussed:
217
Id. § 551.041.
218
Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956, 958 (Tex. 1986); Porth v. Morgan, 622 S.W.2d 470, 475–76
(Tex. App.—Tyler 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.); but see TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.091(b), (c) (authorizing county
commissioners court in limited circumstances involving a governor-declared disaster or emergency to hold a
meeting “without complying with the requirements” of chapter 551 but requiring such county to post “reasonable
public notice” to the “extent practicable under the circumstances.”).
219
See Rettberg v. Tex. Dep’t of Health, 873 S.W.2d 408, 411–12 (Tex. App.—Austin 1994, no writ); Tex. Att’y
Gen. Op. No. GA-0511 (2007) at 4.
220
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0057 (1999) at 5; Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-90-27 (1990) at 1.
221
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0057 (1999) at 5; see also Mares v. Tex. Webb Cnty., No. 5:18-CV-121, 2020 WL
619902, at *4–5 (S.D. Tex. Feb. 10, 2020) (discussing a county’s retreat from its custom of providing adequate
notice).
222
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.141.
223
Point Isabel Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Hinojosa, 797 S.W.2d 176, 182–83 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1990, writ
denied).
224
City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d 762 (Tex. 1991).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
29
An Ordinance determining the necessity for and authorizing the condemnation of
certain property in County Blocks 4180, 4181, 4188, and 4297 in Southwest Bexar
County for the construction of the Applewhite Water Supply Project.
225
A property owner argued that this notice item violated the subject requirement of the statutory
predecessor to section 551.041 because it did “not describe the condemnation ordinance, and in
particular the land to be condemned by that ordinance, in sufficient detail” to notify an owner
reading the description that the city was considering condemning the owner’s land.
226
The Texas
Supreme Court rejected the argument that the notice be sufficiently detailed to notify specific
owners that their tracts might be condemned. The Court explained that the “Open Meetings Act is
not a legislative scheme for service of process; it has no due process implications.”
227
Its purpose
was to provide public access to and increase public knowledge of the governmental decision-
making process.
228
The Court held that the condemnation notice complied with the Act because the notice apprised
the public at large in general terms that the city would consider the condemnation of certain
property in a specific area for purposes of the Applewhite project. The Court also noted that the
description would notify a landowner of property in the four listed blocks that the property might
be condemned, even though it was insufficient to notify an owner that his or her tracts in particular
were proposed for condemnation.
229
In City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court reviewed its earlier
decisions on notice.
230
In Texas Turnpike Authority v. City of Fort Worth,
231
the Court had
addressed the sufficiency of the following notice for a meeting at which the turnpike authority
board adopted a resolution approving the expansion of a turnpike: “Consider request . . . to
determine feasibility of a bond issue to expand and enlarge [the turnpike].”
232
Prior resolutions of
the board had reflected the board’s intent to make the turnpike a free road once existing bonds
were paid. The Court found the notice sufficient, refuting the arguments that the notice should have
included a copy of the proposed resolution, that the notice should have indicated the board’s
proposed action was at variance with its prior intent, or that the notice should have stated all the
consequences that might result from the proposed action.
233
225
Id. at 764.
226
Id.
227
Id. at 765 (quoting Acker v. Tex. Water Comm’n, 790 S.W.2d 299, 300 (Tex. 1990)); see Rettberg, 873 S.W.2d
at 413 (holding that the Act does not entitle the executive secretary of a state agency to special notice of a meeting
where his employment was terminated); Stockdale v. Meno, 867 S.W.2d 123, 125 (Tex. App.—Austin 1993,
writ denied) (holding that Act does not entitle a teacher whose contract was terminated to more specific notice
than notice that would inform the public at large).
228
Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d at 765.
229
Id. at 765–66.
230
Id. at 765.
231
Tex. Tpk. Auth. v. City of Fort Worth, 554 S.W.2d 675 (Tex. 1977).
232
Id. at 676.
233
Id.; see also Charlie Thomas Ford, Inc., v. A.C. Collins Ford, Inc., 912 S.W.2d 271, 274 (Tex. App.—Austin
1995, writ dism’d) (holding that notice stating “Proposals for Decision and Other Actions–License and Other
Cases” was sufficient to apprise the public that Motor Vehicle Commission would consider proposals for
decision in dealer-licensing cases); Washington v. Burley, 930 F. Supp. 2d 790, 807 (S.D. Tex. 2013)
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
30
In Lower Colorado River Authority v. City of San Marcos,
234
the Texas Supreme Court found
sufficient a Lower Colorado River Authority Board notice providing “ratification of the prior
action of the Board taken on October 19, 1972, in response to changes in electric power rates for
electric power sold within the boundaries of the City of San Marcos, Texas.”
235
“Although
conceding that the notice was ‘not as clear as it might be,’” the Court held that it complied with
the Act “because ‘it would alert a reader to the fact that some action would be considered with
respect to charges for electric power sold in San Marcos.’”
236
The Texas Supreme Court noted that in Cox Enterprises, Inc. v. Board of Trustees
237
“we finally
held a notice inadequate.”
238
In the Cox Enterprises case, the Court held insufficient the notice of
a school board’s executive session that listed only general topics such as “litigation” and
“personnel.”
239
One of the items considered at the closed session was the appointment of a new
school superintendent. The Court noted that the selection of a new superintendent was not in the
same category as ordinary personnel matters, because it is a matter of special interest to the public;
thus, the use of the term “personnel” was not sufficient to apprise the general public of the board’s
proposed selection of a new superintendent. The Court also noted that “litigation” would not
sufficiently describe a major desegregation suit that had occupied the district’s time for a number
of years.
240
(determining that notice indicating that school board would “[c]onsider recommendation to propose the
termination of the . . . employment of the . . . Chief of Police” was sufficient to inform the public that the board
would actually be terminating police chief’s employment and that “the notice need not state all of the possible
consequences resulting from consideration of the topic”); City of San Angelo v. Tex. Nat. Res. Conservation
Comm’n, 92 S.W.3d 624, 630 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, no pet.) (recognizing that “consideration” necessarily
encompasses action and stating that the word “consideration alone was sufficient to put the general public on
notice that the Commission might act during the meeting”); but see Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. City of Dripping
Springs, 304 S.W.3d 871, 890 (Tex. App.—Austin 2010, pet. denied) (considering sufficiency of notice about
development agreements and recognizing that a notice listing all possible consequences could overwhelm, rather
than inform, the reader).
234
Lower Colo. River Auth. v. City of San Marcos, 523 S.W.2d 641 (Tex. 1975).
235
Id. at 646.
236
Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d at 765 (quoting Lower Colo. River Auth., 523 S.W.2d at 646).
237
Cox Enters. Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986).
238
Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d at 765 (describing its opinion in Cox Enterprises); see also Lugo v. Donna
Indep. Sch. Dist. Bd. of Trs., 557 S.W.3d 93, 98 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2017, no pet.) (holding that an
agenda item notifying the public that the board would discuss a special election to fill board vacancies by a
special election did not give notice that the board would appoint replacement trustees to the board vacancies).
239
Cox Enters. Inc., 706 S.W.2d at 959.
240
Id.; see also Mayes v. City of De Leon, 922 S.W.2d 200, 203 (Tex. App.—Eastland 1996, writ denied)
(determining that “personnel” was not sufficient notice of termination of police chief); Stockdale, 867 S.W.2d at
124–25 (holding that “discussion of personnel” and “proposed nonrenewal of teaching contract” provided
sufficient notice of nonrenewal of band director’s contract); Lone Star Greyhound Park, Inc. v. Tex. Racing
Comm’n, 863 S.W.2d 742, 747 (Tex. App.—Austin 1993, writ denied) (indicating that notice need not list “the
particulars of litigation discussions,” which would defeat purpose of statutory predecessor to section 551.071 of
the Government Code); Point Isabel Indep. Sch. Dist., 797 S.W.2d at 182 (holding that “employment of
personnel” is insufficient to describe hiring of principals, but is sufficient for hiring school librarian, part-time
counselor, band director, or school teacher); In re City of Amarillo, No. 07-22-00341-CV, 2023 WL 5279473, at
*5 (Tex. App.—Amarillo Aug. 16, 2023, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) (concluding notice of a city’s intention to issue
funding notes for a civic center project required more detail due to increased public interest given the amount of
time the city had previously devoted to the project and the fact that voters had previously rejected funding for
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
31
“If the facts as to the content of a notice are undisputed, the adequacy of the notice is a question
of law.”
241
The courts examine the facts to determine whether a particular subject or personnel
matter is sufficiently described or requires more specific treatment because it is of special interest
to the community.
242
Consequently, counsel for the governing body should be consulted if any
doubt exists concerning the specificity of notice required for a particular matter.
In City of Donna v. Ramirez, a court of appeals considered a meeting notice indicating a cancelled
meeting.
243
The meeting notice of the Donna city council posted outside city hall had the word
“cancelled” written on it, but the notices posted online and inside the city hall did not.
244
The
meeting occurred and the notice was challenged.
245
The court held the notice violated section
551.041’s requirement that a governmental body give written notice of the date, hour, place, and
subject of each meeting and section 551.043’s requirement that the notice be posted at least 72
hours before the meeting.
C. Generalized Terms
Generalized terms such as “old business,” “new business,” “regular or routine business,” and
“other business” are not proper terms to give notice of a meeting because they do not inform the
public of its subject matter.
246
The term “public comment,” however, provides sufficient notice of
a “public comment” session, where the general public addresses the governmental body about its
concerns and the governmental body does not comment or deliberate, except as authorized by
section 551.042 of the Government Code.
247
“Public comment” will not provide adequate notice
if the governmental body is, prior to the meeting, aware, or reasonably should have been aware, of
specific topics to be raised.
248
When a governmental body is responsible for a presentation, it an
easily give notice of its subject matter, but it usually cannot predict the subject matter of public
comment sessions.
249
Thus, a meeting notice stating “Presentation by [County] Commissioner”
did not provide adequate notice of the presentation, which covered the commissioner’s views on
development and substantive policy issues of importance to the county.
250
The term “presentation”
the project); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-1045 (1977) at 5 (concluding “discussion of personnel changes”
insufficient to describe selection of university system chancellor or university president).
241
Burks v. Yarbrough, 157 S.W.3d 876, 883 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2005, no pet.); see also Friends of
Canyon Lake, Inc. v. Guadalupe-Blanco River Auth., 96 S.W.3d 519, 529 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, pet. denied).
242
River Rd. Neighborhood Ass’n v. S. Tex. Sports, 720 S.W.2d 551, 557 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1986, writ
dism’d) (concluding that notice stating only “discussion” is insufficient to indicate board action is intended,
given prior history of stating “discussion/action” in agenda when action is intended).
243
City of Donna v. Ramirez, 548 S.W.3d 26, 35–36 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2017, pet. denied)
244
See id. at 33.
245
See id.
246
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-662 (1975) at 3.
247
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0169 (2000) at 4; see TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.042 (providing that governmental
body may respond to inquiry about subject not on posted notice by stating factual information, reciting existing
policy or placing subject of inquiry on agenda of future meeting).
248
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0169 (2000) at 4.
249
Id.
250
Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship v. Hays Cnty., 41 S.W.3d 174, 180 (Tex. App.—Austin 2001, pet. denied).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
32
was vague; moreover, it was noticed for the “Proclamations & Presentations” portion of the
meeting, which otherwise consisted of formalities.
251
Attorney General Opinion GA-0668 (2008) had previously determined that notice such as “City
Manager’s Report” was not adequate notice for items similar to those included in section 551.0415
and that the subject of a report by a member of the city staff or governing body must be included
in the notice in a manner that informs a reader about the subjects to be addressed. Section 551.0415,
modifying Attorney General Opinion GA-0668, authorizes a quorum of the governing body of a
municipality or county to receive reports about items of community interest during a meeting
without having given notice of the subject of the report if no action is taken.
252
Section 551.0415
defines an “item of community interest” to include:
(1) expressions of thanks, congratulations, or condolence;
(2) information regarding holiday schedules;
(3) an honorary or salutary recognition of a public official, public employee, or
other citizen, except that a discussion regarding a change in status of a person’s
public office or public employment is not an honorary or salutary recognition
for purposes of this subdivision;
(4) a reminder about an upcoming event organized or sponsored by the governing
body;
(5) information regarding a social, ceremonial, or community event organized or
sponsored by an entity other than the governing body that was attended or is
scheduled to be attended by a member of the governing body or an official or
employee of the political subdivision; and
(6) announcements involving an imminent threat to the public health and safety of
people in the political subdivision that has arisen after the posting of the
agenda.
253
D. Time of Posting
Notice must be posted for a minimum length of time before each meeting. Section 551.043(a)
states the general time requirement as follows:
The notice of a meeting of a governmental body must be posted in a place readily
accessible to the general public at all times for at least 72 hours before the scheduled
time of the meeting, except as provided by Sections 551.044–551.046.
254
251
Id. at 180 (citing Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0169 (2000)).
252
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0415(a).
253
Id. § 551.0415(b).
254
Id. § 551.043(a).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
33
Section 551.043(b) relates to posting notice on the internet. Where the Act allows or requires a
governmental body to post notice on the internet, the following provisions apply to the posting:
(1) the governmental body satisfies the requirement that the notice be posted in a
place readily accessible to the general public at all times by making a good-
faith attempt to continuously post the notice on the Internet during the
prescribed period;
(2) the governmental body must still comply with any duty imposed by this chapter
to physically post the notice at a particular location; and
(3) if the governmental body makes a good-faith attempt to continuously post the
notice on the Internet during the prescribed period, the notice physically posted
at the location prescribed by this chapter must be readily accessible to the
general public during normal business hours.
255
Section 551.044, which excepts from the general rule governmental bodies with statewide
jurisdiction, provides as follows:
(a) The secretary of state must post notice on the Internet of a meeting of a state
board, commission, department, or officer having statewide jurisdiction for at
least seven days before the day of the meeting. The secretary of state shall
provide during regular office hours a computer terminal at a place convenient
to the public in the office of the secretary of state that members of the public
may use to view notices of meetings posted by the secretary of state.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to:
(1) the Texas Department of Insurance, as regards proceedings and
activities under Title 5, Labor Code, of the department, the
commissioner of insurance, or the commissioner of workers’
compensation; or
(2) the governing board of an institution of higher education.
256
Section 551.046 excepts a committee of the legislature from the general rule:
The notice of a legislative committee meeting shall be as provided by the rules of
the house of representatives or of the senate.
257
The interplay between the 72-hour rule applicable to local governmental bodies and the
requirement that the posting be in a place convenient to the general public in a particular location,
such as the city hall or the county courthouse, at one time created legal and practical difficulties
for local entities, because the required locations are not usually accessible during the night or on
255
Id. § 551.043(b).
256
Id. § 551.044.
257
Id. § 551.046.
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
34
weekends. Section 551.043(b) solves this problem in part, providing that “if the governmental
body makes a good faith attempt to continuously post the notice on the Internet during the
prescribed period, the notice physically posted at the location prescribed by this chapter must be
readily accessible to the general public during normal business hours.”
258
The Texas Supreme Court had previously addressed this matter in City of San Antonio v. Fourth
Court of Appeals.
259
The city had posted notice of its February 15, 1990, meeting in two different
locations. One notice was posted on a bulletin board inside the city hall, and the other notice was
posted on a kiosk outside the main entrance to the city hall. This was done because the city hall
was locked at night, thereby preventing continuous access during the 72-hour period to the notice
posted inside. The court held that the double posting satisfied the requirements of the statutory
predecessors to sections 551.043 and 551.050.
260
State agencies have generally had little difficulty providing seven days’ notice of their meetings,
but difficulties have arisen when a quorum of a state agency’s governing body wished to meet with
a legislative committee.
261
If one or more of the state agency board members were to testify or
answer questions, the agency itself would have held a meeting subject to the notice, record-keeping
and openness requirements of the Act.
262
Legislative committees, however, post notices “as
provided by the rules of the house of representatives or of the senate,”
263
and these generally
require shorter time periods than the seven-day notice required for state agencies.
264
Thus, a state
agency could find it impossible to give seven days’ notice of a quorum’s attendance at a legislative
hearing concerning its legislation or budget. The Legislature dealt with this difference in notice
requirements by adopting section 551.0035 of the Government Code, which provides as follows:
(a) This section applies only to the attendance by a quorum of a governmental body
at a meeting of a committee or agency of the legislature. This section does not
apply to attendance at the meeting by members of the legislative committee or
agency holding the meeting.
(b) The attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a meeting of a
committee or agency of the legislature is not considered to be a meeting of that
governmental body if the deliberations at the meeting by the members of that
governmental body consist only of publicly testifying at the meeting, publicly
commenting at the meeting, and publicly responding at the meeting to a
question asked by a member of the legislative committee or agency.
265
258
Id. § 551.043(b)(3) (emphasis added).
259
City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d 762 (Tex. 1991).
260
Id. at 768.
261
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0308 (2000) at 2.
262
Id.; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0248 (2000) at 2.
263
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.046.
264
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0308 (2000) at 2.
265
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0035.
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
35
E. Place of Posting
The Act expressly states where notice shall be posted. The posting requirements vary depending
on the governing body posting the notice.
266
Sections 551.048 through 551.056 address the posting
requirements of state entities, cities and counties, school districts, and other districts and political
subdivisions. These provisions are quite detailed and, therefore, are set out here in full:
§ 551.048. State Governmental Body: Notice to Secretary of State; Place of Posting Notice
(a) A state governmental body shall provide notice of each meeting to the secretary
of state.
267
(b) The secretary of state shall post the notice on the Internet. The secretary of state
shall provide during regular office hours a computer terminal at a place
convenient to the public in the office of the secretary of state that members of
the public may use to view the notice.
§ 551.049. County Governmental Body: Place of Posting Notice
A county governmental body shall post notice of each meeting on a bulletin board at a place
convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
§ 551.050. Municipal Governmental Body: Place of Posting Notice
(a) In this section, “electronic bulletin board” means an electronic communication
system that includes a perpetually illuminated screen on which the
governmental body can post messages or notices viewable without
manipulation by the public.
(b) A municipal governmental body shall post notice of each meeting on a physical
or electronic bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in the city hall.
§ 551.0501. Joint Board: Place of Posting Notice
(a) In this section, “electronic bulletin board” means an electronic communication
system that includes a perpetually illuminated screen on which the
governmental body can post messages or notices viewable without
manipulation by the public.
266
The Amarillo Court of Appeals recently rejected a challenge to the sufficiency of a notice that identified the
building of the meeting “without identifying the meeting room, full street address, or name of the city.” Terrell
v. Pampa Indep. Sch. Dist., 572 S.W.3d 294, 299 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2019, pet. denied).
267
Notices of open meetings filed in the office of the secretary of state as provided by law are published in the Texas
Register. TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2002.011(3); see 1 TEX. ADMIN. CODE § 91.21 (Tex. Sec’y of State, How to File
an Open Meeting Notice).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
36
(b) A joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code, shall post
notice of each meeting on a physical or electronic bulletin board at a place
convenient to the public in the board’s administrative offices.
§ 551.051. School District: Place of Posting Notice
A school district shall post notice of each meeting on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the
public in the central administrative office of the district.
§ 551.052. School District: Special Notice to News Media
(a) A school district shall provide special notice of each meeting to any news media
that has;
(1) requested special notice; and
(2) agreed to reimburse the district for the cost of providing the special
notice.
(b) The notice shall be by telephone, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail.
§ 551.053. District or Political Subdivision Extending Into Four or More Counties: Notice to
Public, Secretary of State, and County Clerk; Place of Posting Notice
(a) The governing body of a water district or other district or political subdivision
that extends into four or more counties shall:
(1) post notice of each meeting at a place convenient to the public in the
administrative office of the district or political subdivision;
(2) provide notice of each meeting to the secretary of state; and
(3) either provide notice of each meeting to the county clerk of the county
in which the administrative office of the district or political subdivision
is located or post notice of each meeting on the district’s or political
subdivision’s Internet website.
(b) The secretary of state shall post the notice provided under Subsection (a)(2) on
the Internet. The secretary of state shall provide during regular office hours a
computer terminal at a place convenient to the public in the office of the
secretary of state that members of the public may use to view the notice.
(c) A county clerk shall post a notice provided to the clerk under Subsection (a)(3)
on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
37
§ 551.054. District or Political Subdivision Extending Into Fewer Than Four Counties: Notice
to Public and County Clerks; Place of Posting Notice
(a) The governing body of a water district or other district or political subdivision
that extends into fewer than four counties shall:
(1) post notice of each meeting at a place convenient to the public in the
administrative office of the district or political subdivision; and
(2) either provide notice of each meeting to the county clerk of each county
in which the district or political subdivision is located or post notice of
each meeting on the district’s or political subdivision’s Internet website.
(b) A county clerk shall post a notice provided to the clerk under Subsection (a)(2)
on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
§ 551.055. Institution of Higher Education
In addition to providing any other notice required by this subchapter, the governing board of a
single institution of higher education:
(1) shall post notice of each meeting at the county courthouse of the county in
which the meeting will be held;
(2) shall publish notice of a meeting in a student newspaper of the institution if an
issue of the newspaper is published between the time of the posting and the time
of the meeting; and
(3) may post notice of a meeting at another place convenient to the public.
Posting notice is mandatory, and actions taken at a meeting for which notice was posted incorrectly
will be voidable.
268
In Sierra Club v. Austin Transportation Study Policy Advisory Committee, the
court held that the committee was a special district covering four or more counties for purposes of
the Act and, as such, was required to submit notice to the secretary of state pursuant to the statutory
predecessor to section 551.053.
269
Thus, a governmental body that does not clearly fall within one
of the categories covered by sections 551.048 through 551.056 should consider satisfying all
potentially applicable posting requirements.
270
268
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.141; see Smith Cnty. v. Thornton, 726 S.W.2d 2, 3 (Tex. 1986).
269
Sierra Club v. Austin Transp. Pol’y Advisory Comm., 746 S.W.2d 298, 301 (Tex. App.—Austin 1988, writ
denied).
270
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-120 (1983) at 3 (concluding that industrial development corporation must post
notice in the same manner and location as political subdivision on whose behalf it was created).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
38
§ 551.056. Additional Posting Requirements for Certain Municipalities, Counties, School
Districts, Junior College Districts, Development Corporations, Authorities, and Joint Boards
Section 551.056 requires certain governmental bodies and economic development corporations to
post notice and an agenda of the meeting on their internet websites, in addition to other postings
required by the Act. This provision applies to the following entities, if the entity maintains an
internet website or has a website maintained for it:
(1) a municipality;
(2) a county;
(3) a school district;
(4) the governing body of a junior college or junior college district, including a
college or district that has changed its name in accordance with Chapter 130,
Education Code;
(5) a development corporation organized under the Development Corporation Act
(Subtitle C1, Title 12, Local Government Code);
(6) a regional mobility authority included within the meaning of an “authority” as
defined by Section 370.003, Transportation Code;
(7) a joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code, and
(8) a district or authority created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article
XVI, Texas Constitution.
271
Section 551.056 also provides that the validity of a posted notice made in good faith to comply
with the Act is not affected by a failure to comply with its requirements due to a technical problem
beyond the control of the entity.
272
F. Internet Posting of Notice and Meeting Materials
Provisions in the Act specific to general academic teaching institutions and certain junior college
districts require such institutions to post specified meeting materials to their internet website. If
applicable, section 551.1281 and section 551.1282 require the internet posting “as early as
practicable in advance of the meeting” of “any written agenda and related supplemental written
materials” that are provided to the governing board members for their use in the meeting.
273
This
271
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.056(b).
272
Id. § 551.056(d); see also Argyle Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Wolf, 234 S.W.3d 229, 248–49 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth
2007, no pet.) (determining that there was no evidence of bad faith on part of the school district). Cf. Terrell v.
Pampa Indep. Sch. Dist., 345 S.W.3d 641, 644 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2011, pet. denied) (finding a material issue
in summary judgment proceedings about whether ISD “actually attempted to post the notices and, therefore, met
the good faith exception to the requirement to concurrently post notices”).
273
Id. §§ 551.1281–.1282.
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
39
posting requirement excludes any written materials “that the general counsel or other appropriate
attorney” for the particular governmental body certifies are confidential.
274
G. Emergency Meetings: Providing and Supplementing Notice
Special rules allow for posting notice of emergency meetings and for supplementing a posted
notice with emergency items. These rules affect the timing and content of the notice but not its
physical location. Section 551.045 provides:
(a) In an emergency or when there is an urgent public necessity, the notice of a
meeting to deliberate or take action on the emergency or urgent public necessity,
or the supplemental notice to add the deliberation or taking of action on the
emergency or urgent public necessity as an item to the agenda for a meeting for
which notice has been posted in accordance with this subchapter, is sufficient if
the notice or supplemental notice is posted for at least one hour before the
meeting is convened.
(a-1) A governmental body may not deliberate or take action on a matter at a meeting
for which notice or supplemental notice is posted under Subsection (a) other
than:
(1) a matter directly related to responding to the emergency or urgent public
necessity identified in the notice or supplemental notice of the meeting
as provided by Subsection (c); or
(2) an agenda item listed on a notice of the meeting before the supplemental
notice was posted.
(b) An emergency or urgent public necessity exists only if immediate action is
required of a governmental body because of:
(1) an imminent threat to public health and safety, including a threat
described by Subdivision (2) if imminent; or
(2) a reasonably unforeseeable situation, including:
(A) fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or wind, rain, or snow
storm;
(B) power failure, transportation failure, or interruption of
communication facilities;
(C) epidemic; or
274
Id.
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
40
(D) riot, civil disturbance, enemy attack, or other actual or
threatened act of lawlessness or violence.
(c) The governmental body shall clearly identify the emergency or urgent public
necessity in the notice or supplemental notice under this section.
(d) A person who is designated or authorized to post notice of a meeting by a
governmental body under this subchapter shall post the notice taking at face
value the governmental body’s stated reason for the emergency or urgent public
necessity.
(e) For purposes of Subsection (b)(2), the sudden relocation of a large number of
residents from the area of a declared disaster to a governmental body’s
jurisdiction is considered a reasonably unforeseeable situation for a reasonable
period immediately following the relocation.
275
The public notice of a meeting to deliberate or take action on an emergency or urgent public
necessity must be posted at least one hour before the meeting is scheduled to begin. A
governmental body may decide to consider an emergency item during a previously scheduled
meeting instead of calling a new emergency meeting. The governmental body must post a
supplemental notice to add the deliberation or taking of action on the emergency or urgent public
necessity as an item to the agenda at least one hour before the meeting begins.
276
In addition to posting the public notice of an emergency meeting or supplementing a notice with
an emergency item, the governmental body must give special notice of the emergency meeting or
emergency item to members of the news media who have previously (1) filed a request with the
governmental body, and (2) agreed to reimburse the governmental body for providing the special
notice.
277
The notice to members of the news media is to be given by telephone, facsimile
transmission or electronic mail at least one hour before the meeting is convened.
278
The public notice of an emergency meeting or an emergency item must “clearly identify” the
emergency or urgent public necessity for calling the meeting or for adding the item to the agenda
of a previously scheduled meeting.
279
The Act defines “emergency” for purposes of emergency
meetings and emergency items.
280
Section 551.045(a-1) prohibits a governmental body from deliberating or taking action on a matter
at an emergency meeting or one for which a supplemental notice has been posted other than a
matter directly related to responding to the emergency or urgent public necessity identified in the
emergency notice or supplemental notice or an agenda item listed on the meeting notice before the
275
Id. § 551.045.
276
Id. § 551.045(a).
277
Id. § 551.047(b).
278
Id. § 551.047(c).
279
Id. § 551.045(c).
280
Id. § 551.045(b); see River Rd. Neighborhood Ass’n v. S. Tex. Sports, 720 S.W.2d 551, 557 (Tex. App.—San
Antonio 1986, writ dism’d) (construing “emergency” consistently with definition later adopted by Legislature).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
41
supplemental notice was posted.
281
Section 551.142 expressly authorizes the attorney general to
bring an action by mandamus or injunction in a Travis County district court to stop, prevent, or
reverse a violation or threated violation of section 551.045(a-1).
282
Because section 551.045 provides for one-hour notice only for emergency meetings or for adding
emergency items to the agenda, a governmental body adding a nonemergency item to its agenda
must satisfy the general notice period of section 551.043 or section 551.044, as applicable,
regarding the subject of that item.
A governmental body’s determination that an emergency exists is subject to judicial review.
283
The
existence of an emergency depends on the facts in a particular case.
284
Under section 551.091, a commissioners court can hold an open or closed meeting, including by
telephone, “solely to deliberate about disaster or emergency conditions and related public safety
matters that require an immediate response.”
285
This provision is limited and only applicable when
the following two circumstances are present:
(1) [The county is one] for which the governor has issued an executive order or
proclamation declaring a state of disaster or a state of emergency; and
(2) . . . transportation to the meeting location is dangerous or difficult as a result of
the disaster or emergency.
286
A meeting held under this provision may be held without complying with the requirements of
chapter 551, including the requirement to provide notice.
287
However, to the extent practicable
under the circumstances, the commissioners court shall provide reasonable public notice of a
meeting held under section 551.091 and to allow members of the public and the media to observe
the meeting if it is an open meeting.
288
Though it may deliberate, the commissioners court may not
vote or take final action in the meeting.
289
The commissioners court is also required to prepare and
281
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.045(a-1).
282
Id. § 551.142(c), (d).
283
See River Rd. Neighborhood Ass’n, 720 S.W.2d at 557–58 (concluding that immediate need for action was
brought about by board’s decisions not to act at previous meetings and was not due to an emergency); Garcia v.
City of Kingsville, 641 S.W.2d 339, 341–42 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1982, no writ) (concluding that
dismissal of city manager was not a matter of urgent public necessity); see also Markowski v. City of Marlin,
940 S.W.2d 720, 724 (Tex. App.—Waco 1997, writ denied) (concluding that city’s receipt of lawsuit filed
against it by fire captain and fire chief was emergency); Piazza v. City of Granger, 909 S.W.2d 529, 533 (Tex.
App.—Austin 1995, no writ) (concluding that notice stating city council’s “lack of confidence” in police officer
did not identify emergency).
284
Common Cause v. Metro. Transit Auth., 666 S.W.2d 610, 613 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1984, writ ref’d
n.r.e.); see generally Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0406 (2001) at 5–6.
285
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.091(b).
286
Id. § 551.091(a).
287
Id. § 551.091(b) .
288
Id. § 551.091(c).
289
Id. § 551.091(d)(1).
Notice Requirements
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
42
keep minutes or a recording of the meeting and make the minutes or recording available to the
public as soon as practicable.
290
H. Recess in a Meeting: Postponement in Case of a Catastrophe
Under section 551.0411, a governmental body that recesses an open meeting to the following
regular business day need not post notice of the continued meeting if the action is taken in good
faith and not to circumvent the Act. If a meeting continued to the following regular business day
is then continued to another day, the governmental body must give notice of the meeting’s
continuance to the other day.
291
Section 551.0411 also provides for a catastrophe that prevents the governmental body from
convening an open meeting that was properly posted under section 551.041. The governmental
body may convene in a convenient location within 72 hours pursuant to section 551.045 if the
action is taken in good faith and not to circumvent the Act. However, if the governmental body is
unable to convene the meeting within 72 hours, it may subsequently convene the meeting only if
it gives written notice of the meeting.
A “catastrophe” is defined as “a condition or occurrence that interferes physically with the ability
of a governmental body to conduct a meeting” including:
(1) fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or wind, rain or snow storm;
(2) power failure, transportation failure, or interruption of communication
facilities;
(3) epidemic; or
(4) riot, civil disturbance, enemy attack, or other actual or threatened act of
lawlessness or violence.
292
I. County Clerk May Charge a Fee for Posting Notice
A county clerk may charge a reasonable fee to a district or political subdivision to post an Open
Meetings Act notice.
293
290
Id. § 551.091(d)(2). Section 551.091 expires on September 1, 2027. See id. § 551.091(e).
291
See id. § 551.0411(a). Before section 551.0411 was adopted, the court in Rivera v. City of Laredo, held that a
meeting could not be continued to any day other than the immediately following day without reposting notice.
See Rivera v. City of Laredo, 948 S.W.2d 787, 793 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1997, writ denied).
292
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0411(c).
293
See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 118.011(c); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. GA-0152 (2004) at 3, M-496 (1969) at 3.
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
43
VIII. Open Meetings
A. Convening the Meeting
A meeting may not be convened unless a quorum of the governmental body is present in the
meeting room.
294
This requirement applies even if the governmental body plans to go into an
executive session, or closed meeting, immediately after convening.
295
The public is entitled to
know which members are present for the executive session and whether there is a quorum.
296
B. Location of the Meeting
The Act requires a meeting of a governmental body to be held in a location accessible to the
public.
297
It thus precludes a governmental body from meeting in an inaccessible location.
Recognizing that the question whether a specific location is accessible is a fact question, this office
recently opined that a court would unlikely conclude as a matter of law that the Act prohibits a
governmental body from holding a meeting held in a location that requires the presentation of
photo identification for admittance.
298
This office has also opined that the Board of Regents of a
state university system could not meet in Mexico, regardless of whether the board broadcast the
meeting by videoconferencing technology to areas in Texas where component institutions were
located.
299
Nor could an entity subject to the Act meet in an underwriter’s office in another state.
300
In addition, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a meeting room in which a public
meeting is held must be physically accessible to individuals with disabilities. See infra Part XII.C
of this Handbook.
C. Rights of the Public
A meeting that is “open to the public” under the Act is one that the public is permitted to attend.
301
Many governmental bodies conduct “public comment,” “public forum” or “open mike” sessions
at which members of the public may address comments on any subject to the governmental body.
302
A public comment session is a meeting as defined by section 551.001(4)(B) of the Government
294
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(2), (4) (defining “deliberation” and “meeting”); Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs.,
706 S.W.2d 956, 959 (Tex. 1986); but see TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.091(b) (authorizing commissioners courts in
certain disaster circumstances to hold a meeting without complying with chapter 551, “including the requirement
to . . . first convene in an open meeting”).
295
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.101; see Martinez v. State, 879 S.W.2d 54, 56 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994); Cox. Enters.,
Inc., 706 S.W.2d at 959.
296
Martinez, 879 S.W.2d at 56; Cox Enters., Inc., 706 S.W.2d at 959.
297
Other statutes may specify the location of a governmental body’s meeting. See TEX. WATER CODE § 49.062
(special purpose districts), TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE §§ 504.054, .055 (specifying alternative meeting locations
for a board of an economic development corporation organized under the Development Corporation Act, Title
12, subtitle C1, Local Government Code).
298
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. KP-0020 (2015) at 2 (acknowledging that a court would likely weigh the need for the
identification requirement as a security measure against the public’s right of access guaranteed under the Act).
299
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0487 (2002) at 7.
300
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0053 (1999) at 5–6.
301
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. M-220 (1968) at 5.
302
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0169 (2000) at 4.
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
44
Code because the members of the governmental body “receive information from . . . or receive
questions from [a] third person.”
303
Accordingly, the governmental body must give notice of a
public comment session.
Since 2019, section 551.007 has entitled members of the public to speak about items on the agenda
at meetings of certain governmental bodies.
304
Section 551.007 applies to governmental bodies
listed in subsections 551.001(3)(B)–(L), including most local governmental bodies and other
specified entities.
305
But section 551.007 excludes a governmental body listed in subsection
551.001(3)(A), which is “a board, commission, department, committee, or agency within the
executive or legislative branch of state government that is directed by one or more elected or
appointed officials.”
306
Section 551.007 provides that a governmental body to which the section
applies “shall allow each member of the public who desires to address the body regarding an item
on an agenda . . . to address the body regarding the item at the meeting before or during the body’s
consideration of the item.”
307
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit gave some meaning to the phrase “member
of the public” as it appears in section 551.007 of the Act.
308
Stratta was a member of the Brazos
Valley Groundwater Conservation District board of directors but attended a meeting of the board
as a member of the public and signed up to speak as such during the period reserved for public
comment on a matter not included on the agenda.
309
The District prohibited him from speaking on
the matter claiming that because he was a director he could not discuss subjects that were not on
the agenda even though the agenda included a public comment section on non-agenda items.
310
In addressing Stratta’s contention that he had a right to address the board of directors as a member
of the public during a period reserved for public comment on open agenda items, the court
recognized that the Act does not define “member of the public.”
311
Looking to its common
meaning, the court stated that “[w]hen ‘member of the public’ is used in conjunction with an
identified or identifiable group—as it is here with ‘governmental body’—its meaning is
contextually modified to mean a person who does not belong to the identified group.”
312
The court
determined that Stratta could not bypass the Act’s notice requirement by attending a meeting as a
member of the public.
313
Section 551.007 expressly authorizes a governmental body to adopt reasonable rules regarding the
public’s right to address the body, “including rules that limit the total amount of time that a member
303
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.001(4)(B)(iv); see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0169 (2000) at 3.
304
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.007; see Stratta v. Roe, 961 F.3d 340, 363 (5th Cir. 2020) (considering scope of the
term “member of the public”).
305
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.007(a); see also id. § 551.001(3)(B)–(L).
306
See id. §§ 551.007(a), .001(3)(A).
307
See id. § 551.007(b).
308
Stratta, 961 F.3d at 363.
309
Id. at 348–49.
310
Id. at 349.
311
See id. at 363.
312
Id. (quotation marks and citation omitted).
313
See id.
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
45
of the public may address the body on a given item.”
314
In setting such rules, a governmental body
may not unfairly discriminate among speakers for or against a particular point of view.
315
Additionally, section 551.007 provides that “a governmental body may not prohibit public
criticism of the governmental body, including criticism of any act, omission, policy, procedure,
program, or service,” except criticism otherwise prohibited by law.
316
Further, a governmental
body making a rule limiting the amount of time for a member to address the governmental body
and that does not use simultaneous translation equipment must give twice as much time to a person
who addresses the governmental body through a translator.
317
The Act does not entitle the public to choose the items to be placed on the agenda for discussion
at the meeting.
318
The Act permits a member of the public or a member of the governmental body
to raise a subject that has not been included in the notice for the meeting, but any discussion of the
subject must be limited to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a future meeting.
Section 551.042 of the Act provides for this procedure:
(a) If, at a meeting of a governmental body, a member of the public or of the
governmental body inquires about a subject for which notice has not been given
as required by this subchapter, the notice provisions of this subchapter do not
apply to:
(1) a statement of specific factual information given in response to the
inquiry; or
(2) a recitation of existing policy in response to the inquiry.
(b) Any deliberation of or decision about the subject of the inquiry shall be limited
to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting.
319
Another section of the Act permits members of the public to record open meetings with a recorder
or a video camera:
(a) A person in attendance may record all or any part of an open meeting of a
governmental body by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of
aural or visual reproduction.
(b) A governmental body may adopt reasonable rules to maintain order at a
meeting, including rules relating to:
314
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.007(c); see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. KP-0300 (2020) at 2.
315
Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-96-111 (1996) at 1.
316
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.007(e).
317
See id. § 551.007(d).
318
See generally Charlestown Homeowners Ass’n, Inc. v. LaCoke, 507 S.W.2d 876, 883 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1974,
writ ref’d n.r.e.) (stating that the Act “does not mean that all such meetings must be ‘open’ in the sense that
persons other than members are free to speak”).
319
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.042.
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
46
(1) the location of recording equipment; and
(2) the manner in which the recording is conducted.
(c) A rule adopted under Subsection (b) may not prevent or unreasonably impair a
person from exercising a right granted under Subsection (a).
320
D. Final Actions
Section 551.102 of the Act provides as follows:
A final action, decision, or vote on a matter deliberated in a closed meeting under
this chapter may only be made in an open meeting that is held in compliance with
the notice provisions of this chapter.
321
A governmental body’s final action, decision or vote on any matter within its jurisdiction may be
made only in an open session held in compliance with the notice requirements of the Act. The
governmental body may not vote in an open session by secret written ballot.
322
Furthermore, a
governmental body may not take action by written agreement without a meeting.
323
A city governing body may delegate to others the authority to make decisions affecting the
transaction of city business if it does so in a meeting by adopting a resolution or ordinance by
majority vote.
324
When six cities delegated to a consultant corporation the right to investigate and
pursue claims against a gas company, including the right to hire counsel for those purposes, the
attorney hired by the consultant could opt out of a class action on behalf of each city, and the cities
did not need to hold an open meeting to approve the attorney’s decision to opt out in another
instance.
325
When the city attorney had authority under the city charter to bring a lawsuit and did
not need city council approval to appeal, a discussion of the appeal by the city manager, a quorum
of council members and the city attorney did not involve a final action.
326
320
Id. § 551.023.
321
Id. § 551.102; see Rubalcaba v. Raymondville Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 13-14-00224-CV, 2016 WL 1274486, at *3
(Tex. App.—Corpus Christi, Mar. 31, 2016, no pet.) (mem. op.) (determining that “[w]hile a discussion may
have taken place in executive session which may have been in violation of the Act,” the fact that the vote occurred
in open session after the alleged violations meant that “the vote was not taken in violation” of the Act); Tex. State
Bd. of Pub. Accountancy v. Bass, 366 S.W.3d 751, 762 (Tex. App.—Austin 2012, no pet.) (“[T]he statute
contemplates that some deliberations may occur in executive session, but establishes that the final resolution of
the matter must occur in open session.”).
322
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-1163 (1978) at 2.
323
Webster v. Tex. & Pac. Motor Transp. Co., 166 S.W.2d 75, 77 (Tex. 1942); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. GA-0264
(2004) at 6–7, JM-120 (1983) at 4; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-95 (1992) at 5–6 (considering letter
concerning matter of governmental business or policy that was circulated and signed by individual members of
governmental body outside of open meeting).
324
City of San Benito v. Rio Grande Valley Gas Co., 109 S.W.3d 750, 757 (Tex. 2003) (quoting from Cent. Power
& Light Co. v. City of San Juan, 962 S.W.2d 602, 613 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1998, pet. dism’d w.o.j.)).
325
See id. at 758.
326
See City of San Antonio v. Aguilar, 670 S.W.2d 681, 685–86 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1984, no writ) (stating
that the decision to appeal was “an internal administrative decision and not within the purview of the Open
Meetings Act”); see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. MW-32 (1979) at 1–2 (concluding that procedure whereby
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
47
The fact that the State Board of Insurance discussed and approved a reduction in force at meetings
that violated the Act did not affect the validity of the reduction, where the commissioner of
insurance had independent authority to terminate employees.
327
The board’s superfluous approval
of the firings was irrelevant to their validity.
328
Similarly, the fact that the State Board of Public
Accountancy’s discussions in closed sessions, even if the closed sessions were improper under the
Act, touched on the accountants’ license revocations did not void the board’s order removing the
accountants’ licenses when the vote of revocation was taken in open session.
329
In the usual case, when the authority to make a decision or to take an action is vested in the
governmental body, the governmental body must act in an open session. In Toyah Independent
School District v. Pecos-Barstow Independent School District,
330
for example, the Toyah school
board sued to enjoin enforcement of an annexation order approved by the board of trustees of
Reeves County in a closed meeting.
331
The board of trustees of Reeves County had excluded all
members of the public from the meeting room before voting in favor of an order annexing the
Toyah district to a third school district.
332
The court determined that the board of trustees’ action
violated the Act and held that the order of annexation was ineffective.
333
The Toyah Independent
School District court thus developed the remedy of judicial invalidation of actions taken by a
governmental body in violation of the Act. This remedy is now codified in section 551.141 of the
Act. The voidability of a governmental body’s actions taken in violation of the Act is discussed in
Part XI.C of this Handbook.
Furthermore, the actual vote or decision on the ultimate issue confronting the governmental body
must be made in an open session.
334
In Board of Trustees v. Cox Enterprises, Inc.,
335
the court of
appeals held that a school board violated the statutory predecessor to section 551.102 when it
executive director notified board of his intention to request attorney general to bring lawsuit and board member
could request in writing that matter be placed on agenda of next meeting did not violate the Act).
327
Spiller v. Tex. Dep’t of Ins., 949 S.W.2d 548, 551 (Tex. App.—Austin 1997, writ denied); see also Swate v.
Medina Cmty. Hosp., 966 S.W.2d 693, 698 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1998, pet. denied) (concluding that hospital
board’s alleged violation of Act did not render termination void where hospital administrator had independent
power to hire and fire).
328
Spiller, 949 S.W.2d at 551.
329
Tex. State Bd. of Pub. Accountancy, 366 S.W.3d at 761–62 (“Thus, to establish that the Board’s orders violated
the Act, the accountants must establish that ‘the actual vote or decision’ to adopt the orders was not made in
open session.”) (footnote and citation omitted).
330
Toyah Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Pecos-Barstow Indep. Sch. Dist., 466 S.W.2d 377 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1971, no
writ).
331
Id. at 377.
332
Id. at 378 n.1.
333
Id. at 380; see also City of Stephenville v. Tex. Parks & Wildlife Dep’t, 940 S.W.2d 667, 674–75 (Tex. App.—
Austin 1996, writ denied) (noting that Water Commission’s decision to hear some complaints raised on motion
for rehearing and to exclude others should have been taken in open session held in compliance with Act); Gulf
Reg’l Educ. Television Affiliates v. Univ. of Houston, 746 S.W.2d 803, 809 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.]
1988, writ denied) (concluding that governmental body’s decision to hire attorney to bring lawsuit was invalid
because it was not made in open meeting); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-1198 (1978) at 2 (concluding that Act
does not permit governmental body to enter into agreement and authorize expenditure of funds in closed session).
334
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.102; see also Nash v. Civil Serv. Comm’n, 864 S.W.2d 163, 166 (Tex. App.—Tyler
1993, no writ).
335
Bd. of Trs. v. Cox Enters., Inc., 679 S.W.2d 86, 90 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 1984), aff’d in part, rev’d in part on
other grounds, 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986).
Open Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
48
selected a board member to serve as board president. In an executive session, the board took a
written vote on which of two board members would serve as president, and the winner of the vote
was announced. The board then returned to the open session and voted unanimously for the
individual who won the vote in the executive session.
336
Although the board argued that the written
vote in the executive session was “simply a straw vote” that did not violate the Act, the court of
appeals found that “there is sufficient evidence to support the trial court’s conclusion that the actual
resolution of the issue was made in the executive session contrary to the provisions of” the statutory
predecessor to section 551.102.
337
Thus, as Cox Enterprises makes clear, a governmental body
should not take a “straw vote” or otherwise attempt to count votes in an executive session.
On the other hand, members of a governmental body deliberating in a permissible executive
session may express their opinions or indicate how they will vote in the open session. The court in
Cox Enterprises stated that “[a] contrary holding would debilitate the role of the deliberations
which are permitted in the executive sessions and would unreasonably limit the rights of
expression and advocacy.”
338
In certain circumstances, a governmental body may make a “decision” or take an “action” in an
executive session that will not be considered a “final action, decision, or vote” that must be taken
in an open session. The court in Cox Enterprises held that the school board did not take a “final
action” when it discussed making public the names and qualifications of the candidates for
superintendent or when it discussed selling surplus property and instructed the administration to
solicit bids. The court concluded that the board was simply announcing that the law would be
followed rather than taking any action in deciding to make public the names and qualifications of
the candidates. The court also noted that further action would be required before the board could
decide to sell the surplus property; therefore, the instruction to solicit bids was not a “final
action.”
339
336
Id. at 90.
337
Id.
338
Id. at 89 (footnote omitted); see also Nash, 864 S.W.2d at 166 (stating that Act does not prohibit board from
reaching tentative conclusion in executive session and announcing it in open session where members have
opportunity to comment and cast dissenting vote); City of Dallas v. Parker, 737 S.W.2d 845, 850 (Tex. App.—
Dallas 1987, no writ) (holding that proceedings complied with Act when “conditional” vote was taken during
recess, result was announced in open session, and vote of each member was apparent).
339
Bd. of Trs., 679 S.W.2d at 89–90.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
49
IX. Closed Meetings
A. Overview of Subchapter D of the Open Meetings Act
The Act provides certain narrowly drawn exceptions to the requirement that meetings of a
governmental body be open to the public.
340
These exceptions are found in sections 551.071
through 551.090 and are discussed in detail in Part B of this section of the Handbook.
Section 551.101 states the requirements for holding a closed meeting. It provides:
If a closed meeting is allowed under this chapter, a governmental body may not
conduct the closed meeting unless a quorum of the governmental body first
convenes in an open meeting for which notice has been given as provided by this
chapter and during which the presiding officer publicly:
(1) announces that a closed meeting will be held, and
(2) identifies the section or sections of this chapter under which the closed
meeting is held.
341
Thus, a quorum of the governmental body must be assembled in the meeting room, the meeting
must be convened as an open meeting pursuant to proper notice, and the presiding officer must
announce that a closed session will be held and must identify the sections of the Act authorizing
the closed session.
342
There are several purposes for requiring the presiding officer to identify the
section or sections that authorize the closed session: to cause the governmental body to assess the
applicability of the exceptions before deciding to close the meeting; to fix the governmental body’s
legal position as relying upon the exceptions specified; and to inform those present of the
exceptions, thereby giving them an opportunity to object intelligently.
343
Judging the sufficiency
of the presiding officer’s announcement in light of whether it effectuated or hindered these
purposes, the court of appeals in Lone Star Greyhound Park, Inc. v. Texas Racing Commission
determined that the presiding officer’s reference to the content of a section, rather than to the
section number, sufficiently identified the exception.
344
340
TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 551.071–.091; see also Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956, 958 (Tex. 1986)
(noting the narrowly drawn exceptions).
341
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.101.
342
Martinez v. State, 879 S.W.2d 54, 56 n.5 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994).
343
Lone Star Greyhound Park, Inc. v. Tex. Racing Comm’n, 863 S.W.2d 742, 747 (Tex. App.—Austin 1993, writ
denied); see also Standley v. Sansom, 367 S.W.3d 343, 355 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012, pet. denied) (using
the four purposes outlined in Lone Star to determine sufficiency of challenged notice for executive session).
344
Lone Star Greyhound Park, Inc., 863 S.W.2d at 748.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
50
B. Provisions Authorizing Deliberations in Closed Meeting
1. Section 551.071. Consultations with Attorney
Section 551.071 authorizes a governmental body to consult with its attorney in an executive
session to seek his or her advice on legal matters. It provides as follows:
A governmental body may not conduct a private consultation with its attorney
except:
(1) when the governmental body seeks the advice of its attorney about:
(A) pending or contemplated litigation; or
(B) a settlement offer; or
(2) on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body
under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State
Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with this chapter.
345
This provision implements the attorney-client privilege, an attorney’s duty to preserve the
confidences of a client.
346
It allows a governmental body to meet in executive session with its
attorney when it seeks the attorney’s advice with respect to pending or contemplated litigation or
settlement offers,
347
including pending or contemplated administrative proceedings governed by
the Administrative Procedure Act.
In addition, subsection 551.071(2) of the Government Code permits a governmental body to
consult in an executive session with its attorney “on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to
the governmental body under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State
Bar of Texas clearly conflicts” with the Act.
348
Thus, a governmental body may hold an executive
session to seek or receive its attorney’s advice on legal matters that are not related to litigation or
the settlement of litigation.
349
A governmental body may not invoke section 551.071 to convene a
closed session and then discuss matters outside of that provision.
350
“General discussion of policy,
unrelated to legal matters is not permitted under the language of [this exception] merely because
345
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.071.
346
Tex. State Bd. of Pub. Accountancy, 366 S.W.3d at 759; see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0506 (2002) at 4, JC-
0233 (2000) at 3, H-816 (1976) at 4, M-1261 (1972) at 9–10.
347
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.071(1); Lone Star Greyhound Park Inc., 863 S.W.2d at 748.
348
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.071(2).
349
Cf. Weatherford v. City of San Marcos, 157 S.W.3d 473, 486 (Tex. App.—Austin 2004, pet. denied) (concluding
that city council did not violate Act when it went into executive session to seek attorney’s advice about land use
provision); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0233 (2000) at 3, JM-100 (1983) at 2.
350
Gardner v. Herring, 21 S.W.3d 767, 776 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2000, no pet.); but see In re City of Galveston,
No. 14-14-01005-CV, 2015 WL 971314, at *5–6 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] Mar. 3, 2015, orig.
proceeding) (mem. op.) (acknowledging that the Act does not mandate a “rigid stricture of direct legal question
. . . followed by a direct legal answer” and that the “conveyance of factual information or the expression of
opinion or intent by a member of the governmental body may be appropriate in a closed meeting . . . if the
purpose of such statement is to facilitate the rendition of legal advice by the government’s attorney”).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
51
an attorney is present.”
351
A governmental body may, for example, consult with its attorney in
executive session about the legal issues raised in connection with awarding a contract, but it may
not discuss the merits of a proposed contract, financial considerations, or other nonlegal matters
in an executive session held under section 551.071 of the Government Code.
352
The attorney-client privilege can be waived by communicating privileged matters in the presence
of persons who are not within the privilege.
353
Two governmental bodies waived this privilege by
meeting together for discussions intended to avoid litigation between them, each party consulting
with its attorney in the presence of the other, “the party from whom it would normally conceal its
intentions and strategy.”
354
An executive session under section 551.071 is not allowed for such
discussions. A governmental body may, however, admit to a session closed under this exception
its agents or representatives, where those persons’ interest in litigation is aligned with that of the
governmental body and their presence is necessary for full communication between the
governmental body and its attorney.
355
This exception is an affirmative defense on which the governmental body bears the burden of
proof.
356
2. Section 551.072. Deliberations about Real Property
Section 551.072 authorizes a governmental body to deliberate in executive session on certain
matters concerning real property. It provides as follows:
A governmental body may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate the purchase,
exchange, lease, or value of real property if deliberation in an open meeting would
have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in negotiations
with a third person.
357
Section 551.072 permits an executive session only where public discussion of the subject would
have a detrimental effect on the governmental body’s negotiating position with respect to a third
party.
358
Where a court found that open discussion would not be detrimental to a city’s negotiations,
a closed session under this provision was not permitted.
359
It does not allow a governmental body
351
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-100 (1983) at 2; see Finlan v. City of Dallas, 888 F. Supp. 779, 782 n.9 (N.D. Tex.
1995); Tex. Att’y Gen. No. JC-0233 (2000) at 3.
352
Olympic Waste Servs. v. City of Grand-Saline, 204 S.W.3d 496, 503–04 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2006, no pet.) (citing
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0233 (2000) at 3).
353
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JC-0506 (2002) at 6, JM-100 (1983) at 2.
354
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. MW-417 (1981) at 2–3; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-1004 (1989) at 4
(concluding that school board member who has sued other board members may be excluded from executive
session held to discuss litigation).
355
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0506 (2002) at 6; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-238 (1984) at 5.
356
See Killam Ranch Props., Ltd. v. Webb Cnty., 376 S.W.3d 146, 157 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012, pet. denied);
City of Farmers Branch v. Ramos, 235 S.W.3d 462, 466 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2007, no pet.); Olympic Waste
Servs., 204 S.W.3d at 504.
357
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.072.
358
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. MW-417 (1981) at 2 (construing statutory predecessor to Government Code section
551.072).
359
See City of Laredo v. Escamilla, 219 S.W.3d 14, 21 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2006, pet. denied).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
52
to “cut a deal in private, devoid of public input or debate.”
360
A governmental body’s discussion
of nonmonetary attributes of property to be purchased that relate to the property’s value may fall
within this exception if deliberating in open session would detrimentally affect subsequent
negotiations.
361
3. Section 551.0725. Deliberations by Certain Commissioners Courts about Contract
Being Negotiated
Section 551.0725 provides as follows:
(a) The commissioners court of a county may conduct a closed meeting to
deliberate business and financial issues relating to a contract being negotiated
if, before conducting the closed meeting:
(1) the commissioners court votes unanimously that deliberation in an open
meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the
commissioners court in negotiations with a third person; and
(2) the attorney advising the commissioners court issues a written
determination that deliberation in an open meeting would have a
detrimental effect on the position of the commissioners court in
negotiations with a third person.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 551.103(a), Government Code, the commissioners
court must make a recording of the proceedings of a closed meeting to
deliberate the information.
Section 551.103(a) provides that a governmental body shall either keep a certified agenda or make
a recording of the proceedings of each closed meeting, except for a private consultation with its
attorney permitted by section 551.071.
4. Section 551.0726. Texas Facilities Commission: Deliberation Regarding Contract
Being Negotiated
This section, which provides as follows, is very similar to section 551.0725:
(a) The Texas Facilities Commission may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate
business and financial issues relating to a contract being negotiated if, before
conducting the closed meeting:
(1) the commission votes unanimously that deliberation in an open meeting
would have a detrimental effect on the position of the state in
negotiations with a third person; and
360
Finlan, 888 F. Supp. at 787.
361
Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. Austin Indep. Sch. Dist., 973 S.W.2d 378, 382 (Tex. App.—Austin 1998, no pet.).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
53
(2) the attorney advising the commission issues a written determination
finding that deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental
effect on the position of the state in negotiations with a third person and
setting forth that finding therein.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 551.103(a), the commission must make a recording of
the proceedings of a closed meeting held under this section.
362
5. Section 551.073. Deliberation Regarding Prospective Gifts
Section 551.073 provides as follows:
A governmental body may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate a negotiated
contract for a prospective gift or donation to the state or the governmental body if
deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of
the governmental body in negotiations with a third person.
363
Before the Act was codified as Government Code chapter 551 in 1993, a single provision
encompassed the present sections 551.073 and 551.072.
364
The authorities construing the statutory
predecessor to section 551.072 may be relevant to section 551.073.
365
6. Section 551.074. Personnel Matters
Section 551.074 authorizes certain deliberations about officers and employees of the governmental
body to be held in executive session:
(a) This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting:
(1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment,
duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; or
(2) to hear a complaint or a charge against an officer or employee.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if the officer or employee who is the subject of
the deliberation or hearing requests a public hearing.
366
This section permits executive session deliberations concerning an individual officer or
employee.
367
Deliberations about a class of employees, however, must be held in an open
362
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0726.
363
Id. § 551.073.
364
See Act of Mar. 28, 1973, 63d Leg., R.S., ch. 31, § 2, 1973 Tex. Gen. Laws 45, 46 (former article 6252-17, § 2(f),
Revised Civil Statutes).
365
See, e.g., Dallas Cnty. Flood Control Dist. No. 1 v. Cross, 815 S.W.2d 271, 282–83 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1991,
writ denied).
366
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.074.
367
A federal court has said that this provision is not restricted “only to actions affecting a current employee.”
Hispanic Educ. Comm. v. Houston Indep. Sch. Dist., 886 F. Supp. 606, 611 (S.D. Tex. 1994), aff’d, 68 F.3d 467
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
54
session.
368
For example, when a governmental body discusses salary scales without referring to a
specific employee, it must meet in open session.
369
The closed meetings authorized by section
551.074 may deal only with officers and employees of a governmental body; closed deliberations
about the selection of an independent contractor are not authorized.
370
Section 551.074 authorizes the public officer or employee under consideration to request a public
hearing.
371
In Bowen v. Calallen Independent School District,
372
a teacher requested a public
hearing concerning nonrenewal of his contract but did not object when the school board moved to
go into executive session. The court concluded that the school board did not violate the Act.
373
Similarly, in James v. Hitchcock Independent School District,
374
a school librarian requested an
open meeting on the school district’s unilateral modification of her contract. The court stated that
refusal of the request for a hearing before the school board “is permissible only where the teacher
does not object to its denial.”
375
However, silence may not be deemed a waiver if the employee
has no opportunity to object.
376
When a board heard the employee’s complaint, moved onto other
topics, and then convened an executive session to discuss the employee after he left, the court
found that the employee had not had an opportunity to object.
377
7. Section 551.0745. Deliberations by Commissioners Court about County Advisory
Body
Attorney General Opinion DM-149 (1992) concluded that members of an advisory committee are
not public officers or employees within section 551.074 of the Government Code, authorizing
executive session deliberations about certain personnel matters. Section 551.0745 now provides
that a commissioners court of a county is not required to deliberate in an open meeting about the
“appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a member
of an advisory body; or . . . to hear a complaint or charge against a member of an advisory body.”
378
However, this provision does not apply if the person who is the subject of the deliberation requests
a public hearing.
379
(5th Cir. 1995); but see Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-88-52 (1988) at 3 (stating that the exception “applies only to public
employees and officers, not to applicants for public employment or office”).
368
Gardner, 21 S.W.3d at 777; Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-496 (1975) (construing predecessor to Government Code
section 551.074).
369
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-496 (1975).
370
Swate v. Medina Cmty. Hosp., 966 S.W.2d 693, 699 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1998, pet. denied); Bd. of Trs. v.
Cox Enters., Inc., 679 S.W.2d 86, 90 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 1984), aff’d in part, rev’d in part on other grounds,
706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986); Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. MW-129 (1980) at 1–2.
371
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.074(b); see City of Dallas, 737 S.W.2d at 848; Corpus Christi Classroom Tchrs. Ass’n
v. Corpus Christi Indep. Sch. Dist., 535 S.W.2d 429, 430 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1976, no writ).
372
Bowen v. Calallen Indep. Sch. Dist., 603 S.W.2d 229 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1980, writ ref’d n.r.e.).
373
Id. at 236; accord Thompson v. City of Austin, 979 S.W.2d 676, 685 (Tex. App.—Austin 1998, no pet.).
374
James v. Hitchcock Indep. Sch. Dist., 742 S.W.2d 701 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1987, writ denied).
375
Id. at 707 (citing Bowen, 603 S.W.2d at 236).
376
Gardner, 21 S.W.3d at 775.
377
Id..
378
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0745.
379
See id.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
55
8. Section 551.075. Conference Relating to Investments and Potential Investments
Attended by Board of Trustees Growth Fund
Section 551.075 authorizes a closed meeting between the board of trustees of the Texas Growth
Fund and an employee of the Fund or a third party in certain circumstances.
380
9. Section 551.076. Deliberations Regarding Security Devices or Security Audits
Section 551.076 provides as follows:
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate:
(1) the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of security
personnel or devices; or
(2) a security audit.
381
10. Section 551.077. Agency Financed by Federal Government
Section 551.077 provides that chapter 551 does not require an agency financed entirely by federal
money to conduct an open meeting.
382
11. Section 551.078, .0785. Deliberations Involving Individuals’ Medical or Psychiatric
Records
These two provisions permit specified governmental bodies to discuss an individual’s medical or
psychiatric records in closed session. Section 551.078 is the narrower provision, applying to a
medical board or medical committee when discussing the records of an applicant for a disability
benefit from a public retirement system.
383
Section 551.0785 is much broader, allowing a
governmental body that administers a public insurance, health or retirement plan to hold a closed
session when discussing the records or information from the records of an individual applicant for
a benefit from the plan. The benefits appeals committee for a public self-funded health plan may
also meet in executive session for this purpose.
384
380
Id. § 551.075.
381
Id. § 551.076; see Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-93-105 (1993) at 3 (indicating a belief that “the applicability of 551.076
rests upon the definition of ‘security personnel’”).
382
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.077.
383
Id. § 551.078; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-340 (1995) at 2 (concluding that section 551.078 authorizes
board of trustees of a public retirement system to consider medical and psychiatric records in closed session).
384
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.0785.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
56
12. Sections 551.079–.0811. Exceptions Applicable to Specific Entities
Sections 551.079 through 551.0811 are set out below. The judicial decisions and attorney general
opinions construing the Act have had little to say about these provisions.
§ 551.079. Texas Department of Insurance
(a) The requirements of this chapter do not apply to a meeting of the
commissioner of insurance or the commissioner’s designee with the board
of directors of a guaranty association established under Chapter 2602,
Insurance Code, or Article 21.28–C or 21.28–D, Insurance Code, in the
discharge of the commissioner’s duties and responsibilities to regulate and
maintain the solvency of a person regulated by the Texas Department of
Insurance.
(b) The commissioner of insurance may deliberate and determine the
appropriate action to be taken concerning the solvency of a person regulated
by the Texas Department of Insurance in a closed meeting with persons in
one or more of the following categories:
(1) staff of the Texas Department of Insurance;
(2) a regulated person;
(3) representatives of a regulated person; or
(4) members of the board of directors of a guaranty association established
under Chapter 2602, Insurance Code, or Article 21.28–C or 21.28–D,
Insurance Code.
§ 551.080. Board of Pardons and Paroles
This chapter does not require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to conduct an open
meeting to interview or counsel an inmate of the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice.
§ 551.081. Credit Union Commission
This chapter does not require the Credit Union Commission to conduct an open
meeting to deliberate a matter made confidential by law.
§ 551.0811. The Finance Commission of Texas
This chapter does not require The Finance Commission of Texas to conduct an open
meeting to deliberate a matter made confidential by law.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
57
13. Sections 551.082, .0821, .083. Certain School Board Deliberations
Section 551.082 provides as follows:
(a) This chapter does not require a school board to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate in a case:
(1) involving discipline of a public school child; or
(2) in which a complaint or charge is brought against an employee of the
school district by another employee and the complaint or charge directly
results in a need for a hearing.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if an open hearing is requested in writing by a
parent or guardian of the child or by the employee against whom the complaint
or charge is brought.
385
A student who makes a written request for an open hearing on a disciplinary matter but does not
object to an executive session when announced, waives his or her right to an open hearing.
386
Section 551.0821 provides as follows:
(a) This chapter does not require a school board to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate a matter regarding a public school student if personally identifiable
information about the student will necessarily be revealed by the deliberation.
(b) Directory information about a public school student is considered to be
personally identifiable information about the student for purposes of Subsection
(a) only if a parent or guardian of the student, or the student if the student has
attained 18 years of age, has informed the school board, the school district, or a
school in the school district that the directory information should not be released
without prior consent. In this subsection, “directory information” has the
meaning assigned by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g), as amended.
(c) Subsection (a) does not apply if an open meeting about the matter is requested
in writing by a parent or guardian of the student or by the student if the student
has attained 18 years of age.
The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act provides for withholding federal funds
from an educational agency or institution with a policy or practice of releasing education records
385
Id. § 551.082.
386
United Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Gonzalez, 911 S.W.2d 118, 127 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1995, writ denied).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
58
or personally identifiable information.
387
Section 551.0821 enables school boards to deliberate in
closed session to avoid revealing personally identifiable information about a student.
Section 551.083 provides as follows:
This chapter does not require a school board operating under a consultation
agreement authorized by Section 13.901, Education Code [repealed in 1993], to
conduct an open meeting to deliberate the standards, guidelines, terms, or
conditions the board will follow, or instruct its representatives to follow, in a
consultation with a representative of an employee group.
388
14. Section 551.085. Deliberation by Governing Board of Certain Providers of Health
Care Services
Section 551.085 provides as follows:
(a) This chapter does not require the governing board of a municipal hospital,
municipal hospital authority, county hospital, county hospital authority, hospital
district created under general or special law, or nonprofit health maintenance
organization created under Section 534.101, Health and Safety Code,
389
to
conduct an open meeting to deliberate:
(1) pricing or financial planning information relating to a bid or negotiation
for the arrangement or provision of services or product lines to another
person if disclosure of the information would give advantage to
competitors of the hospital, hospital district, or nonprofit health
maintenance organization; or
(2) information relating to a proposed new service or product line of the
hospital, hospital district, or nonprofit health maintenance organization
before publicly announcing the service or product line.
(b) The governing board of a health maintenance organization created under
Section 281.0515, Health and Safety Code,
390
that is subject to this chapter is
not required to conduct an open meeting to deliberate information described by
Subsection (a).
391
387
20 U.S.C.A. § 1232g; see also Axtell v. Univ. of Tex., 69 S.W.3d 261, 267 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, no pet.)
(holding that student did not have cause of action under Tort Claims Act for release of his grades to radio station).
388
See Act of May 28, 1993, 73d Leg., R.S., ch. 347, § 8.33, 1993 Tex. Gen. Laws 1479, 1556. See Tex. Att’y Gen.
Op. No. H-651 (1975) at 3 (construing predecessor of Government Code section 551.083).
389
Section 534.101 of the Health and Safety Code authorizes community mental health and mental retardation
centers to create a limited purpose health maintenance organization. TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE §§ 534.101–
.124.
390
This provision authorizes certain hospital districts to establish HMOs.
391
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.085.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
59
15. Section 551.086. Certain Public Power Utilities: Competitive Matters
This section was adopted as part of an act relating to electric utility restructuring and is only briefly
summarized here.
392
Anyone wishing to know when and how it applies should read it in its
entirety.
393
It provides that certain public power utilities are not required to conduct an open
meeting to deliberate, vote or take final action on any competitive matter as defined by section
552.133 of the Government Code.
394
Section 552.133 defines “competitive matter” as “a utility-
related matter that is related to the public power utility’s competitive activity, including
commercial information and would, if disclosed, give advantage to competitors or prospective
competitors.”
395
The definition of “competitive matter” further provides that the term is reasonably
related to several categories of information specifically defined
396
and does not include other
specified categories of information.
397
“Public power utility” is defined as “an entity providing
electric or gas utility services” that is subject to the provisions of the Act.
398
Finally, this executive
session provision includes the following provision on notice:
For purposes of Section 551.041, the notice of the subject matter of an item that
may be considered as a competitive matter under this section is required to contain
no more than a general representation of the subject matter to be considered, such
that the competitive activity of the public power utility with respect to the issue in
question is not compromised or disclosed.
399
16. Section 551.087. Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
The provision reads as follows:
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting:
(1) to discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial information
that the governmental body has received from a business prospect that
the governmental body seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near
the territory of the governmental body and with which the governmental
body is conducting economic development negotiations; or
(2) to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business
prospect described by Subdivision (1).
400
392
See Act of May 27, 1999, 76th Leg., R.S., ch. 405, 1999 Tex. Gen. Laws 2543, 2543–2625.
393
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.086.
394
Id. § 551.086(c).
395
Id. § 552.133(a-1).
396
Id. § 552.133(a-1)(1)(A)–(F).
397
Id. § 552.133(a-1)(2)(A)–(O).
398
Id. § 551.086(b)(1).
399
Id. § 551.086(d).
400
Id. § 551.087.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
60
17. Section 551.088. Deliberation Regarding Test Item
This provision states as follows:
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate a test item or information related to a test item if the governmental body
believes that the test item may be included in a test the governmental body
administers to individuals who seek to obtain or renew a license or certificate that
is necessary to engage in an activity.
401
An executive session may be held only when expressly authorized by law. Thus, before section
551.088 was adopted, the Act did not permit a governmental body to meet in executive session to
discuss the contents of a licensing examination.
402
18. Section 551.089. Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security Audits; Closed
Meeting
Section 551.089 provides as follows:
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate:
(1) security assessments or deployments relating to information resources
technology;
(2) network security information as described by Section 2059.055(b); or
(3) the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of security
personnel, critical infrastructure, or security devices.
403
19. Section 551.090. Enforcement Committee Appointed by Texas State Board of Public
Accountancy
Section 551.090 provides that an enforcement committee appointed by the State Board of Public
Accountancy is not required to conduct an open meeting to investigate and deliberate a disciplinary
action under Subchapter K, Chapter 901, Occupations Code, relating to the enforcement of Chapter
901 or the rules of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
404
401
Id. § 551.088.
402
See Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-96-058 (1996) at 2.
403
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.089. Chapter 2059 of the Government Code relates to the “Texas Computer Network
Security System.” Id. §§ 2059.001–.153.
404
Id. § 551.090; see also TEX. OCC. CODE §§ 901.501–.511 (subchapter K entitled “Prohibited Practices and
Disciplinary Procedures”).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
61
20. Section 551.091. Commissioners Courts: Deliberation Regarding Disaster or
Emergency
Section 551.091 provides that a commissioners court in a county “for which the governor has
issued an executive order or proclamation declaring a state of disaster or a state of emergency” and
“in which transportation to the meeting location is dangerous or difficult as a result of the disaster
or emergency” may hold a closed meeting to deliberate about disaster or emergency conditions
“without complying” with the Act, including the requirement to first convene the meeting in an
open meeting.
405
C. Closed Meetings Authorized by Other Statutes
Some state agencies are authorized by their governing law to hold closed meetings in addition to
those authorized by the Act.
406
Chapter 418 of the Government Code, the Texas Disaster Act, which
relates to managing emergencies and disasters, including those caused by terroristic acts, provides
in section 418.183(f):
A governmental body subject to Chapter 551 is not required to conduct an open
meeting to deliberate information to which this section applies. Notwithstanding
Section 551.103(a), the governmental body must make a tape recording of the
proceedings of a closed meeting to deliberate the information.
407
Section 418.183 states that “[t]his section applies only to information that is confidential under”
specific sections of chapter 418.
408
Similarly, the Texas Oyster Council is subject to the Act but is “not required to conduct an open
meeting to deliberate confidential communications and records . . . relating to the investigation of
a food-borne illness that is suspected of being related to molluscan shellfish.”
409
And though an
appraisal review board is generally required to conduct protest hearings in the open, it is authorized
to conduct a closed hearing if the hearing involves disclosure or proprietary or confidential
information.
410
D. No Implied Authority for Closed Meetings
Older attorney general opinions have stated that a governmental body could deliberate in a closed
session about confidential information, even though no provision of the Act authorizing a closed
405
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.091(a)–(b). Section 551.091 expires on September 1, 2027. See id. § 551.091(e).
406
See, e.g., TEX. FAM. CODE § 264.005(g) (County Child Welfare Boards); TEX. LAB. CODE § 401.021(3) (certain
proceedings of Workers’ Compensation Commission); TEX. OCC. CODE § 152.009(c) (Board of Medical
Examiners; deliberation about license applications and disciplinary actions).
407
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 418.183(f).
408
Id. § 418.183(a).
409
TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE § 436.108(f); see also TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 161.172(b) (excluding county
ethics commissions in certain counties from operation of parts of chapter 551).
410
TEX. TAX CODE § 41.66(d-1).
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
62
session applied to the deliberations.
411
These opinions reasoned that information made confidential
by statute was not within the Act’s prohibition against privately discussing “public business or
public policy,” or that the board members could deliberate on information in a closed session if an
open meeting would result in violation of a confidentiality provision.
412
However, Attorney General Opinion MW-578 (1982) held that the Texas Employment
Commission had no authority to review unemployment benefit cases in closed session, even
though in some of the cases very personal information was disclosed about claimants and
employers. Reasoning that the Act states that closed meetings may be held only where specifically
authorized, the opinion concluded that there was no basis to read into it implied authority for closed
meetings.
413
It disapproved the language in earlier opinions that suggests otherwise, but stated that
the commission could protect privacy rights by avoiding discussion of private information.
414
Thus, the disapproved opinions should no longer be relied on as a source of authority for a closed
session.
E. Who May Attend a Closed Meeting
Only the members of a governmental body have a right to attend an executive session,
415
except
that the governmental body’s attorney must be present when it meets under section 551.071. A
governmental body has discretion to include in an executive session any of its officers and
employees whose participation is necessary to the matter under consideration.
416
Thus, a school
board could require its superintendent of schools to attend all executive sessions of the board
without violating the Act.
417
Given the board’s responsibility to oversee the district’s management
and the superintendent’s administrative responsibility and leadership of the district, the board could
reasonably conclude that the superintendent’s presence was necessary at executive sessions.
418
A commissioners court may include the county auditor in a meeting closed under section 551.071
to consult with its attorney if the court determines that (1) the auditor’s interests are not adverse to
the county’s; (2) the auditor’s presence is necessary for the court to communicate with its attorney;
411
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. H-1154 (1978) at 3 (concluding that county child welfare board may meet in executive
session to discuss case files made confidential by statute), H-780 (1976) at 3 (concluding that Medical Advisory
Board must meet in closed session to consider confidential reports about medical condition of applicants for a
driver’s license), H-484 (1974) at 3 (concluding that licensing board may discuss confidential information from
applicant’s file and may prepare examination questions in closed session), H-223 (1974) at 5 (concluding that
administrative hearings in comptroller’s office concerning confidential tax information may be closed).
412
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-484 (1974) at 2.
413
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. MW-578 (1982) at 4.
414
Id.
415
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JM-6 (1983) at 1–2 (stating that only members of the governmental body have the
right to convene in executive session), KP-0006 (2015) at 2.
416
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0375 (2001) at 2; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0277 (2004) at 3 (concluding
that commissioners court may allow the county clerk to attend its executive sessions), KP-0006 (2015) at 2
(concluding that a representative of a municipality may attend an executive session of a housing authority if the
governing body of the housing authority determines the municipal representative’s participation is necessary to
the matter to be discussed).
417
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0375 (2001) at 2.
418
Id.
Closed Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
63
and (3) the county auditor’s presence will not waive the attorney-client privilege.
419
If the meeting
is closed under an executive session provision other than section 551.071, the commissioners court
may include the county auditor if the auditor’s interests are not adverse to the county and his or
her participation is necessary to the discussion.
420
A governmental body must not admit to an executive session a person whose presence is contrary
to the governmental interest protected by the provision authorizing the session. A person who
wishes to sell real estate to a city may not attend an executive session under section 551.072, a
provision designed to protect the city’s bargaining position in negotiations with a third party.
421
Nor may a governmental body admit the opposing party in litigation to an executive session under
section 551.071.
422
A governmental body has no authority to admit members of the public to a
meeting closed under section 551.074 to give input about the public officer or employee being
considered at the meeting.
423
419
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0506 (2002) at 6; see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-238 (1984) at 5 (concluding that
county officers and employees may attend closed session of county commissioners court to discuss litigation
against sheriff and commissioners court about county jail conditions).
420
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0506 (2002) at 6.
421
Finlan v. City of Dallas, 888 F. Supp. 779, 787 (N.D. Tex. 1995).
422
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JM-1004 (1989) at 4 (concluding that school board member who has sued other
board members may be excluded from executive session held to discuss litigation), MW-417 (1981) at 2–3
(concluding that provision authorizing governmental body to consult with attorney in executive session about
contemplated litigation does not apply to joint meeting between the governmental bodies to avoid lawsuit
between them).
423
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0511 (2007) at 6.
Records of Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
64
X. Records of Meetings
A. Minutes or Recordings of Open Meeting
Section 551.021 of the Government Code provides as follows:
(a) A governmental body shall prepare and keep minutes or make a recording of
each open meeting of the body.
(b) The minutes must:
(1) state the subject of each deliberation; and
(2) indicate each vote, order, decision, or other action taken.
424
Section 551.022 of the Government Code provides:
The minutes and recordings of an open meeting are public records and shall be
available for public inspection and copying on request to the governmental body’s
chief administrative officer or the officer’s designee.
425
If minutes are kept instead of a recording, the minutes should record every action taken by the
governmental body.
426
If open sessions of a commissioners court meeting are recorded, the
recordings are available to the public under the Public Information Act.
427
(For a discussion of
record retention laws, refer to Part XII.F of this Handbook).
B. Special Recording Requirements
Section 551.1283 requires special purpose districts subject to chapters 51, 53, 54, or 55 of the
Water Code with populations of 500 or more to post the minutes of a meeting held to consider the
adoption of an ad valorem tax rate on the district’s internet website if it has one.
428
Such districts
are also required to make an audio recording of the public hearing on written request of a resident
424
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.021; see also Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0727 (2009) at 2 (opining that Texas State
Library and Archives Commission rule requiring written minutes of every open meeting of a state agency is
likely invalid as inconsistent with section 551.021(a), which authorizes a governmental body to make a recording
of an open meeting).
425
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.022; see York v. Tex. Guaranteed Student Loan Corp., 408 S.W.3d 677, 688 (Tex.
App.—Austin 2013, no pet.) (concluding that exceptions in the Public Information Act do not operate to prevent
public disclosure of minutes requested under section 551.022).
426
See York, 408 S.W.3d at 687 (defining “minutes” to refer “to the record or notes of a meeting or proceeding,
whatever they may contain”).
427
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-1143 (1990) at 2–3 (concluding that tape recording of open session of
commissioners court meeting is subject to Open Records Act); see Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-225 (1979) at 3
(concluding that handwritten notes of open meetings made by secretary of governmental body are subject to
disclosure under Open Records Act); ORD-32 (1974) at 2 (concluding that audio tape recording of open meeting
of state licensing agency used as aid in preparation of accurate minutes is subject to disclosure under Open
Records Act).
428
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.1283(a)–(b).
Records of Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
65
and to provide the recording to the resident no later than five days after the hearing.
429
These
special districts must also post “links to any other Internet website or websites the district uses to
comply with Section 2051.202 of this code and Section 26.18, Tax Code.”
430
Section 551.091, which authorizes county commissioners courts in limited disaster circumstances
to hold an open or closed meeting without complying with the requirements of chapter 551, still
requires the commissioners court prepare and keep minutes or a recording of the meeting and make
the minutes or recording available to the public as soon as practicable.
431
C. Certified Agenda or Recording of Closed Meeting
A governmental body must make and keep either a certified agenda or a recording of each
executive session, except for an executive session held by the governmental body to consult with
its attorney in accordance with section 551.071 of the Government Code.
432
If a certified agenda
is kept, the presiding officer must certify that the agenda is a true and correct record of the
executive session.
433
The certified agenda must include “(1) a statement of the subject matter of
each deliberation, (2) a record of any further action taken, and (3) an announcement by the
presiding officer at the beginning and the end of the closed meeting indicating the date and
time.”
434
While the agenda does not have to be a verbatim transcript of the meeting, it must at least
provide a brief summary of each deliberation.
435
Whether a particular agenda satisfies the Act is a
question of fact that must be addressed by the courts. Attorney General Opinion JM-840 (1988)
cautioned governmental bodies to consider providing greater detail in the agenda with regard to
topics not authorized for consideration in executive session or to avoid the uncertainty concerning
the requisite detail required in an agenda by recording executive sessions.
436
Any member of a
governmental body participating in a closed session knowing that an agenda or recording is not
being made commits a Class C misdemeanor.
437
The certified agenda or recording of an executive session must be kept a minimum of two years
after the date of the session.
438
If during that time a lawsuit that concerns the meeting is brought,
429
See id. § 551.1283(b).
430
Id. § 551.1283(d). Section 2051.202 of the Government Code requires a district to post on its website, among
other things, the location and schedule of meetings, as well as meeting notices, minutes, and instructions for
requesting certain meeting locations. See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2051.202(d)(11), (13), (14). Generally, section
26.18 of the Tax Code requires taxing units to post information relating to their tax rate and budget information
on a website. See TEX. TAX CODE § 26.18.
431
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.091(d)(2).
432
Id. § 551.103(a); see Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-840 (1988) at 3 (discussing meaning of “certified agenda”);
but see TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 551.0725(b) (providing that notwithstanding section 551.103(a), the commissioners
court must make a recording of the proceedings of a closed meeting under this section), 551.0726(b)
(“[N]otwithstanding Section 551.103(a), the [Texas Facilities] Commission must make a recording of the
proceedings of a closed meeting held under this section.”).
433
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.103(b).
434
Id. § 551.103(c).
435
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-840 (1988) at 4–7.
436
Id. at 5–6 (referring to legislative history of section indicating that its primary purpose is to document fact that
governmental body did not discuss unauthorized topics in closed session).
437
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.145.
438
Id. § 551.104(a).
Records of Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
66
the agenda or recording of that meeting must be kept pending resolution of the lawsuit.
439
The
commissioners court, not the county clerk, is the proper custodian for the certified agenda or
recording of a closed meeting, but it may delegate that duty to the county clerk.
440
A certified agenda or recording of an executive session is confidential. A person who knowingly
and without lawful authority makes these records public commits a Class B misdemeanor and may
be held liable for actual damages, court costs, reasonable attorney fees and exemplary or punitive
damages.
441
Section 551.104 provides for court-ordered access to the certified agenda or recording
under specific circumstances:
(b) In litigation in a district court involving an alleged violation of this chapter, the
court:
(1) is entitled to make an in camera inspection of the certified agenda or
recording;
(2) may admit all or part of the certified agenda or recording as evidence,
on entry of a final judgment; and
(3) may grant legal or equitable relief it considers appropriate, including
an order that the governmental body make available to the public the
certified agenda or recording of any part of a meeting that was required
to be open under this chapter.
(c) the certified agenda or recording of a closed meeting is available for public
inspection and copying only under a court order issued under Subsection
(b)(3).
442
Section 551.104 authorizes a district court to admit all or part of the certified agenda or recording
of a closed session as evidence in an action alleging a violation of the Act, thus providing the only
means under state law whereby a certified agenda or recording of a closed session may be released
to the public.
443
The Office of the Attorney General has recognized that it lacks authority under the
Public Information Act
444
to review certified agendas or recordings of closed sessions for
compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
445
However, the confidentiality provision may be
preempted by federal law.
446
When the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission served a
439
Id.
440
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. GA-0277 (2004) at 3–4.
441
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.146.
442
Id. § 551.104.
443
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-995 (1988) at 5; In re Smith Cnty., 521 S.W.3d 447, 454 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2017,
no pet.) (stating that “it is clear that [section 551.104] applies to litigation before the recording of a closed meeting
is made available to the public[;] . . . . once the recordings of the closed meetings become readily available to
the public, section 551.104 no longer applies”).
444
TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 552.001–.376.
445
See Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-495 (1988) at 2, 4.
446
Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm’n v. City of Orange, Tex., 905 F. Supp. 381, 382 (E.D. Tex. 1995).
Records of Meetings
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
67
Texas city with an administrative subpoena for tapes of closed city council meetings, the Open
Meetings Act did not excuse compliance.
447
A member of the governmental body has a right to inspect the certified agenda or recording of a
closed meeting, even if he or she did not participate in the meeting.
448
This is not a release to the
public in violation of the confidentiality provisions of the Act, because a board member is not a
member of the public within that prohibition. The governmental body may adopt a procedure
permitting review of the certified agenda or recording but may not entirely prohibit a board
member from reviewing the record. The board member may not copy the recording or certified
agenda of a closed meeting, nor may a former member of a governmental body inspect these
records once he or she leaves office.
449
D. Additional Recording Requirements for Certain Districts
Section 551.1283 requires a special purpose district subject to chapter 51, 53, 54, or 55 of the
Water Code with a population of 500 or more to “make an audio recording of reasonable quality”
of a “public hearing to consider the adoption of an ad valorem tax rate” upon timely request of a
resident of the district.
450
The district must make the recording available to the resident not later
than the fifth business day after the date of the hearing and also maintain a copy of the recording
for at least one year.
451
447
Id.
448
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JC-0120 (1999) at 4, 5, 7 (overruling Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-227 (1993), in part).
449
Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-98-033 (1998) at 2–3; cf. Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. DM-227 (1993) at (2) (concluding that
the Act does not preclude a member of a governmental body from reviewing the certified agenda or tape
recording of a closed meeting in which the member had participated).
450
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.1283(b).
451
Id.
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
68
XI. Penalties and Remedies
A. Introduction
The Act provides civil remedies and criminal penalties for violations of its provisions. District
courts have original jurisdiction over criminal violations of the Act as misdemeanors involving
official misconduct.
452
As a general matter, the Act does not authorize the attorney general to
enforce its provisions.
453
However, a district attorney, criminal district attorney or county attorney
may request the attorney general’s assistance in prosecuting a criminal case, including one under
the Act.
454
B. Mandamus or Injunction
Section 551.142 of the Act provides as follows:
(a) An interested person, including a member of the news media, may bring an
action by mandamus or injunction to stop, prevent, or reverse a violation or
threatened violation of this chapter by members of a governmental body.
(b) The court may assess costs of litigation and reasonable attorney fees incurred
by a plaintiff or defendant who substantially prevails in an action under
Subsection (a). In exercising its discretion, the court shall consider whether the
action was brought in good faith and whether the conduct of the governmental
body had a reasonable basis in law.
455
Texas courts examining this provision have said that “[t]he Open Meetings Act expressly waives
sovereign immunity for violations of the [A]ct.”
456
The four-year limitations period in section
16.051 of the Civil Practices and Remedies Code applies to an action under this provision.
457
Generally, a writ of mandamus would be issued by a court to require a public official or other
person to perform duties imposed on him or her by law. A mandamus ordinarily commands a
person or entity to act, while an injunction restrains action.
458
The Act does not automatically
confer jurisdiction on the county court, but where the plaintiff’s money demand brings the amount
452
See State v. Williams, 780 S.W.2d 891, 892–93 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1989, no writ).
453
See State ex rel. Durden v. Shahan, 658 S.W.3d 300, 304 (Tex. 2022) (acknowledging the Legislature’s 2019
amendment to section 551.142 authorizing the attorney general to bring certain actions to enforce “one of [the
Act’s] provisions”).
454
See TEX. GOV’T CODE § 402.028(a).
455
Id. § 551.142; see also Burleson v. Collin Cnty. Cmty. Coll. Dist., No. 05-21-00088-CV, 2022 WL 17817965
(Tex. App.—Dallas Dec. 20, 2022) (noting the majority view of the Texas appellate courts is that the Act
“broadly confers standing on any person who shares an injury in common with the general public”); State ex rel.
Durden, 658 S.W.3d at 304 (concluding that “interested person” did not authorize a county attorney to file suit
for a violation of the Act suit on behalf of the state).
456
Hays Cnty. v. Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship, 69 S.W.3d 253, 257 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, no pet.); see Riley
v. Comm’rs Court, 413 S.W.3d 774, 776–77 (Tex. App.—Austin 2013, pet. denied).
457
Rivera v. City of Laredo, 948 S.W.2d 787, 793 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1997, writ denied).
458
Boston v. Garrison, 256 S.W.2d 67, 69 (Tex. 1953).
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
69
in controversy within the court’s monetary limits, the county court has authority to issue injunctive
and mandamus relief.
459
Absent such a pleading, jurisdiction in original mandamus and original
injunction proceedings lies in the district court.
460
Section 551.142(a) authorizes any interested person, including a member of the news media, to
bring a civil action seeking either a writ of mandamus or an injunction.
461
In keeping with the
purpose of the Act, standing under the Act is interpreted broadly.
462
Standing conferred by the Act
is broader than taxpayer standing, and a citizen does not need to prove an interest different from
the general public, “because ‘the interest protected by the Open Meetings Act is the interest of the
general public.’”
463
The phrase “any interested person” includes a government league,
464
an
environmental group,
465
the president of a local homeowners group,
466
a city challenging the
closure of a hospital by the county hospital district,
467
a town challenging annexation ordinances,
468
and a city manager regarding a meeting he attended.
469
A suspended police officer and a police
officers’ association were “interested persons” who could bring a suit alleging that the city council
had violated the Act in selecting a police chief.
470
Despite previous court opinions recognizing that an individual may bring a declaratory judgment
action pursuant to the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, chapter 37 of the Texas Civil Practice
and Remedies Code,
471
the Texas Supreme Court recently concluded that section 551.421’s waiver
of sovereign immunity includes only a mandamus or injunction.
472
Thus, a “declaration” that an
action is void is no longer a vehicle by which to challenge a governmental body’s action taken in
violation of the Act.
459
Martin v. Victoria Indep. Sch. Dist., 972 S.W.2d 815, 818 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1998, pet. denied).
460
Id.
461
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.142(a); see Cameron Cnty. Good Gov’t League v. Ramon, 619 S.W.2d 224, 230–31
(Tex. App.—Beaumont 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.).
462
See Burks v. Yarbrough, 157 S.W.3d 876, 880 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2005, no pet.); Hays Cnty.
Water Plan. P’ship v. Hays Cnty., 41 S.W.3d 174, 177 (Tex. App.—Austin 2003, no pet.).
463
See Hays Cnty. Plan. P’ship, 41 S.W.3d at 177–78 (quoting Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. Lowry, 934 S.W.2d
161, 163 (Tex. App.—Austin 1996, orig. proceeding [leave denied]).
464
See Cameron Cnty., 619 S.W.2d at 230.
465
See Save Our Springs All., Inc., 934 S.W.2d at 162–64.
466
Id.
467
Matagorda Cnty. Hosp. Dist. v. City of Palacios, 47 S.W.3d 96, 102 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2001, no pet.).
468
City of Port Isabel v. Pinnell, 161 S.W.3d 233, 241 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2005, no pet.).
469
City of Donna v. Ramirez, 548 S.W.3d 26, 34–35 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2017, pet. denied).
470
Rivera v. City of Laredo, 948 S.W.2d 787, 792 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1997, writ denied).
471
Bd. of Trs. v. Cox Enters., Inc., 679 S.W.2d 86, 88 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 1984), aff’d in part, rev’d in part on
other grounds, 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986) (recognizing news media’s right to bring declaratory judgment
action to determine if board violated the Act); see also City of Fort Worth v. Groves, 746 S.W.2d 907, 913 (Tex.
App.—Fort Worth 1988, no writ) (concluding that resident and taxpayer of city had standing to bring suit for
declaratory judgment and injunction against city for violation of the Act).
472
Town of Shady Shores v. Swanson, 590 S.W.3d 544, 554 (Tex. 2019) (holding that section 551.142 set the
boundaries of a governmental body’s immunity waiver to the express relief provided therein—to that of an
injunction or mandamus).
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
70
Section 551.142(b) authorizes a court to award reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs to the
party who substantially prevails in an action brought under the Act.
473
This relief, however, is
discretionary.
In one instance, the Act gives the attorney general specific enforcement authority. Section
551.142(c) authorizes the attorney general, in a district court in Travis County, to seek mandamus
or an injunction to stop, prevent, or reverse a violation or threatened violation of section 551.142(a-
1), a provision which limits a governmental body’s actions in an emergency meeting or one for
which an emergency supplemental notice is posted.
474
Depending on the nature of the violation, additional monetary damages may be assessed against a
governmental body that violated the Act. In Ferris v. Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners,
475
the appellate court awarded back pay and reinstatement to an executive director whom the board
had attempted to fire at two meetings convened in violation of the Act. Finally, at the third meeting
held to discuss the matter, the board lawfully fired the executive director. Back pay was awarded
for the period between the initial unlawful firing and the third meeting at which the director’s
employment was lawfully terminated.
476
Court costs or attorney fees as well as certain other monetary damages can also be assessed under
section 551.146, which relates to the confidentiality of the certified agenda. It provides that an
individual, corporation or partnership that knowingly and without lawful authority makes public
the certified agenda or recording of an executive session shall be liable for:
(1) actual damages, including damages for personal injury or damage, lost wages,
defamation, or mental or other emotional distress;
(2) reasonable attorney fees and court costs; and
(3) at the discretion of the trier of fact, exemplary damages.
477
C. Voidability of a Governmental Body’s Action in Violation of the Act;
Ratification of Actions
Section 551.141 provides that “[a]n action taken by a governmental body in violation of this
chapter is voidable.”
478
Before this section was adopted, Texas courts held as a matter of common
law that a governmental body’s actions that are in violation of the Act are subject to judicial
473
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.142(b); see Austin Transp. Study Pol’y Advisory Comm. v. Sierra Club, 843 S.W.2d
683, 690 (Tex. App.—Austin 1992, writ denied) (upholding award of attorney fees).
474
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.142(c).
475
Ferris v. Tex. Bd. of Chiropractic Exam’rs, 808 S.W.2d 514, 518–19 (Tex. App.—Austin 1991, writ denied).
476
Id. at 519 (awarding executive director attorney fees of $7,500).
477
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.146(a)(2).
478
Id. § 551.141.
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
71
invalidation.
479
Section 551.141 does not require a court to invalidate an action taken in violation
of the Act, and it may choose not to do so, given the facts of a specific case.
480
In Point Isabel Independent School District v. Hinojosa,
481
the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals
construed this provision to permit the judicial invalidation of only the specific action or actions
found to violate the Act. Prior to doing so, the court addressed the sufficiency of the notice for the
school board’s July 12, 1988, meeting. With regard to that issue, the court determined that the
description “personnel” in the notice was insufficient notice of the selection of three principals at
the meeting, a matter of special interest to the public, but was sufficient notice of the selection of
a librarian, an English teacher, an elementary school teacher, a band director and a part-time
counselor.
482
(For further discussion of required content of notice under the Act, see supra Part
VII.A of this Handbook.) The court in Point Isabel Independent School District then turned to the
question of whether the board’s invalid selection of the three principals tainted all hiring decisions
made at the meeting. The court felt that, given the reference in the statutory predecessor to section
551.141 to “an action taken” and not to “all actions taken,” this provision meant only that a specific
action or specific actions violating the Act were subject to judicial invalidation. Consequently, the
court refused the plaintiff’s request to invalidate all hiring decisions made at the meeting and held
void only the board’s selection of the three principals.
483
In City of Brownsville v. Brownsville GMS, the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals interpreted
sections 551.141 and 551.142 of the Act to address what remedies are permissible under the Act.
484
Brownsville GMS was a commercial and industrial waste service provider, which served the City
of Brownsville on a month-to-month basis.
485
Alleging that the City rejected a fully negotiated
long-term agreement with Brownsville GMS as a result of a discussion that violated the Act,
Brownsville GMS sought a temporary injunction from the trial court.
486
The injunction prevented
the City of Brownsville from terminating its contract with Brownsville GMS or executing or
performing a new contract with a third party for the same services.
487
But the City never actually
479
See Lower Colorado River Auth. v. City of San Marcos, 523 S.W.2d 641, 646 (Tex. 1975); Toyah Indep. Sch.
Dist. v. Pecos-Barstow Indep. Sch. Dist., 466 S.W.2d 377, 380 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1971, no writ); see
also Ferris, 808 S.W.2d at 517; Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-594 (1975) at 2 (noting that governmental body
cannot independently assert its prior action that governmental body failed to ratify is invalid when it is to
governmental body’s advantage to do so).
480
See Collin Cnty., Tex. v. Homeowners Ass’n for Values Essential to Neighborhoods, 716 F. Supp. 953, 960 n.12
(N.D. Tex. 1989) (declining to dismiss lawsuit that county authorized in violation of Act’s notice requirements
if county within thirty days of court’s opinion and order authorized lawsuit at meeting in compliance with the
Act); but see City of Bells v. Greater Texoma Util. Auth., 744 S.W.2d 636, 640 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1987, no
writ) (dismissing authority’s lawsuit initiated at meeting in violation of the Act’s notice requirements).
481
Point Isabel Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Hinojosa, 797 S.W.2d 176 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1990, writ denied).
482
Id. at 182.
483
Id. at 182–83; see also Hill v. Palestine Indep. Sch. Dist., 113 S.W.3d 14, 17 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2000, pet.
denied) (holding a deliberation that violated the Open Meetings Act did not render voidable a subsequent vote
held in compliance with the Act).
484
City of Brownsville v. Brownsville GMS, Ltd., No. 13-19-00311-CV, 2021 WL 1804388, at *8 (Tex. App.—
Corpus Christi-Edinburg May 6, 2021, no pet.).
485
Id. at *1.
486
Id.
487
Id. at *8.
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
72
did any of these things.
488
The Court of Appeals determined that the Act permits courts to void
only actions which were approved in violation of the Act.
489
Thus, the court could not restrain an
entity from engaging in an action which had not actually been approved in violation of the Act.
490
A governmental body cannot give retroactive effect to a prior action taken in violation of the Act
but may ratify the invalid act in a meeting held in compliance with the Act.
491
The ratification will
be effective only from the date of the meeting at which the valid action is taken.
492
In Ferris v. Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, the Austin Court of Appeals refused to give
retroactive effect to a decision to fire the executive director reached at a meeting of the board that
was held in compliance with the Act.
493
The board had attempted to fire the director at two previous
meetings that did not comply with the Act. The subsequent lawful termination did not cure the two
previous unlawful firings retroactively, and the court awarded back pay to the director for the
period between the initial unlawful firing and the final lawful termination.
494
Ratification of an action previously taken in violation of the Act must comply with all applicable
provisions of the Act.
495
In Porth v. Morgan, the Houston County Hospital Authority Board
attempted to reauthorize the appointment of an individual to the board but did not comply fully
with the Act.
496
The board had originally appointed the individual during a closed meeting,
violating the requirement that final action take place in an open meeting. The original appointment
also violated the notice requirement, because the posted notice did not include appointing a board
member as an item of business. At a subsequent open meeting, the board chose the individual as
its vice-chairman and, as such, a member of the board, but the notice did not say that the board
might appoint a new member or ratify its prior invalid appointment. Accordingly, the board’s
subsequent selection of the individual as vice-chairman did not ratify the board’s prior invalid
appointment.
D. Criminal Provisions
Certain violations of the Act’s requirements concerning certified agendas or recordings of
executive sessions are punishable as Class C or Class B misdemeanors. Section 551.145 provides
as follows:
488
Id.
489
Id.
490
Id.
491
Lower Colo River Auth., 523 S.W.2d at 646–47 (recognizing effectiveness of increase in electric rates only from
date reauthorized at lawful meeting); City of San Antonio v. River City Cabaret, Ltd., 32 S.W.3d 291, 293 (Tex.
App.—San Antonio 2000, pet. denied). Cf. Dallas Cnty. Flood Control v. Cross, 815 S.W.2d 271, 284 (Tex.
App.—Dallas 1991, writ denied) (holding ineffective district’s reauthorization at lawful meeting of easement
transaction initially authorized at unlawful meeting, because to do so, given the facts in that case, would give
retroactive effect to transaction).
492
River City Cabaret, Ltd., 32 S.W.3d at 293.
493
Ferris, 808 S.W.2d at 518–19.
494
Id.
495
See id. at 518 (“A governmental entity may ratify only what it could have lawfully authorized initially.”).
496
Porth v. Morgan, 622 S.W.2d 470, 473, 475–76 (Tex. App.—Tyler 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.).
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
73
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if the member
participates in a closed meeting of the governmental body knowing that a
certified agenda of the closed meeting is not being kept or that a recording of
the closed meeting is not being made.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class C misdemeanor.
497
Section 551.146 provides:
(a) An individual, corporation, or partnership that without lawful authority
knowingly discloses to a member of the public the certified agenda or recording
of a meeting that was lawfully closed to the public under this chapter:
(1) commits an offense; and
(2) is liable to a person injured or damaged by the disclosure for:
(A) actual damages, including damages for personal injury or damage,
lost wages, defamation, or mental or other emotional distress;
(B) reasonable attorney fees and court costs; and
(C) at the discretion of the trier of fact, exemplary damages.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a Class B misdemeanor.
(c) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(1) and an affirmative defense
to a civil action under Subsection (a)(2) that:
(1) the defendant had good reason to believe the disclosure was lawful; or
(2) the disclosure was the result of a mistake of fact concerning the nature
or content of the certified agenda or recording.
498
In order to find that a person has violated one of these provisions, the person must be determined
to have acted “knowingly.” Subsection 6.03(b) of the Penal Code, defines that state of mind as
follows:
A person acts knowingly, or with knowledge, with respect to the nature of his
conduct or to circumstances surrounding his conduct when he is aware of the nature
of his conduct or that the circumstances exist. A person acts knowingly, or with
497
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.145.
498
Id. § 551.146; but see Pete v. Dunn, No. 1:21-CV-546, 2022 WL 2032306 (E.D. Tex. May 11, 2022) (considering
pleading generally alleging a violation of the Act and concluding that the Act does not provide for monetary
relief).
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
74
knowledge, with respect to his conduct when he is aware that his conduct is
reasonably certain to cause the result.
499
A 2012 court of appeals case enumerated the elements of this criminal offense to be: (1) a lawfully
closed meeting; (2) a knowing disclosure of the agenda or tape recording of the lawfully closed
meeting to a member of the public; and (3) a disclosure made without lawful authority.
500
In
Cooksey v. State, Cooksey attached a copy of the tape recording of a closed meeting to his petition
in his suit to remove the county judge.
501
He was later charged with a violation of section
551.146.
502
The court of appeals determined that the posted notice for the emergency meeting did
not clearly identify the emergency and thus the meeting was not sufficient as a “lawfully closed
meeting” to uphold Cooksey’s conviction.
503
Section 551.146 does not prohibit members of the governmental body or other persons who attend
an executive session from making public statements about the subject matter of the executive
session.
504
Other statutes or duties, however, may limit what a member of the governmental body
may say publicly.
Sections 551.143 and 551.144 of the Government Code establish criminal sanctions for certain
conduct that violates openness requirements. A member of a governmental body must be found to
have acted “knowingly” to be found guilty of either of these offenses. Section 551.143 provides:
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if the member:
(1) knowingly engages in at least one communication among a series of
communications that each occur outside of a meeting authorized by this
chapter and that concern an issue within the jurisdiction of the
governmental body in which the members engaging in the individual
communications constitute fewer than a quorum of members but the
members engaging in the series of communications constitute a quorum
of members; and
(2) knew at the time the member engaged in the communication that the
series of communications:
(A) involved or would involve a quorum; and
(B) would constitute a deliberation once a quorum of members
engaged in the series of communications.
505
Section 551.144 provides as follows:
499
TEX. PENAL CODE § 6.03(b).
500
Cooksey v. State, 377 S.W.3d 901, 905 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2012, no pet.).
501
Id. at 903–04.
502
Id. at 904.
503
Id. at 907.
504
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-1071 (1989) at 2–3; see also Hardy v. Carthage Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 2:19-CV-
00277, 2022 WL 609151, at *2 (E.D. Tex. Mar. 1, 2022) (acknowledging that Opinion JM-1071 corroborated
support for the proposition that section 551.146 is limited to disclosure of the certified agenda or recording).
505
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.143.
Penalties and Remedies
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
75
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if a closed meeting is
not permitted under this chapter and the member knowingly:
(1) calls or aids in calling or organizing the closed meeting, whether it is a
special or called closed meeting;
(2) closes or aids in closing the meeting to the public, if it is a regular
meeting; or
(3) participates in the closed meeting, whether it is a regular, special, or
called meeting.
506
(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500;
(2) confinement in the county jail for not less than one month or more than
six months; or
(3) both the fine and confinement.
507
(c) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) that the member
of the governmental body acted in reasonable reliance on a court order or a
written interpretation of this chapter contained in an opinion of a court of
record, the attorney general, or the attorney for the governmental body.
508
In 1998, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals determined in Tovar v. State
509
that a government
official who knowingly participated in an impermissible closed meeting may be found guilty of
violating the Act even though he did not know that the meeting was prohibited under the Act.
Subsection 551.144(c) now provides an affirmative defense to prosecution under subsection (a) if
the member of the governmental body acted in reasonable reliance on a court order or a legal
opinion as set out in subsection (c).
510
506
See Asgeirsson v. Abbott, 773 F. Supp. 2d 684, 690 (W.D. Tex. 2011), aff’d, 696 F. 3d 454 (5th Cir. 2012), cert.
denied, 568 U.S. 1249 (2013) (upholding constitutionality of section 551.144).
507
See Martinez v. State, 879 S.W.2d 54, 55–56 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994) (upholding validity of information which
charged county commissioners with violating Act by failing to comply with procedural prerequisites for holding
closed session).
508
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.144.
509
Tovar v. State, 978 S.W.2d 584 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998).
510
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.144(c).
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
76
XII. Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
A. Other Statutes May Apply to a Public Meeting
The Act is not the only provision of law relevant to a public meeting of a particular governmental
entity. For example, section 551.004 of the Government Code expressly provides:
This chapter does not authorize a governmental body to close a meeting that a
charter of the governmental body:
(1) prohibits from being closed; or
(2) requires to be open.
511
In Shackelford v. City of Abilene,
512
the Texas Supreme Court held that an Abilene resident had a
right to require public meetings under the Abilene city charter, which included the following
provision:
All meetings of the Council and all Boards or Commissions appointed by the
Council shall be open to the public.
513
Members of a particular governmental body should consult any applicable statutes, charter
provisions, ordinances and rules for provisions affecting the entity’s public meetings. Laws other
than the Act govern preparing the agenda for a meeting
514
but the procedures for agenda
preparation must be consistent with the openness requirements of the Act.
515
Even though a particular entity is not a “governmental body” as defined by the Act, another statute
may require it to comply with the Act’s provisions.
516
Some exercises of governmental power, for
example, a city’s adoption of zoning regulations, require the city to hold a public hearing at which
parties in interest and citizens have an opportunity to be heard.
517
Certain governmental actions
may be subject to statutory notice provisions
518
in addition to notice required by the Act.
The Act does not answer all questions about conducting a public meeting. Thus, persons
responsible for a particular governmental body’s meetings must know about other laws applicable
to these meetings. While this Handbook cannot identify all provisions relevant to meetings of
511
Id. § 551.004.
512
Shackelford v. City of Abilene, 585 S.W.2d 665, 667 (Tex. 1979).
513
Id. at 667 (emphasis omitted).
514
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. DM-473 (1998) at 3, DM-228 (1993) at 2–3, JM-63 (1983) at 3, MW-32 (1979) at 1.
515
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. DM-473 (1998) at 3, DM-228 (1993) at 3.
516
See TEX. EDUC. CODE § 12.1051 (applying open meetings and public information laws to open-enrollment
charter schools); see also TEX. ELEC. CODE §§ 31.033(d), .155(d) (applying the Act to county election
commissions and joint election commission); TEX. WATER CODE § 16.053(h)(12) (providing that regional water
planning groups are subject to the Open Meetings Act).
517
See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 211.006.
518
See id. § 152.013(b); see also TEX. ELEC. CODE §§ 31.033(d), .155(d).
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
77
Texas governmental bodies, we will point out statutes that are of special importance to
governmental bodies.
B. Administrative Procedure Act
The Administrative Procedure Act (the “APA”) establishes “minimum standards of uniform
practice and procedure for state agencies” in the rulemaking process and in hearing and resolving
contested cases.
519
The state agencies subject to the APA are as a rule also subject to the Act.
520
The decision-making process under the APA is not excepted from the requirements of the Act.
521
However, this office has concluded that the APA creates an exception to the requirements of the
Act with regard to contested cases.
522
A governmental body may consider a claim of privilege in a
closed meeting when (1) the claim is made during a contested case proceeding under the APA, and
(2) the resolution of the claim requires the examination and discussion of the allegedly privileged
information.
523
Although the Act does not authorize a closed meeting for this purpose, the APA
incorporates certain rules of evidence and civil procedure, including the requirement that claims
of privilege or confidentiality be determined in a nonpublic forum.
524
The APA does not, on the other hand, create exceptions to the requirements of the Act when the
two statutes can be harmonized. In Acker v. Texas Water Commission, the Texas Supreme Court
concluded that the statutory predecessor to section 2001.061 of the Government Code did not
authorize a quorum of the members of a governmental body to confer in private regarding a
contested case.
525
Section 2001.061(b) provides in pertinent part: “A state agency member may
communicate ex parte with another member of the agency unless prohibited by other law.”
526
The
court concluded that, when harmonized with the provisions of the Act, this section permits a state
agency’s members to confer ex parte, but only when less than a quorum is present.
527
C. The Americans with Disabilities Act
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the “ADA”) prohibits discrimination
against disabled individuals in the activities, services and programs of public entities.
528
All the
activities of state and local governmental bodies are covered by the ADA, including meetings.
Governmental bodies subject to the Act must also ensure that their meetings comply with the
ADA.
529
For purposes of the ADA, an individual is an individual with a disability if he or she
meets one of the following three tests: the individual must have a physical or mental impairment
519
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2001.001(1); see also id. § 2001.003(1), (6).
520
See id. § 2001.003(7) (defining “state agency”).
521
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-1269 (1978) at 1 (considering statutory predecessor to APA).
522
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. JM-645 (1987) at 5–6.
523
Id.
524
Id. at 4–5; see TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2001.083.
525
Acker v. Tex. Water Comm’n, 790 S.W.2d 299, 301 (Tex. 1990).
526
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 2001.061.
527
Acker, 790 S.W.2d at 301.
528
42 U.S.C.A. §§ 12131–12165.
529
See id. § 12132; 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.130, .149, .160; see generally Tyler v. City of Manhattan, 849 F. Supp. 1429,
1434–35 (D. Kan. 1994).
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
78
that substantially limits one or more of the individual’s major life activities; he or she has a record
of having this type of physical or mental impairment; or he or she is regarded by others as having
this type of impairment.
530
A governmental body may not exclude a disabled individual from participation in the activities of
the governmental body because the facilities are physically inaccessible.
531
The room in which a
public meeting is held must be physically accessible to a disabled individual.
532
A governmental
body must also ensure that communications with disabled individuals are as effective as
communications with others.
533
Thus, a governmental body must take steps to ensure that disabled
individuals have access to and can understand the contents of the meeting notice and to ensure that
they can understand what is happening at the meeting. This duty includes furnishing appropriate
auxiliary aids and services when necessary.
534
The following statement about meeting accessibility is included on the Secretary of State’s internet
site where state and regional agencies submit notice of their meetings:
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an individual with a disability must
have equal opportunity for effective communication and participation in public
meetings. Upon request, agencies must provide auxiliary aids and services, such as
interpreters for the deaf and hearing impaired, readers, large print or Braille
documents. In determining the type of auxiliary aid or services, agencies must give
primary consideration to the individual’s request. Those requesting auxiliary aids
or services should notify the contact person listed on the meeting several days
before the meeting by mail, telephone, or RELAY Texas. TTY: 7-1-1.
535
D. The Open Meetings Act and the Whistleblower Act
In City of Elsa v. Gonzalez, a former city manager complained to the city council that it had violated
the Open Meetings Act in the meeting at which he was fired.
536
His court challenge included a
Whistleblower claim based on his report to the city council of the violation of the Open Meetings
Act.
537
The Texas Supreme Court determined that the former city manager had not established,
under the Whistleblower Act, an appropriate law enforcement agency to which to report a
violation.
538
530
42 U.S.C.A. § 12102(1); 28 C.F.R. § 35.104.
531
See 28 C.F.R. § 35.149–.150.
532
See Dees v. Austin Travis Cnty. Mental Health & Mental Retardation, 860 F. Supp. 1186, 1190 (W.D. Tex.
1994); see generally Tyler, 849 F. Supp. at 1442.
533
28 C.F.R. § 35.160.
534
Id. § 35.160(b)(1).
535
Available at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/open/access.shtml.
536
City of Elsa v. Gonzalez, 325 S.W.3d 622 (Tex. 2010).
537
See id. at 626–28.
538
See id. at 628.
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
79
E. The Open Meetings Act Distinguished from the Public Information Act
Although the Open Meetings Act and the Public Information Act
539
both serve the purpose of
making government accessible to the people, they work differently to accomplish this goal.
540
The
definitions of “governmental body” in the two statutes are generally similar, but the Public
Information Act also applies to entities supported by public funds,
541
while the Open Meetings Act
does not.
542
Each statute contains a different set of exceptions.
543
The Public Information Act
authorizes the attorney general to determine whether records requested by a member of the public
may be withheld and to enforce his rulings by writ of mandamus.
544
The Open Meetings Act has
no comparable provisions. Chapter 402, subchapter C of the Government Code authorizes the
attorney general to issue legal opinions at the request of certain officers. Pursuant to this authority,
the attorney general has addressed and resolved numerous questions of law arising under the Open
Meetings Act.
545
Because questions of fact cannot be resolved in the opinion process, an attorney
general opinion will not determine whether particular conduct of a governmental body violated the
Open Meetings Act.
546
In addition, the exceptions in one statute are not necessarily incorporated into the other statute.
The mere fact that a document was discussed in an executive session does not make it confidential
under the Public Information Act.
547
Nor does the Public Information Act authorize a governmental
body to hold an executive session to discuss records merely because the records are within one of
the exceptions to the Public Information Act.
548
While some early attorney general opinions treated
the exceptions to one statute as incorporated into the other, these decisions have been expressly or
implicitly overruled.
549
539
TEX. GOV’T CODE ch. 552.
540
See York v. Tex. Guaranteed Student Loan Corp., 408 S.W.3d. 677, 684–87 (Tex. App.—Austin 2013, no pet.)
(discussing interplay between the Open Meetings Act and the Public Information Act).
541
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 552.003(1)(A)(xiv).
542
See Tex. Att’y Gen. LO-98-040 (1998) at 2.
543
See Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-491 (1988) at 4.
544
See TEX. GOV’T CODE §§ 552.301–.309, .321–.327.
545
Id. §§ 402.041–.045.
546
See Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. GA-0326 (2005) at 4, JC-0307 (2000) at 1, DM-95 (1992) at 1, JM-840 (1988) at
6, H-772 (1976) at 6; see also Bexar Medina Atascosa Water Dist. v. Bexar Medina Atascosa Landowners’ Ass’n,
2 S.W.3d 459, 461 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1999, pet. denied) (stating that whether specific conduct violates
the Act is generally a question of fact).
547
See City of Garland v. Dallas Morning News, 22 S.W.3d 351, 366–67 (Tex. 2000) (stating “[t]hat a matter can
be discussed in closed meetings does not mean that all documents involving the same matter are exempt from
public access”); Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-605 (1992) at 3 (names of applicants); ORD-485 (1987) at 4–5
(investigative report); see also Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-491 (1988) at 7 (noting the fact that meeting was not subject
to the Act does not make minutes of meeting confidential under Open Records Act).
548
Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. Nos. JM-595 (1986) at 4–5 (concluding that Open Records Act does not authorize executive
session discussion of written evaluations on selection of consultants and bidders), MW-578 (1982) at 4
(concluding there is no implied authority under the Act to hold closed session to review private information in
unemployment benefit case files).
549
See, e.g., Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. H-1154 (1978) at 3 (closed meeting for discussion of confidential child welfare
case files); Tex. Att’y Gen. ORD-461 (1987) (tape recording of closed session is not public under Open Records
Act); ORD-259 (1980) (value of donation pledged to city is confidential under statutory predecessor to section
551.072 of the Government Code).
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
80
F. Records Retention
The Open Meetings Act requires a governmental body to prepare and keep minutes or make a
recording of each open meeting.
550
It also requires a governmental body to keep a certified agenda
or make a recording of each closed meeting, except for a closed meeting held under the attorney
consultation exception, and to preserve the certified agenda or recording for a period of two
years.
551
Other than these provisions, the Open Meetings Act does not speak to a governmental
body’s record-keeping obligations. Similarly, the Public Information Act, in its provisions
governing access to a governmental body’s public information, does not specifically address a
governmental body’s responsibility to retain its records.
552
Instead, other provisions require a local governmental body or state agency to retain and manage
its governmental records.
553
These provisions require local governments and state agencies to
establish a records management program that complies with record retention schedules adopted by
the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (“TSLAC”).
554
A local government record
means
[a]ny document, paper, letter, book, map, photograph, sound or video recording,
microfilm, magnetic tape, electronic medium, or other information recording
medium, regardless of physical form or characteristic and regardless of whether
public access to it is open or restricted under the laws of the state, created or
received by a local government or any of its officers or employees pursuant to law,
including an ordinance, or in the transaction of public business.
555
A state record is “any written, photographic, machine-readable, or other recorded information
created or received by or on behalf of a state agency or an elected state official that documents
activities in the conduct of state business or use of public resources.”
556
Under either of these
definitions, a governmental body’s meeting minutes, notices, agenda and agenda packets,
recordings of meetings, and any other record associated with an open or closed meeting are going
550
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 551.021(a).
551
Id. §§ 551.103, .104.
552
See id. §§ 552.001–.376 (“Public Information Act”); see also id. § 552.004 (providing that governmental bodies,
and elected public officials, may determine the time its information not currently in use will be preserved,
“subject to . . . any applicable rule or law governing the destruction and other disposition of state and local
government records or public information”).
553
See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE §§ 201.001–205.009 (the “Local Government Records Act”); TEX. GOV’T CODE
§§ 441.180–.205 (subchapter L entitled: “Preservation and Management of State Records and Other Historical
Resources”).
554
See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE §§ 203.002, .005 (elected county officer shall provide for the administration of an
“active and continuing records management program”), 203.021 (governing body of a local government shall
provide for an “active and continuing program for the efficient and economical management of all local
government records”); TEX. GOV’T CODE § 441.183 (head of each state agency “shall establish and maintain a
records management program on a continuing and active basis”); see also TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE
§ 203.042(b)(2) (retention period may not be less than a retention period for the record established by the
TSLAC); TEX. GOV’T CODE § 441.185(a) (agency records management officer shall submit a records retention
schedule to the state records administrator).
555
TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE § 201.003(8).
556
TEX. GOV’T CODE § 441.180(11).
Open Meetings Act and Other Statutes
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
81
to be local or state records. As such, they must be retained and managed by the local government
or state agency as required by the respective retention schedule and may be destroyed only as
permitted under the retention schedule.
557
557
See TEX. LOC. GOV’T CODE §§ 202.001–.009 (“Destruction and Alienation of Records”); TEX. GOV’T CODE
§ 441.187 (governing destruction of state records).
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
82
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
§ 551.001. Definitions
In this chapter:
(1) “Closed meeting” means a meeting to which the public does not have access.
(2) “Deliberation” means a verbal or written exchange between a quorum of a
governmental body, or between a quorum of a governmental body and another
person, concerning an issue within the jurisdiction of the governmental body.
(3) “Governmental body” means:
(A) a board, commission, department, committee, or agency within the
executive or legislative branch of state government that is directed by
one or more elected or appointed members;
(B) a county commissioners court in the state;
(C) a municipal governing body in the state;
(D) a deliberative body that has rulemaking authority or quasi-judicial
power and that is classified as a department, agency, or political
subdivision of a county or municipality;
(E) a school district board of trustees;
(F) a county board of school trustees;
(G) a county board of education;
(H) the governing board of a special district created by law;
(I) a local workforce development board created under Section 2308.253;
(J) a nonprofit corporation that is eligible to receive funds under the federal
community services block grant program and that is authorized by this
state to serve a geographic area of the state;
(K) a nonprofit corporation organized under Chapter 67, Water Code, that
provides a water supply or wastewater service, or both, and is exempt
from ad valorem taxation under Section 11.30, Tax Code;
(L) a joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code; and
(M) a board of directors of a reinvestment zone created under Chapter 311,
Tax Code.
(4) “Meeting” means:
(A) a deliberation between a quorum of a governmental body, or between a
quorum of a governmental body and another person, during which
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
83
public business or public policy over which the body has supervision or
control is discussed or considered or during which the governmental
body takes formal action; or
(B) except as otherwise provided by this subdivision, a gathering:
(i) that is conducted by the governmental body or for which the
governmental body is responsible;
(ii) at which a quorum of members of the governmental body is
present;
(iii) that has been called by the governmental body; and
(iv) at which the members receive information from, give information
to, ask questions of, or receive questions from any third person,
including an employee of the governmental body, about the public
business or public policy over which the governmental body has
supervision or control.
The term does not include the gathering of a quorum of a governmental body at a
social function unrelated to the public business that is conducted by the body, the
attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a regional, state, or national
convention or workshop, ceremonial event, or press conference, or the attendance
by a quorum of a governmental body at a candidate forum, appearance, or debate
to inform the electorate, if formal action is not taken and any discussion of public
business is incidental to the social function, convention, workshop, ceremonial
event, press conference, forum, appearance, or debate.
The term includes a session of a governmental body.
(5) “Open” means open to the public.
(6) “Quorum” means a majority of a governmental body, unless defined differently
by applicable law or rule or the charter of the governmental body.
(7) “Recording” means a tangible medium on which audio or a combination of
audio and video is recorded, including a disc, tape, wire, film, electronic storage
drive, or other medium now existing or later developed.
(8) “Videoconference call” means a communication conducted between two or
more persons in which one or more of the participants communicate with the
other participants through duplex audio and video signals transmitted over a
telephone network, a data network, or the Internet.
§ 551.0015. Certain Property Owners’ Associations Subject to Law
(a) A property owners’ association is subject to this chapter in the same manner as
a governmental body:
(1) if:
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
84
(A) membership in the property owners’ association is mandatory for
owners or for a defined class of owners of private real property in
a defined geographic area in a county with a population of 2.8
million or more or in a county adjacent to a county with a
population of 2.8 million or more;
(B) the property owners’ association has the power to make mandatory
special assessments for capital improvements or mandatory
regular assessments; and
(C) the amount of the mandatory special or regular assessments is or
has ever been based in whole or in part on the value at which the
state or a local governmental body assesses the property for
purposes of ad valorem taxation under Section 20, Article VIII,
Texas Constitution; or
(2) if the property owners’ association:
(A) provides maintenance, preservation, and architectural control of
residential and commercial property within a defined geographic
area in a county with a population of 2.8 million or more or in a
county adjacent to a county with a population of 2.8 million or
more; and
(B) is a corporation that:
(i) is governed by a board of trustees who may employ a general
manager to execute the association’s bylaws and administer the
business of the corporation;
(ii) does not require membership in the corporation by the owners
of the property within the defined area; and
(iii) was incorporated before January 1, 2006.
(b) The governing body of the association, a committee of the association, and
members of the governing body or of a committee of the association are subject to
this chapter in the same manner as the governing body of a governmental body, a
committee of a governmental body, and members of the governing body or of a
committee of the governmental body.
§ 551.002. Open Meetings Requirement
Every regular, special, or called meeting of a governmental body shall be open to the public, except
as provided by this chapter.
§ 551.003. Legislature
In this chapter, the legislature is exercising its powers to adopt rules to prohibit secret meetings of
the legislature, committees of the legislature, and other bodies associated with the legislature,
except as specifically permitted in the constitution.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
85
§ 551.0035. Attendance by Governmental Body at Legislative Committee or Agency Meeting
(a) This section applies only to the attendance by a quorum of a governmental body
at a meeting of a committee or agency of the legislature. This section does not
apply to attendance at the meeting by members of the legislative committee or
agency holding the meeting.
(b) The attendance by a quorum of a governmental body at a meeting of a
committee or agency of the legislature is not considered to be a meeting of that
governmental body if the deliberations at the meeting by the members of that
governmental body consist only of publicly testifying at the meeting, publicly
commenting at the meeting, and publicly responding at the meeting to a
question asked by a member of the legislative committee or agency.
§ 551.004. Open Meetings Required by Charter
This chapter does not authorize a governmental body to close a meeting that a charter of the
governmental body:
(1) prohibits from being closed; or
(2) requires to be open.
§ 551.005. Open Meetings Training
(a) Each elected or appointed public official who is a member of a governmental
body subject to this chapter shall complete a course of training of not less than
one and not more than two hours regarding the responsibilities of the
governmental body and its members under this chapter not later than the 90th
day after the date the member:
(1) takes the oath of office, if the member is required to take an oath of
office to assume the person’s duties as a member of the governmental
body; or
(2) otherwise assumes responsibilities as a member of the governmental
body, if the member is not required to take an oath of office to assume
the person’s duties as a member of the governmental body.
(b) The attorney general shall ensure that the training is made available. The office
of the attorney general may provide the training and may also approve any
acceptable course of training offered by a governmental body or other entity.
The attorney general shall ensure that at least one course of training approved
or provided by the attorney general is available on videotape or a functionally
similar and widely available medium at no cost. The training must include
instruction in:
(1) the general background of the legal requirements for open meetings;
(2) the applicability of this chapter to governmental bodies;
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
86
(3) procedures and requirements regarding quorums, notice, and
recordkeeping under this chapter;
(4) procedures and requirements for holding an open meeting and for
holding a closed meeting under this chapter; and
(5) penalties and other consequences for failure to comply with this chapter.
(c) The office of the attorney general or other entity providing the training shall
provide a certificate of course completion to persons who complete the
training required by this section. A governmental body shall maintain and
make available for public inspection the record of its members’ completion
of the training.
(d) Completing the required training as a member of the governmental body
satisfies the requirements of this section with regard to the member’s service
on a committee or subcommittee of the governmental body and the
member’s ex officio service on any other governmental body.
(e) The training required by this section may be used to satisfy any
corresponding training requirements concerning this chapter or open
meetings required by law for the members of a governmental body. The
attorney general shall attempt to coordinate the training required by this
section with training required by other law to the extent practicable.
(f) The failure of one or more members of a governmental body to complete the
training required by this section does not affect the validity of an action taken
by the governmental body.
(g) A certificate of course completion is admissible as evidence in a criminal
prosecution under this chapter. However, evidence that a defendant
completed a course of training offered under this section is not prima facie
evidence that the defendant knowingly violated this chapter.
§ 551.006. Written Electronic Communications Accessible to Public
(a) A communication or exchange of information between members of a
governmental body about public business or public policy over which the
governmental body has supervision or control does not constitute a meeting or
deliberation for purposes of this chapter if:
(1) the communication is in writing;
(2) the writing is posted to an online message board or similar Internet
application that is viewable and searchable by the public; and
(3) the communication is displayed in real time and displayed on the online
message board or similar Internet application for no less than 30 days
after the communication is first posted.
(b) A governmental body may have no more than one online message board or
similar Internet application to be used for the purposes described in Subsection
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
87
(a). The online message board or similar Internet application must be owned or
controlled by the governmental body, prominently displayed on the
governmental body’s primary Internet web page, and no more than one click
away from the governmental body’s primary Internet web page.
(c) The online message board or similar Internet application described in
Subsection (a) may only be used by members of the governmental body or staff
members of the governmental body who have received specific authorization
from a member of the governmental body. In the event that a staff member posts
a communication to the online message board or similar Internet application,
the name and title of the staff member must be posted along with the
communication.
(d) If a governmental body removes from the online message board or similar
Internet application a communication that has been posted for at least 30 days,
the governmental body shall maintain the posting for a period of six years. This
communication is public information and must be disclosed in accordance with
Chapter 552.
(e) The governmental body may not vote or take any action that is required to be
taken at a meeting under this chapter of the governmental body by posting a
communication to the online message board or similar Internet application. In
no event shall a communication or posting to the online message board or
similar Internet application be construed to be an action of the governmental
body.
§ 551.007. Public Testimony
(a) This section applies only to a governmental body described by Sections
551.001(3)(B)–(L).
(b) A governmental body shall allow each member of the public who desires to
address the body regarding an item on an agenda for an open meeting of the
body to address the body regarding the item at the meeting before or during the
body’s consideration of the item.
(c) A governmental body may adopt reasonable rules regarding the public’s right
to address the body under this section, including rules that limit the total amount
of time that a member of the public may address the body on a given item.
(d) This subsection applies only if a governmental body does not use simultaneous
translation equipment in a manner that allows the body to hear the translated
public testimony simultaneously. A rule adopted under Subsection (c) that
limits the amount of time that a member of the public may address the
governmental body must provide that a member of the public who addresses
the body through a translator must be given at least twice the amount of time as
a member of the public who does not require the assistance of a translator in
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
88
order to ensure that non-English speakers receive the same opportunity to
address the body.
(e) A governmental body may not prohibit public criticism of the governmental
body, including criticism of any act, omission, policy, procedure, program, or
service. This subjection does not apply to public criticism that is otherwise
prohibited by law.
SUBCHAPTER B. RECORD OF OPEN MEETING
§ 551.021. Minutes or Recording of Open Meeting Required
(a) A governmental body shall prepare and keep minutes or make a recording of
each open meeting of the body.
(b) The minutes must:
(1) state the subject of each deliberation; and
(2) indicate each vote, order, decision, or other action taken.
§ 551.022. Minutes and Recordings of Open Meeting: Public Record
The minutes and recordings of an open meeting are public records and shall be available for public
inspection and copying on request to the governmental body’s chief administrative officer or the
officer’s designee.
§ 551.023. Recording of Meeting by Person in Attendance
(a) A person in attendance may record all or any part of an open meeting of a
governmental body by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of
aural or visual reproduction.
(b) A governmental body may adopt reasonable rules to maintain order at a
meeting, including rules relating to:
(1) the location of recording equipment; and
(2) the manner in which the recording is conducted.
(c) A rule adopted under Subsection (b) may not prevent or unreasonably impair a
person from exercising a right granted under Subsection (a).
SUBCHAPTER C. NOTICE OF MEETINGS
§ 551.041. Notice of Meeting Required
A governmental body shall give written notice of the date, hour, place, and subject of each meeting
held by the governmental body.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
89
§ 551.0411. Meeting Notice Requirements in Certain Circumstances
(a) Section 551.041 does not require a governmental body that recesses an open
meeting to the following regular business day to post notice of the continued
meeting if the action is taken in good faith and not to circumvent this chapter.
If an open meeting is continued to the following regular business day and, on
that following day, the governmental body continues the meeting to another
day, the governmental body must give written notice as required by this
subchapter of the meeting continued to that other day.
(b) A governmental body that is prevented from convening an open meeting that
was otherwise properly posted under Section 551.041 because of a catastrophe
may convene the meeting in a convenient location within 72 hours pursuant to
Section 551.045 if the action is taken in good faith and not to circumvent this
chapter. If the governmental body is unable to convene the open meeting within
those 72 hours, the governmental body may subsequently convene the meeting
only if the governmental body gives written notice of the meeting as required
by this subchapter.
(c) In this section, “catastrophe” means a condition or occurrence that interferes
physically with the ability of a governmental body to conduct a meeting,
including:
(1) fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or wind, rain, or snow storm;
(2) power failure, transportation failure, or interruption of communication
facilities;
(3) epidemic; or
(4) riot, civil disturbance, enemy attack, or other actual or threatened act of
lawlessness or violence.
§ 551.0415. Governing Body of Municipality or County: Reports About Items of Community
Interest Regarding Which No Action Will be Taken
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 551.041 and 551.042, a quorum of the governing
body of a municipality or county may receive from staff of the political
subdivision and a member of the governing body may make a report about items
of community interest during a meeting of the governing body without having
given notice of the subject of the report as required by this subchapter if no
action is taken and, except as provided by Section 551.042, possible action is
not discussed regarding the information provided in the report.
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), “items of community interest” includes:
(1) expressions of thanks, congratulations, or condolence;
(2) information regarding holiday schedules;
(3) an honorary or salutary recognition of a public official, public
employee, or other citizen, except that a discussion regarding a change
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
90
in the status of a person’s public office or public employment is not an
honorary or salutary recognition for purposes of this subdivision;
(4) a reminder about an upcoming event organized or sponsored by the
governing body;
(5) information regarding a social, ceremonial, or community event
organized or sponsored by an entity other than the governing body that
was attended or is scheduled to be attended by a member of the
governing body or an official or employee of the political subdivision;
and
(6) announcements involving an imminent threat to the public health and
safety of people in the political subdivision that has arisen after the
posting of the agenda.
§ 551.042. Inquiry Made at Meeting
(a) If, at a meeting of a governmental body, a member of the public or of the
governmental body inquires about a subject for which notice has not been given
as required by this subchapter, the notice provisions of this subchapter do not
apply to:
(1) a statement of specific factual information given in response to the
inquiry; or
(2) a recitation of existing policy in response to the inquiry.
(b) Any deliberation of or decision about the subject of the inquiry shall be limited
to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting.
§ 551.043. Time and Accessibility of Notice; General Rule
(a) The notice of a meeting of a governmental body must be posted in a place
readily accessible to the general public at all times for at least 72 hours before
the scheduled time of the meeting, except as provided by Sections 551.044–
551.046.
(b) If this chapter specifically requires or allows a governmental body to post notice
of a meeting on the Internet:
(1) the governmental body satisfies the requirement that the notice must be
posted in a place readily accessible to the general public at all times by
making a good-faith attempt to continuously post the notice on the
Internet during the prescribed period;
(2) the governmental body must still comply with any duty imposed by this
chapter to physically post the notice at a particular location; and
(3) if the governmental body makes a good-faith attempt to continuously
post the notice on the Internet during the prescribed period, the notice
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
91
physically posted at the location prescribed by this chapter must be
readily accessible to the general public during normal business hours.
§ 551.044. Exception to General Rule: Governmental Body With Statewide Jurisdiction
(a) The secretary of state must post notice on the Internet of a meeting of a state
board, commission, department, or officer having statewide jurisdiction for at
least seven days before the day of the meeting. The secretary of state shall
provide during regular office hours a computer terminal at a place convenient
to the public in the office of the secretary of state that members of the public
may use to view notices of meetings posted by the secretary of state.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to:
(1) the Texas Department of Insurance, as regards proceedings and
activities under Title 5, Labor Code, of the department, the
commissioner of insurance, or the commissioner of workers’
compensation; or
(2) the governing board of an institution of higher education.
§ 551.045. Exception to General Rule: Notice of Emergency Meeting or Emergency Addition
to Agenda
(a) In an emergency or when there is an urgent public necessity, the notice of a
meeting to deliberate or take action on the emergency or urgent public necessity,
or the supplemental notice to add the deliberation or taking of action on the
emergency or urgent public necessity as an item to the agenda for a meeting for
which notice has been posted in accordance with this subchapter, is sufficient if
the notice or supplemental notice is posted for at least one hour before the
meeting is convened.
(a-1) A governmental body may not deliberate or take action on a matter at a meeting
for which notice or supplemental notice is posted under Subsection (a) other
than:
(1) a matter directly related to responding to the emergency or urgent public
necessity identified in the notice or supplemental notice of the meeting
as provided by Subsection (c); or
(2) an agenda item listed on a notice of the meeting before the supplemental
notice was posted.
(b) An emergency or an urgent public necessity exists only if immediate action is
required of a governmental body because of:
(1) an imminent threat to public health and safety, including a threat
described by Subdivision (2) if imminent; or
(2) a reasonably unforeseeable situation, including:
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
92
(A) fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or wind, rain, or snow
storm;
(B) power failure, transportation failure, or interruption of communication
facilities;
(C) epidemic; or
(D) riot, civil disturbance, enemy attack, or other actual or threatened act
of lawlessness or violence.
(c) The governmental body shall clearly identify the emergency or urgent public
necessity in the notice or supplemental notice under this section.
(d) A person who is designated or authorized to post notice of a meeting by a
governmental body under this subchapter shall post the notice taking at face
value the governmental body’s stated reason for the emergency or urgent public
necessity.
(e) For purposes of Subsection (b)(2), the sudden relocation of a large number of
residents from the area of a declared disaster to a governmental body’s
jurisdiction is considered a reasonably unforeseeable situation for a reasonable
period immediately following the relocation.
§ 551.046. Exception to General Rule: Committee of Legislature
The notice of a legislative committee meeting shall be as provided by the rules of the house of
representatives or of the senate.
§ 551.047. Special Notice to News Media of Emergency Meeting or Emergency Addition to
Agenda
(a) The presiding officer of a governmental body, or the member of a governmental
body who calls an emergency meeting of the governmental body or adds an
emergency item to the agenda of a meeting of the governmental body, shall
notify the news media of the emergency meeting or emergency item as required
by this section.
(b) The presiding officer or member is required to notify only those members of
the news media that have previously;
(1) filed at the headquarters of the governmental body a request containing
all pertinent information for the special notice; and
(2) agreed to reimburse the governmental body for the cost of providing the
special notice.
(c) The presiding officer or member shall give the notice by telephone, facsimile
transmission, or electronic mail at least one hour before the meeting is
convened.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
93
§ 551.048. State Governmental Body: Notice to Secretary of State; Place of Posting Notice
(a) A state governmental body shall provide notice of each meeting to the secretary
of state.
(b) The secretary of state shall post the notice on the Internet. The secretary of state
shall provide during regular office hours a computer terminal at a place
convenient to the public in the office of the secretary of state that members of
the public may use to view the notice.
§ 551.049. County Governmental Body: Place of Posting Notice
A county governmental body shall post notice of each meeting on a bulletin board at a place
convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
§ 551.050. Municipal Governmental Body: Place of Posting Notice
(a) In this section, “electronic bulletin board” means an electronic communication
system that includes a perpetually illuminated screen on which the
governmental body can post messages or notices viewable without
manipulation by the public.
(b) A municipal governmental body shall post notice of each meeting on a physical
or electronic bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in city hall.
§ 551.0501. Joint Board: Place of Posting Notice
(a) In this section, “electronic bulletin board” means an electronic communication
system that includes a perpetually illuminated screen on which the
governmental body can post messages or notices viewable without
manipulation by the public.
(b) A joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code, shall post
notice of each meeting on a physical or electronic bulletin board at a place
convenient to the public in the board’s administrative offices.
§ 551.051. School District: Place of Posting Notice
A school district shall post notice of each meeting on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the
public in the central administrative office of the district.
§ 551.052. School District: Special Notice to News Media
(a) A school district shall provide special notice of each meeting to any news media
that has:
(1) requested special notice; and
(2) agreed to reimburse the district for the cost of providing the special
notice.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
94
(b) The notice shall be by telephone, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail.
§ 551.053. District or Political Subdivision Extending Into Four or More Counties: Notice to
Public, Secretary of State, and County Clerk; Place of Posting Notice
(a) The governing body of a water district or other district or other political
subdivision that extends into four or more counties shall:
(1) post notice of each meeting at a place convenient to the public in the
administrative office of the district or political subdivision;
(2) provide notice of each meeting to the secretary of state; and
(3) either provide notice of each meeting to the county clerk of the county
in which the administrative office of the district or political subdivision
is located or post notice of each meeting on the district’s or political
subdivision’s Internet website.
(b) The secretary of state shall post the notice provided under Subsection (a)(2) on
the Internet. The secretary of state shall provide during regular office hours a
computer terminal at a place convenient to the public in the office of the
secretary of state that members of the public may use to view the notice.
(c) A county clerk shall post a notice provided to the clerk under Subsection (a)(3)
on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
§ 551.054. District or Political Subdivision Extending Into Fewer Than Four Counties: Notice
to Public and County Clerks; Place of Posting Notice
(a) The governing body of a water district or other district or political subdivision
that extends into fewer than four counties shall:
(1) post notice of each meeting at a place convenient to the public in the
administrative office of the district or political subdivision; and
(2) either provide notice of each meeting to the county clerk of each county
in which the district or political subdivision is located or post notice of
each meeting on the district’s or political subdivision’s Internet website.
(b) A county clerk shall post a notice provided to the clerk under Subsection (a)(2)
on a bulletin board at a place convenient to the public in the county courthouse.
§ 551.055. Institution of Higher Education
In addition to providing any other notice required by this subchapter, the governing board of a
single institution of higher education:
(1) shall post notice of each meeting at the county courthouse of the county in
which the meeting will be held;
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
95
(2) shall publish notice of a meeting in a student newspaper of the institution if an
issue of the newspaper is published between the time of the posting and the time
of the meeting; and
(3) may post notice of a meeting at another place convenient to the public.
§ 551.056. Additional Posting Requirements for Certain Municipalities, Counties, School
Districts, Junior College Districts, Development Corporations, Authorities, and Joint Boards
(a) This section applies only to a governmental body or economic development
corporation that maintains an Internet website or for which an Internet website
is maintained. This section does not apply to a governmental body described by
Section 551.001(3)(D).
(b) In addition to the other place at which notice or an agenda of a meeting is
required to be posted by this subchapter, the following governmental bodies and
economic development corporations must also concurrently post notice of a
meeting and the agenda for the meeting on the Internet website of the
governmental body or economic development corporation:
(1) a municipality;
(2) a county;
(3) a school district;
(4) the governing body of a junior college or junior college district,
including a college or district that has changed its name in accordance
with Chapter 130, Education Code;
(5) a development corporation organized under the Development
Corporation Act (Subtitle C1, Title 12, Local Government Code);
(6) a regional mobility authority included within the meaning of an
“authority” as defined by Section 370.003, Transportation Code;
(7) a joint board created under Section 22.074, Transportation Code, and
(8) a district or authority created under Section 52, Article III, or Section
59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution.
(c) Repealed by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., ch. 855 (HB 3440), § 2, eff. Sept. 1,
2023.
(d) The validity of a posted notice of a meeting or an agenda by a governmental
body or economic development corporation subject to this section that made a
good faith attempt to comply with the requirements of this section is not
affected by a failure to comply with a requirement of this section that is due to
a technical problem beyond the control of the governmental body or economic
development corporation.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
96
SUBCHAPTER D. EXCEPTIONS TO REQUIREMENT THAT MEETINGS BE OPEN
§ 551.071. Consultation with Attorney; Closed Meeting
A governmental body may not conduct a private consultation with its attorney except:
(1) when the governmental body seeks the advice of its attorney about:
(A) pending or contemplated litigation; or
(B) a settlement offer; or
(2) on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body under
the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas
clearly conflicts with this chapter.
§ 551.072. Deliberation Regarding Real Property; Closed Meeting
A governmental body may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate the purchase, exchange, lease,
or value of real property if deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the
position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third person.
§ 551.0725. Commissioners Courts: Deliberation Regarding Contract Being Negotiated;
Closed Meeting
(a) The commissioners court of a county may conduct a closed meeting to
deliberate business and financial issues relating to a contract being negotiated
if, before conducting the closed meeting:
(1) the commissioners court votes unanimously that deliberation in an open
meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the
commissioners court in negotiations with a third person; and
(2) the attorney advising the commissioners court issues a written
determination that deliberation in an open meeting would have a
detrimental effect on the position of the commissioners court in
negotiations with a third person.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 551.103(a), Government Code, the commissioners
court must make a recording of the proceedings of a closed meeting to
deliberate the information.
§ 551.0726. Texas Facilities Commission: Deliberation Regarding Contract Being
Negotiated; Closed Meeting
(a) The Texas Facilities Commission may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate
business and financial issues relating to a contract being negotiated if, before
conducting the closed meeting:
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
97
(1) the commission votes unanimously that deliberation in an open meeting
would have a detrimental effect on the position of the state in
negotiations with a third person; and
(2) the attorney advising the commission issues a written determination
finding that deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental
effect on the position of the state in negotiations with a third person and
setting forth that finding therein.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 551.103(a), the commission must make a recording of
the proceedings of a closed meeting held under this section.
§ 551.073. Deliberation Regarding Prospective Gift; Closed Meeting
A governmental body may conduct a closed meeting to deliberate a negotiated contract for
a prospective gift or donation to the state or the governmental body if deliberation in an
open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in
negotiations with a third person.
§ 551.074. Personnel Matters; Closed Meeting
(a) This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting:
(1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment,
duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; or
(2) to hear a complaint or charge against an officer or employee.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if the officer or employee who is the subject of
the deliberation or hearing requests a public hearing.
§ 551.0745. Personnel Matters Affecting County Advisory Body; Closed Meeting
(a) This chapter does not require the commissioners court of a county to conduct
an open meeting:
(1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment,
duties, discipline, or dismissal of a member of an advisory body; or
(2) to hear a complaint or charge against a member of an advisory body.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if the individual who is the subject of the
deliberation or hearing requests a public hearing.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
98
§ 551.075. Conference Relating to Investments and Potential Investments Attended by Board
of Trustees of Texas Growth Fund; Closed Meeting
(a) This chapter does not require the board of trustees of the Texas growth fund to
confer with one or more employees of the Texas growth fund or with a third
party in an open meeting if the only purpose of the conference is to:
(1) receive information from the employees of the Texas growth fund or the
third party relating to an investment or a potential investment by the
Texas growth fund in:
(A) a private business entity, if disclosure of the information would give
advantage to a competitor; or
(B) a business entity whose securities are publicly traded, if the investment
or potential investment is not required to be registered under the
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. Section 78a et seq.),
and its subsequent amendments, and if disclosure of the information
would give advantage to a competitor; or
(2) question the employees of the Texas growth fund or the third party
regarding an investment or potential investment described by
Subdivision (1), if disclosure of the information contained in the
question or answers would give advantage to a competitor.
(b) During a conference under Subsection (a), members of the board of trustees of
the Texas growth fund may not deliberate public business or agency policy that
affects public business.
(c) In this section, “Texas growth fund” means the fund created by Section 70,
Article XVI, Texas Constitution.
§ 551.076. Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security Audits; Closed Meeting
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to deliberate:
(1) the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of security personnel
or devices; or
(2) a security audit.
§ 551.077. Agency Financed by Federal Government
This chapter does not require an agency financed entirely by federal money to conduct an open
meeting.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
99
§ 551.078. Medical Board or Medical Committee
This chapter does not require a medical board or medical committee to conduct an open meeting
to deliberate the medical or psychiatric records of an individual applicant for a disability benefit
from a public retirement system.
§ 551.0785. Deliberations Involving Medical or Psychiatric Records of Individuals
This chapter does not require a benefits appeals committee for a public self-funded health plan or
a governmental body that administers a public insurance, health, or retirement plan to conduct an
open meeting to deliberate:
(1) the medical records or psychiatric records of an individual applicant for a
benefit from the plan; or
(2) a matter that includes a consideration of information in the medical or
psychiatric records of an individual applicant for a benefit from the plan.
§ 551.079. Texas Department of Insurance
(a) The requirements of this chapter do not apply to a meeting of the commissioner
of insurance or the commissioner’s designee with the board of directors of a
guaranty association established under Chapter 2602, Insurance Code, or
Article 21.28–C or 21.28–D, Insurance Code,
558
in the discharge of the
commissioner’s duties and responsibilities to regulate and maintain the
solvency of a person regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance.
(b) The commissioner of insurance may deliberate and determine the appropriate
action to be taken concerning the solvency of a person regulated by the Texas
Department of Insurance in a closed meeting with persons in one or more of the
following categories:
(1) staff of the Texas Department of Insurance;
(2) a regulated person;
(3) representatives of a regulated person; or
(4) members of the board of directors of a guaranty association established
under Chapter 2602, Insurance Code, or Article 21.28–C or 21.28–D,
Insurance Code.
§ 551.080. Board of Pardons and Paroles
This chapter does not require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to conduct an open meeting
to interview or counsel an inmate of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
558
Now, repealed.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
100
§ 551.081. Credit Union Commission
This chapter does not require the Credit Union Commission to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate a matter made confidential by law.
§ 551.0811. The Finance Commission of Texas
This chapter does not require The Finance Commission of Texas to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate a matter made confidential by law.
§ 551.082. School Children; School District Employees; Disciplinary Matter or Complaint
(a) This chapter does not require a school board to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate in a case:
(1) involving discipline of a public school child; or
(2) in which a complaint or charge is brought against an employee of the
school district by another employee and the complaint or charge directly
results in a need for a hearing.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if an open hearing is requested in writing by a
parent or guardian of the child or by the employee against whom the complaint
or charge is brought.
§ 551.0821. School Board: Personally Identifiable Information about Public School Student
(a) This chapter does not require a school board to conduct an open meeting to
deliberate a matter regarding a public school student if personally identifiable
information about the student will necessarily be revealed by the deliberation.
(b) Directory information about a public school student is considered to be
personally identifiable information about the student for purposes of Subsection
(a) only if a parent or guardian of the student, or the student if the student has
attained 18 years of age, has informed the school board, the school district, or a
school in the school district that the directory information should not be released
without prior consent. In this subsection, “directory information” has the
meaning assigned by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g), as amended.
(c) Subsection (a) does not apply if an open meeting about the matter is requested
in writing by the parent or guardian of the student or by the student if the student
has attained 18 years of age.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
101
§ 551.083. Certain School Boards; Closed Meeting Regarding Consultation With
Representative of Employee Group
This chapter does not require a school board operating under a consultation agreement authorized
by Section 13.901, Education Code,
559
to conduct an open meeting to deliberate the standards,
guidelines, terms, or conditions the board will follow, or instruct its representatives to follow, in a
consultation with representative of an employee group.
§ 551.084. Investigation; Exclusion of Witness From Hearing
A governmental body that is investigating a matter may exclude a witness from a hearing
during the examination of another witness in the investigation.
§ 551.085. Governing Board of Certain Providers of Health Care Services
(a) This chapter does not require the governing board of a municipal hospital,
municipal hospital authority, county hospital, county hospital authority, hospital
district created under general or special law, or nonprofit health maintenance
organization created under Section 534.101, Health and Safety Code, to conduct
an open meeting to deliberate:
(1) pricing or financial planning information relating to a bid or negotiation
for the arrangement or provision of services or product lines to another
person if disclosure of the information would give advantage to
competitors of the hospital, hospital district, or nonprofit health
maintenance organization; or
(2) information relating to a proposed new service or product line of the
hospital, hospital district, or nonprofit health maintenance organization
before publicly announcing the service or product line.
(b) The governing board of a health maintenance organization created under
Section 281.0515, Health and Safety Code, that is subject to this chapter is not
required to conduct an open meeting to deliberate information described by
Subsection (a).
§ 551.086. Certain Public Power Utilities; Competitive Matters
(a) Notwithstanding anything in this chapter to the contrary, the rules provided by
this section apply to competitive matters of a public power utility.
(b) In this section:
(1) “Public power utility” means an entity providing electric or gas utility
services that is subject to the provisions of this chapter.
559
Now, repealed.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
102
(2) “Public power utility governing body” means the board of trustees or
other applicable governing body, including a city council, of a public
power utility.
(c) This chapter does not require a public power utility governing body to conduct
an open meeting to deliberate, vote, or take final action on any competitive
matter, as that term is defined by Section 552.133. This section does not limit
the right of a public power utility governing body to hold a closed session under
any other exception provided for in this chapter.
(d) For purposes of Section 551.041, the notice of the subject matter of an item that
may be considered as a competitive matter under this section is required to
contain no more than a general representation of the subject matter to be
considered, such that the competitive activity of the public power utility with
respect to the issue in question is not compromised or disclosed.
(e) With respect to municipally owned utilities subject to this section, this section
shall apply whether or not the municipally owned utility has adopted customer
choice or serves in a multiply certificated service area under the Utilities Code.
(f) Nothing in this section is intended to preclude the application of the
enforcement and remedies provisions of Subchapter G.
§ 551.087. Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations; Closed Meeting
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting:
(1) to discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial information that the
governmental body has received from a business prospect that the governmental
body seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near the territory of the
governmental body and with which the governmental body is conducting
economic development negotiations; or
(2) to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to business prospect
described by Subdivision (1).
§ 551.088. Deliberations Regarding Test Item
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to deliberate a test
item or information related to a test item if the governmental body believes that the test item may
be included in a test the governmental body administers to individuals who seek to obtain or renew
a license or certificate that is necessary to engage in an activity.
§ 551.089. Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security Audits; Closed Meeting
This chapter does not require a governmental body to conduct an open meeting to deliberate:
(1) security assessments or deployments relating to information resources
technology;
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
103
(2) network security information as described by Section 2059.055(b); or
(3) the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation, of security
personnel, critical infrastructure, or security devices.
§ 551.090. Enforcement Committee Appointed by Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
This chapter does not require an enforcement committee appointed by the Texas State Board of
Public Accountancy to conduct an open meeting to investigate and deliberate a disciplinary action
under Subchapter K, Chapter 901, Occupations Code, relating to the enforcement of Chapter 901
or the rules of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
§ 551.091. Commissioners Courts: Deliberation Regarding Disaster or Emergency
(a) This section applies only to the commissioners court of a county:
(1) for which the governor has issued an executive order or proclamation
declaring a state of disaster or a state of emergency; and
(2) in which transportation to the meeting location is dangerous or difficult
as a result of the disaster or emergency.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter and subject to Subsection
(c), a commissioners court to which this section applies may hold an open or
closed meeting, including a telephone conference call, solely to deliberate about
disaster or emergency conditions and related public safety matters that require
an immediate response without complying with the requirements of this
chapter, including the requirement to provide notice before the meeting or to
first convene in an open meeting.
(c) To the extent practicable under the circumstances, the commissioners court
shall provide reasonable public notice of a meeting under this section and if the
meeting is an open meeting allow members of the public and the press to
observe the meeting.
(d) The commissioners court:
(1) may not vote or take final action on a matter during a meeting under this
section; and
(2) shall prepare and keep minutes or a recording of a meeting under this
section and make the minutes or recording available to the public as
soon as practicable.
(e) This section expires September 1, 2027.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
104
SUBCHAPTER E. PROCEDURES RELATING TO CLOSED MEETING
§ 551.101. Requirement to First Convene in Open Meeting
If a closed meeting is allowed under this chapter, a governmental body may not conduct the closed
meeting unless a quorum of the governmental body first convenes in an open meeting for which
notice has been given as provided by this chapter and during which the presiding officer publicly:
(1) announces that a closed meeting will be held; and
(2) identifies the section or sections of this chapter under which the closed meeting
is held.
§ 551.102. Requirement to Vote or Take Final Action in Open Meeting
A final action, decision, or vote on a matter deliberated in a closed meeting under this chapter may
only be made in an open meeting that is held in compliance with the notice provisions of this
chapter.
§ 551.103. Certified Agenda or Recording Required
(a) A governmental body shall either keep a certified agenda or make a recording
of the proceedings of each closed meeting, except for a private consultation
permitted under Section 551.071.
(b) The presiding officer shall certify that an agenda kept under Subsection (a) is a
true and correct record of the proceedings.
(c) The certified agenda must include:
(1) a statement of the subject matter of each deliberation;
(2) a record of any further action taken; and
(3) an announcement by the presiding officer at the beginning and the end
of the meeting indicating the date and time.
(d) A recording made under Subsection (a) must include announcements by the
presiding officer at the beginning and the end of the meeting indicating the date
and time.
§ 551.104. Certified Agenda or Recording; Preservation; Disclosure
(a) A governmental body shall preserve the certified agenda or recording of a
closed meeting for at least two years after the date of the meeting. If an action
involving the meeting is brought within that period, the governmental body
shall preserve the certified agenda or recording while the action is pending.
(b) In litigation in a district court involving an alleged violation of this chapter, the
court:
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
105
(1) is entitled to make an in camera inspection of the certified agenda or
recording;
(2) may admit all or part of the certified agenda or recording as evidence,
on entry of a final judgment; and
(3) may grant legal or equitable relief it considers appropriate, including an
order that the governmental body make available to the public the
certified agenda or recording of any part of a meeting that was required
to be open under this chapter.
(c) The certified agenda or recording of a closed meeting is available for public
inspection and copying only under a court order issued under Subsection (b)(3).
SUBCHAPTER F. MEETINGS USING TELEPHONE, VIDEOCONFERENCE, OR
INTERNET
§ 551.121. Governing Board of Institution of Higher Education; Board for Lease of
University Lands; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: Special Meeting for
Immediate Action
(a) In this section, “governing board,” “institution of higher education,” and
“university system” have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, Education
Code.
(b) This chapter does not prohibit the governing board of an institution of higher
education, the Board for Lease of University Lands, or the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board from holding an open or closed meeting by
telephone conference call.
(c) A meeting held by telephone conference call authorized by this section may be
held only if:
(1) the meeting is a special called meeting and immediate action is required;
and
(2) the convening at one location of a quorum of the governing board, the
Board for Lease of University Lands, or the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, as applicable, is difficult or impossible.
(d) The telephone conference call meeting is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings.
(e) The notice of a telephone conference call meeting of a governing board must
specify as the location of the meeting the location where meetings of the
governing board are usually held. For a meeting of the governing board of a
university system, the notice must specify as the location of the meeting the
board’s conference room at the university system office. For a meeting of the
Board for Lease of University Lands, the notice must specify as the location of
the meeting a suitable conference or meeting room at The University of Texas
System office. For a meeting of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
106
Board, the notice must specify as the location of the meeting a suitable
conference or meeting room at the offices of the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board or at an institution of higher education.
(f) Each part of the telephone conference call meeting that is required to be open
to the public must be:
(1) audible to the public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting
as the location of the meeting;
(2) broadcast over the Internet in the manner prescribed by Section
551.128; and
(3) recorded and made available to the public in an online archive located
on the Internet website of the entity holding the meeting.
§ 551.122. Governing Board of Junior College District: Quorum Present at One Location
(a) This chapter does not prohibit the governing board of a junior college district
from holding an open or closed meeting by telephone conference call.
(b) A meeting held by telephone conference call authorized by this section may be
held only if a quorum of the governing board is physically present at the
location where meetings of the board are usually held.
(c) The telephone conference call meeting is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings.
(d) Each part of the telephone conference call meeting that is required to be open
to the public shall be audible to the public at the location where the quorum is
present and shall be recorded. The recording shall be made available to the
public.
(e) The location of the meeting shall provide two-way communication during the
entire telephone conference call meeting, and the identification of each party to
the telephone conference shall be clearly stated before the party speaks.
(f) The authority provided by this section is in addition to the authority provided
by Section 551.121.
(g) A member of a governing board of a junior college district who participates in
a board meeting by telephone conference call but is not physically present at
the location of the meeting is considered to be absent from the meeting for
purposes of Section 130.0845, Education Code.
§ 551.123. Texas Board of Criminal Justice
(a) The Texas Board of Criminal Justice may hold an open or closed emergency
meeting by telephone conference call.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
107
(b) The portion of the telephone conference call meeting that is open shall be
recorded. The recording shall be made available to be heard by the public at one
or more places designated by the board.
§ 551.124. Board of Pardons and Paroles
At the call of the presiding officer of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the board may hold a
hearing on clemency matters by telephone conference call.
§ 551.125. Other Governmental Body
(a) Except as otherwise provided by this subchapter, this chapter does not prohibit
a governmental body from holding an open or closed meeting by telephone
conference call.
(b) A meeting held by telephone conference call may be held only if:
(1) an emergency or public necessity exists within the meaning of Section
551.045 of this chapter; and
(2) the convening at one location of a quorum of the governmental body is
difficult or impossible; or
(3) the meeting is held by an advisory board.
(c) The telephone conference call meeting is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings.
(d) The notice of the telephone conference call meeting must specify as the location
of the meeting the location where meetings of the governmental body are
usually held.
(e) Each part of the telephone conference call meeting that is required to be open
to the public shall be audible to the public at the location specified in the notice
of the meeting as the location of the meeting and shall be recorded. The
recording shall be made available to the public.
(f) The location designated in the notice as the location of the meeting shall provide
two-way communication during the entire telephone conference call meeting
and the identification of each party to the telephone conference call shall be
clearly stated prior to speaking.
§ 551.126. Higher Education Coordinating Board
(a) In this section, “board” means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
(b) The board may hold an open meeting by telephone conference call or video
conference call in order to consider a higher education impact statement if the
preparation of a higher education impact statement by the board is to be
provided under the rules of either the house of representatives or the senate.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
108
(c) A meeting held by telephone conference call must comply with the procedures
described in Section 551.125.
(d) A meeting held by video conference call is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings. In addition, a meeting held by video conference
call shall:
(1) be visible and audible to the public at the location specified in the notice
of the meeting as the location of the meeting;
(2) be recorded by audio and video; and
(3) have two-way audio and video communications with each participant in
the meeting during the entire meeting.
§ 551.127. Videoconference Call
(a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, this chapter does not prohibit a
governmental body from holding an open or closed meeting by videoconference
call.
(a-1) A member or employee of a governmental body may participate remotely in a
meeting of the governmental body by means of a videoconference call if the
video and audio feed of the member’s or employee’s participation, as
applicable, is broadcast live at the meeting and complies with the provisions of
this section.
(a-2) A member of a governmental body who participates in a meeting as provided
by Subsection (a-1) shall be counted as present at the meeting for all purposes.
(a-3) A member of a governmental body who participates in a meeting by
videoconference call shall be considered absent from any portion of the meeting
during which audio or video communication with the member is lost or
disconnected. The governmental body may continue the meeting only if a
quorum of the body remains present at the meeting location or, if applicable,
continues to participate in a meeting conducted under Subsection (c).
(b) A meeting may be held by videoconference call only if a quorum of the
governmental body is physically present at one location of the meeting, except
as provided by Subsection (c).
(c) A meeting of a state governmental body or a governmental body that extends
into three or more counties may be held by videoconference call only if the
member of the governmental body presiding over the meeting is physically
present at one location of the meeting that is open to the public during the open
portions of the meeting.
(d) A meeting held by videoconference call is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings in addition to the notice requirements prescribed
by this section.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
109
(e) The notice of a meeting to be held by videoconference call must specify as a
location of the meeting the location where a quorum of the governmental body
will be physically present and specify the intent to have a quorum present at
that location, except that the notice of a meeting to be held by videoconference
call under Subsection (c) must specify as a location of the meeting the location
where the member of the governmental body presiding over the meeting will
be physically present and specify the intent to have the member of the
governmental body presiding over the meeting present at that location. The
location where the member of the governmental body presiding over the
meeting is physically present shall be open to the public during the open
portions of the meeting.
(f) Each portion of a meeting held by videoconference call that is required to be
open to the public shall be visible and audible to the public at the location
specified under Subsection (e). If a problem occurs that causes a meeting to no
longer be visible and audible to the public at that location, the meeting must be
recessed until the problem is resolved. If the problem is not resolved in six hours
or less, the meeting must be adjourned.
(g) The governmental body shall make at least an audio recording of the meeting.
The recording shall be made available to the public.
(h) The location specified under Subsection (e), and each remote location from
which a member of the governmental body participates, shall have two-way
audio and video communication with each other location during the entire
meeting. The face of each participant in the videoconference call, while that
participant is speaking, shall be clearly visible, and the voice audible, to each
other participant and, during the open portion of the meeting, to the members
of the public in attendance at a location of the meeting that is open to the public.
(i) The Department of Information Resources by rule shall specify minimum
standards for audio and video signals at a meeting held by videoconference call.
The quality of the audio and video signals perceptible at each location of the
meeting must meet or exceed those standards.
(j) The audio and video signals perceptible by members of the public at each
location of the meeting described by Subsection (h) must be of sufficient quality
so that members of the public at each location can observe the demeanor and
hear the voice of each participant in the open portion of the meeting.
(k) Without regard to whether a member of the governmental body is participating
in a meeting from a remote location by videoconference call, a governmental
body may allow a member of the public to testify at a meeting from a remote
location by videoconference call.
§ 551.128. Internet Broadcast of Open Meeting
(a) In this section, “Internet” means the largest nonproprietary cooperative public
computer network, popularly known as the Internet.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
110
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1) and subject to the requirements of this
section, a governmental body may broadcast an open meeting over the Internet.
(b-1) A transit authority or department subject to Chapter 451, 452, 453, or 460,
Transportation Code, an elected school district board of trustees for a school
district that has a student enrollment of 10,000 or more, an elected governing
body of a home-rule municipality that has a population of 50,000 or more, or a
county commissioners court for a county that has a population of 125,000 or
more shall:
(1) make a video and audio recording of reasonable quality of each:
(A) regularly scheduled open meeting that is not a work session or a
special called meeting; and
(B) open meeting that is a work session or special called meeting if:
(i) the governmental body is an elected school district board of
trustees for a school district that has a student enrollment of 10,000
or more; and
(ii) at the work session or special called meeting, the board of
trustees votes on any matter or allows public comment or testimony;
and
(2) make available an archived copy of the video and audio recording of
each meeting described by Subsection (1) on the Internet.
(b-2) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) may make available the
archived recording of a meeting required by Subsection (b-1) on an existing
Internet site, including a publicly accessible video-sharing or social networking
site. The governmental body is not required to establish a separate Internet site
and provide access to archived recordings of meetings from that site.
(b-3) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) that maintains an Internet
site shall make available on that site, in a conspicuous manner:
(1) the archived recording of each meeting to which Subsection (b-1)
applies; or
(2) an accessible link to the archived recording of each such meeting.
(b-4) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) shall:
(1) make the archived recording of each meeting to which Subsection (b-1)
applies available on the Internet not later than seven days after the date
the recording was made; and
(2) maintain the archived recording on the Internet for not less than two
years after the date the recording was first made available.
(b-5) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) is exempt from the
requirements of Subsections (b-2) and (b-4) if the governmental body’s failure
to make the required recording of a meeting available is the result of a
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
111
catastrophe, as defined by Section 551.0411, or a technical breakdown.
Following a catastrophe or breakdown, a governmental body must make all
reasonable efforts to make the required recording available in a timely manner.
(b-6) A governmental body described by Subsection (b-1) may broadcast a regularly
scheduled open meeting of the body on television.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (b-2), a governmental body that broadcasts a
meeting over the Internet shall establish an Internet site and provide access to
the broadcast from that site. The governmental body shall provide on the
Internet site the same notice of the meeting that the governmental body is
required to post under Subchapter C. The notice on the Internet must be posted
within the time required for posting notice under Subchapter C.
§ 551.1281. Governing Board of General Academic Teaching Institution or University
System: Internet Posting of Meeting Materials and Broadcast of Open Meeting
(a) In this section, “general academic teaching institution” and “university system”
have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.
(b) The governing board of a general academic teaching institution or of a
university system that includes one or more component general academic
teaching institutions, for any regularly scheduled meeting of the governing
board for which notice is required under this chapter, shall:
(1) post as early as practicable in advance of the meeting on the Internet
website of the institution or university system, as applicable, any written
agenda and related supplemental written materials provided to the
governing board members in advance of the meeting by the institution
or system for the members’ use during the meeting;
(2) broadcast the meeting, other than any portions of the meeting closed to
the public as authorized by law, over the Internet in the manner
prescribed by Section 551.128; and
(3) record the broadcast and make the recording publicly available in an
online archive located on the institution’s or university system’s Internet
website.
(c) Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to written materials that the general counsel or
other appropriate attorney for the institution or university system certifies are
confidential or may be withheld from public disclosure under Chapter 552.
(d) The governing board of a general academic teaching institution or of a
university system is not required to comply with the requirements of this section
if that compliance is not possible because of an act of God, force majeure, or a
similar cause not reasonably within the governing board’s control.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
112
§ 551.1282. Governing Board of Junior College District: Internet Posting of Meeting
Materials and Broadcast of Open Meeting
(a) This section applies only to the governing board of a junior college district with
a total student enrollment of more than 20,000 in any semester of the preceding
academic year.
(b) A governing board to which this section applies, for any regularly scheduled
meeting of the governing board for which notice is required under this chapter,
shall:
(1) post as early as practicable in advance of the meeting on the Internet
website of the district any written agenda and related supplemental
written materials provided by the district to the board members for the
members’ use during the meeting;
(2) broadcast the meeting, other than any portions of the meeting closed to
the public as authorized by law, over the Internet in the manner
prescribed by Section 551.128; and
(3) record the broadcast and make that recording publicly available in an
online archive located on the district’s Internet website.
(c) Subsection (b)(1) does not apply to written materials that the general counsel or
other appropriate attorney for the district certifies are confidential or may be
withheld from public disclosure under Chapter 552.
(d) The governing board of a junior college district is not required to comply with
the requirements of this section if that compliance is not possible because of an
act of God, force majeure, or a similar cause not reasonably within the
governing board’s control.
§ 551.1283. Governing Body of Certain Water Districts: Internet Posting of Meeting
Materials; Recording of Certain Hearings
(a) This section only applies to a special purpose district subject to Chapter 51, 53,
54, or 55, Water Code, that has a population of 500 or more.
(b) On written request of a district resident made to the district not later than the
third day before a public hearing to consider the adoption of an ad valorem tax
rate, the district shall make an audio recording of reasonable quality of the
hearing and provide the recording to the resident in an electronic format not
later than the fifth business day after the date of the hearing. The district shall
maintain a copy of the recording for at least one year after the date of the
hearing.
(c) A district shall post the minutes of the meeting of the governing body to the
district’s Internet website if the district maintains an Internet website.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
113
(d) A district that maintains an Internet website shall post on that website links to
any other Internet website or websites the district uses to comply with Section
2051.202 of this code and Section 26.18, Tax Code.
(e) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a district from allowing a person to watch
or listen to a board meeting by video or telephone conference call.
§ 551.129. Consultations Between Governmental Body and Its Attorney
(a) A governmental body may use a telephone conference call, video conference
call, or communications over the Internet to conduct a public consultation with
its attorney in an open meeting of the governmental body or a private
consultation with its attorney in a closed meeting of the governmental body.
(b) Each part of the public consultation by a governmental body with its attorney
in an open meeting of the governmental body under Subsection (a) must be
audible to the public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting as
the location of the meeting.
(c) Subsection (a) does not:
(1) authorize the members of a governmental body to conduct a meeting of
the governmental body by telephone conference call, video conference
call, or communications over the Internet; or
(2) create an exception to the application of this subchapter.
(d) Subsection (a) does not apply to a consultation with an attorney who is an
employee of the governmental body.
(e) For purposes of Subsection (d), an attorney who receives compensation for
legal services performed, from which employment taxes are deducted by the
governmental body, is an employee of the governmental body.
(f) Subsection (d) does not apply to:
(1) the governing board of an institution of higher education as defined by
Section 61.003, Education Code; or
(2) the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
§ 551.130. Board of Trustees of Teacher Retirement System of Texas: Quorum Present at One
Location
(a) In this section, “board” means the board of trustees of the Teacher Retirement
System of Texas.
(b) This chapter does not prohibit the board or a board committee from holding an
open or closed meeting by telephone conference call.
(c) The board or a board committee may hold a meeting by telephone conference
call only if a quorum of the applicable board or board committee is physically
present at one location of the meeting,
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
114
(d) A telephone conference call meeting is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings. The notice must also specify:
(1) the location of the meeting where a quorum of the board or board
committee, as applicable, will be physically present; and
(2) the intent to have a quorum present at that location.
(e) The location where a quorum is physically present must be open to the public
during the open portions of a telephone conference call meeting. The open
portions of the meeting must be audible to the public at the location where the
quorum is present and be recorded at that location. The recording shall be made
available to the public.
(f) The location of the meeting shall provide two-way communication during the
entire telephone conference call meeting, and the identification of each party to
the telephone conference call must be clearly stated before the party speaks.
(g) The authority provided by this section is in addition to the authority provided
by Section 551.125.
(h) A member of the board who participates in a board or board committee meeting
by telephone conference call but is not physically present at the location of the
meeting is not considered to be absent from the meeting for any purpose. The
vote of a member of the board who participates in a board or board committee
meeting by telephone conference call is counted for the purpose of determining
the number of votes cast on a motion or other proposition before the board or
board committee.
(i) A member of the board may participate remotely by telephone conference call
instead of by being physically present at the location of a board meeting for not
more than one board meeting per calendar year. A board member who
participates remotely in any portion of a board meeting by telephone conference
call is considered to have participated in the entire board meeting by telephone
conference call. For purposes of the limit provided by this subsection, remote
participation by telephone conference call in a meeting of a board committee
does not count as remote participation by telephone conference call in a meeting
of the board, even if:
(1) a quorum of the full board attends the board committee meeting; or
(2) notice of the board committee meeting is also posted as notice of a board
meeting.
(j) A person who is not a member of the board may speak at the meeting from a
remote location by telephone conference call.
§ 551.131. Water Districts
(a) In this section, “water district” means a river authority, groundwater
conservation district, water control and improvement district, or other district
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
115
created under Section 52, Article III, or Section 59, Article XVI, Texas
Constitution.
(b) This section applies only to a water district whose territory includes land in
three or more counties.
(c) A meeting held by telephone conference call or video conference call authorized
by this section may be held only if:
(1) the meeting is a special called meeting and immediate action is required;
and
(2) the convening at one location of a quorum of the governing body of the
applicable water district is difficult or impossible.
(d) A meeting held by telephone conference call must otherwise comply with the
procedures under Sections 551.125(c), (d), (e), and (f).
(e) A meeting held by video conference call is subject to the notice requirements
applicable to other meetings. In addition, a meeting held by video conference
call shall:
(1) be visible and audible to the public at the location specified in the notice
of the meeting as the location of the meeting;
(2) be recorded by audio and video; and
(3) have two-way audio and video communications with each participant in
the meeting during the entire meeting.
SUBCHAPTER G. ENFORCEMENT AND REMEDIES; CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS
§ 551.141. Action Voidable
An action taken by a governmental body in violation of this chapter is voidable.
§ 551.142. Mandamus; Injunction
(a) An interested person, including a member of the news media, may bring an
action by mandamus or injunction to stop, prevent, or reverse a violation or
threatened violation of this chapter by members of a governmental body.
(b) The court may assess costs of litigation and reasonable attorney fees incurred
by a plaintiff or defendant who substantially prevails in an action under
Subsection (a). In exercising its discretion, the court shall consider whether the
action was brought in good faith and whether the conduct of the governmental
body had a reasonable basis in law.
(c) The attorney general may bring an action by mandamus or injunction to stop,
prevent, or reverse a violation or threatened violation of Section 551.045(a-1)
by members of a governmental body.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
116
(d) A suit filed by the attorney general under Subsection (c) must be filed in a
district court of Travis County.
§ 551.143. Prohibited Series of Communications; Offense; Penalty
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if the member:
(1) knowingly engages in at least one communication among a series of
communications that each occur outside of a meeting authorized by this
chapter and that concern an issue within the jurisdiction of the
governmental body in which the members engaging in the individual
communications constitute fewer than a quorum of members but the
members engaging in the series of communications constitute a quorum
of the members; and
(2) knew at the time the member engaged in the communication that the
series of communications:
(A) involved or would involve a quorum; and
(B) would constitute a deliberation once a quorum of members
engaged in the series of communications.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500;
(2) confinement in the county jail for not less than one month or more than
six months; or
(3) both the fine and confinement.
§ 551.144. Closed Meeting; Offense; Penalty
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if a closed meeting is
not permitted under this chapter and the member knowingly:
(1) calls or aids in calling or organizing the closed meeting, whether it is a
special or called closed meeting;
(2) closes or aids in closing the meeting to the public, if it is a regular
meeting; or
(3) participates in the closed meeting, whether it is a regular, special, or
called meeting.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a misdemeanor punishable by:
(1) a fine of not less than $100 or more than $500;
(2) confinement in the county jail for not less than one month or more than
six months; or
(3) both the fine and confinement.
Appendix A: Text of the Open Meetings Act
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
117
(c) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) that the member
of the governmental body acted in reasonable reliance on a court order or a
written interpretation of this chapter contained in an opinion of a court of
record, the attorney general, or the attorney for the governmental body.
§ 551.145. Closed Meeting Without Certified Agenda or Recording; Offense; Penalty
(a) A member of a governmental body commits an offense if the member
participates in a closed meeting of the governmental body knowing that a
certified agenda of the closed meeting is not being kept or that a recording of
the closed meeting is not being made.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class C misdemeanor.
§ 551.146. Disclosure of Certified Agenda or Recording of Closed Meeting; Offense; Penalty;
Civil Liability
(a) An individual, corporation, or partnership that without lawful authority
knowingly discloses to a member of the public the certified agenda or recording
of a meeting that was lawfully closed to the public under this chapter:
(1) commits an offense; and
(2) is liable to a person injured or damaged by the disclosure for:
(A) actual damages, including damages for personal injury or damage,
lost wages, defamation, or mental or other emotional distress;
(B) reasonable attorney fees and court costs; and
(C) at the discretion of the trier of fact, exemplary damages.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a Class B misdemeanor.
(c) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a)(1) and an affirmative defense
to a civil action under Subsection (a)(2) that:
(1) the defendant had good reason to believe the disclosure was lawful; or
(2) the disclosure was the result of a mistake of fact concerning the nature
or content of the certified agenda or recording.
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
118
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
Cases
Acker v. Tex. Water Comm’n, 790 S.W.2d 299 (Tex. 1990) ............................................ 19, 29, 77
Argyle Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Wolf, 234 S.W.3d 229 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2007, no pet.) ........ 38
Asgeirsson v. Abbott, 773 F. Supp. 2d 684 (W.D. Tex. 2011), aff’d, 696 F. 3d 454 (5th Cir.
2012), cert. denied, 568 U.S. 1249 (2013) ................................................................................ 75
Austin Transp. Study Pol’y Advisory Comm. v. Sierra Club, 843 S.W.2d 683 (Tex. App.—
Austin 1992, writ denied) .......................................................................................................... 70
Axtell v. Univ. of Tex., 69 S.W.3d 261 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002, no pet.) ................................. 58
Bd. of Trs. v. Cox Enters., Inc., 679 S.W.2d 86 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 1984), aff’d in part,
rev’d in part on other grounds, 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986) ................................ 47, 48, 54, 69
Beasley v. Molett, 95 S.W.3d 590 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2002, pet. denied) ...................... 12, 16
Bexar Medina Atascosa Landowners’ Ass’n, 2 S.W.3d 459 (Tex. App.—San Antonio
1999, pet. denied) ................................................................................................................ 19, 79
Blankenship v. Brazos Higher Educ. Auth., Inc., 975 S.W.2d 353 (Tex. App.—Waco 1998,
pet. denied) ................................................................................................................................ 13
Boston v. Garrison, 256 S.W.2d 67 (Tex. 1953) .......................................................................... 68
Bowen v. Calallen Indep. Sch. Dist., 603 S.W.2d 229 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1980,
writ ref’d n.r.e.) ......................................................................................................................... 54
Burks v. Yarbrough, 157 S.W.3d 876 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2005, no pet.) ...... 31, 69
Burleson v. Collin Cnty. Cmty. Coll. Dist., No. 05-21-00088-CV, 2022 WL 17817965 (Tex.
App.—Dallas Dec. 20, 2022, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) ........................................................ 6, 7, 68
Cameron Cnty. Good Gov’t League v. Ramon, 619 S.W.2d 224 (Tex. App.—Beaumont
1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.) ............................................................................................................... 69
Cent. Power & Light Co v. City of San Juan, 962 S.W.2d 602 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi
1998, writ dism’d w.o.j.) ........................................................................................................... 46
Charlestown Homeowners Ass’n, Inc. v. LaCoke, 507 S.W.2d 876 (Tex. App.—Dallas
1974, writ ref’d n.r.e.) ............................................................................................................... 45
Charlie Thomas Ford, Inc., v. A.C. Collins Ford, Inc., 912 S.W.2d 271 (Tex. App.—Austin
1995, writ dism’d) ..................................................................................................................... 29
City of Austin v. Evans, 794 S.W.2d 78 (Tex. App.—Austin 1990, no writ) ............................... 13
City of Bells v. Greater Texoma Util. Auth., 744 S.W.2d 636 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1987, no
writ) ........................................................................................................................................... 71
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
119
City of Brownsville v. Brownsville GMS, Ltd., No. 13-19-00311-CV, 2021 WL 1804388,
at *8 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi-Edinburg May 6, 2021, no pet.) ................................... 71, 72
City of Dallas v. Parker, 737 S.W.2d 845 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1987, no writ) ...................... 48, 54
City of Donna v. Ramirez, 548 S.W.3d 26 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2017, pet. denied) .. 31, 69
City of Elsa v. Gonzalez, 325 S.W.3d 622 (Tex. 2010) ................................................................ 78
City of Farmers Branch v. Ramos, 235 S.W.3d 462 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2007, no pet.) ............. 51
City of Fort Worth v. Groves, 746 S.W.2d 907 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 1988, no writ) ............ 69
City of Garland v. Dallas Morning News, 22 S.W.3d 351 (Tex. 2000) ....................................... 79
City of Laredo v. Escamilla, 219 S.W.3d 14 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2006, pet. denied) .... 1, 51
City of Port Isabel v. Pinnell, 161 S.W.3d 233 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2005, no pet.) ....... 69
City of San Angelo v. Tex. Nat. Res. Conservation Comm’n, 92 S.W.3d 624 (Tex. App.—
Austin 2002, no pet.) ................................................................................................................. 30
City of San Antonio v. Aguilar, 670 S.W.2d 681 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1984, writ
dism’d) ...................................................................................................................................... 46
City of San Antonio v. Fourth Court of Appeals, 820 S.W.2d 762 (Tex. 1991) . 3, 8, 28, 29, 30, 34
City of San Antonio v. River City Cabaret, Ltd., 32 S.W.3d 291 (Tex. App.—San Antonio
2000, pet. denied) ...................................................................................................................... 72
City of San Benito v. Rio Grande Valley Gas Co., 109 S.W.3d 750 (Tex. 2003)......................... 46
City of Stephenville v. Tex. Parks & Wildlife Dep’t, 940 S.W.2d 667 (Tex. App.—Austin
1996, writ denied) ..................................................................................................................... 47
Collin Cnty., Tex. v. Homeowners Ass’n for Values Essential to Neighborhoods, 716 F.
Supp. 953 (N.D. Tex. 1989) ...................................................................................................... 71
Comm’rs Ct. of Limestone Cnty. v. Garrett, 236 S.W. 970 (Tex. [Comm’n Op.] 1922) ............... 2
Common Cause v. Metro. Transit Auth., 666 S.W.2d 610 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]
1984, writ ref’d n.r.e.) ............................................................................................................... 41
Cooksey v. State, 377 S.W.3d 901 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2012, no pet.) ..................................... 74
Corpus Christi Classroom Tchrs. Ass’n v. Corpus Christi Indep. Sch. Dist., 535 S.W.2d
429 (Tex. Civ. App.—Corpus Christi 1976, no writ) ............................................................... 54
Cox Enters., Inc. v. Bd. of Trs., 706 S.W.2d 956 (Tex. 1986) ............................ 1, 8, 28, 30, 43, 49
Dallas Cnty. Flood Control Dist. No. 1 v. Cross, 815 S.W.2d 271 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1991,
writ denied) ......................................................................................................................... 53, 72
Dallas Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Peters, No. 05-14-00759-CV, 2015 WL 8732420, at *9 (Tex.
App.—Dallas Dec. 14, 2015, pet. denied) (mem. op.) ................................................................ 7
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
120
Dees v. Austin Travis Cnty. Mental Health & Mental Retardation, 860 F. Supp. 1186 (W.D.
Tex. 1994) ................................................................................................................................. 78
Elizondo v. Williams, 643 S.W.2d 765 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1982, no writ) ....................... 23
Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm’n v. City of Orange, Tex., 905 F. Supp. 381 (E.D. Tex.
1995) .................................................................................................................................... 66, 67
Esperanza Peace & Just. Ctr. v. City of San Antonio, 316 F. Supp. 2d. 433 (W.D. Tex.
2001) .......................................................................................................................................... 22
Faulder v. Tex. Bd. of Pardons & Paroles, 990 S.W.2d 944 (Tex. App.—Austin 1999, pet
ref’d) ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Ferris v. Tex. Bd. of Chiropractic Exam’rs, 808 S.W.2d 514 (Tex. App.—Austin 1991,
writ denied) ................................................................................................................... 70, 71, 72
Fielding v. Anderson, 911 S.W.2d 858 (Tex. App.—Eastland 1995, writ denied) ........................ 1
Finlan v. City of Dallas, 888 F. Supp. 779 (N.D. Tex. 1995)..................................... 15, 51, 52, 63
Fiske v. City of Dallas, 220 S.W.3d 547 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2007, no pet.) ........................ 14
Foreman v. Whitty, 392 S.W.3d 265 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012, no pet.) ........................... 22
Friends of Canyon Lake, Inc. v. Guadalupe-Blanco River Auth., 96 S.W.3d 519 (Tex.
App.—Austin 2002, pet. denied) .............................................................................................. 31
Garcia v. City of Kingsville, 641 S.W.2d 339 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1982, no writ) ......... 41
Gardner v. Herring, 21 S.W.3d 767 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2000, no pet.) ........................... 50, 54
Gulf Reg’l Educ. Television Affiliates v. Univ. of Houston, 746 S.W.2d 803 (Tex. App.—
Houston [14th Dist.] 1988, writ denied) ....................................................................... 12, 20, 47
Hardy v. Carthage Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 2:19-CV-00277, 2022 WL 609151 (E.D. Tex.
Mar. 1, 2022). ........................................................................................................................ 6, 74
Harris Cnty. Emergency Serv. Dist. No. 1 v. Harris Cnty. Emergency Corps, 999 S.W.2d
163 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1999, no pet.) .............................................................. 23
Hays Cnty. v. Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship, 106 S.W.3d 349 (Tex. App.—Austin 2003,
no pet.) ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Hays Cnty. v. Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship, 69 S.W.3d 253 (Tex. App.—Austin 2002,
no pet.) ....................................................................................................................................... 68
Hays Cnty. Water Plan. P’ship v. Hays Cnty., 41 S.W.3d 174 (Tex. App.—Austin 2001,
pet. denied) .................................................................................................................... 31, 32, 69
Hill v. Palestine Indep. Sch. Dist., 113 S.W.3d 14 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2000, pet. denied) .......... 71
Hispanic Educ. Comm. v. Houston Indep. Sch. Dist., 886 F. Supp. 606 (S.D. Tex. 1994),
aff’d, 68 F.3d 467 (5th Cir. 1995) ............................................................................................. 53
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
121
Hitt v. Mabry, 687 S.W.2d 791 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1985, no writ)............................. 22, 23
In re City of Amarillo, No. 07-22-00341-CV, 2023 WL 5279473 (Tex. App.—Amarillo
Aug. 16, 2023, no pet. h.) (mem. op.) ............................................................................... 7, 8, 30
In re City of Galveston, No. 14-14-01005-CV, 2015 WL 971314 (Tex. App.—Houston
[14th Dist.] March 3, 2015, orig. proceeding) (mem. op.) ........................................................ 50
In re Smith Cnty., 521 S.W.3d 447 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2017, no pet.) ......................................... 66
In re The Tex. Senate, 36 S.W.3d 119 (Tex. 2000)................................................................. 17, 18
James v. Hitchcock Indep. Sch. Dist., 742 S.W.2d 701 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]
1987, writ denied) ..................................................................................................................... 54
Killam Ranch Props., Ltd. v. Webb Cnty., 376 S.W.3d 146 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012,
pet. denied) ................................................................................................................................ 51
Lone Star Greyhound Park, Inc. v. Tex. Racing Comm’n, 863 S.W.2d 742 (Tex. App.—
Austin 1993, writ denied) .............................................................................................. 30, 49, 50
Lower Colo. River Auth. v. City of San Marcos, 523 S.W.2d 641 (Tex. 1975) ................ 30, 71, 72
Lugo v. Donna Indep. Sch. Dist. Bd. of Trs., 557 S.W.3d 93 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi
2017, no pet.) ............................................................................................................................. 30
Mares v. Tex. Webb Cnty., No. 5:18-CV-121, 2020 WL 619902, at *4–5 (S.D. Tex. Feb.
10, 2020) .................................................................................................................................... 28
Markowski v. City of Marlin, 940 S.W.2d 720 (Tex. App.—Waco 1997, writ denied) ............... 41
Martin v. Victoria Indep. Sch. Dist., 972 S.W.2d 815 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 1998,
pet. denied) ................................................................................................................................ 69
Martinez v. State, 879 S.W.2d 54 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994) .............................................. 43, 49, 75
Matagorda Cnty. Hosp. Dist. v. City of Palacios, 47 S.W.3d 96, (Tex. App.—Corpus
Christi 2001, no pet.) ................................................................................................................. 69
Mayes v. City of De Leon, 922 S.W.2d 200, 203 (Tex. App.—Eastland 1996, writ denied) ....... 30
Nash v. Civil Serv. Comm’n, 864 S.W.2d 163 (Tex. App.—Tyler 1993, no writ). ................ 47, 48
Olympic Waste Servs. v. City of Grand-Saline, 204 S.W.3d 496 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2006,
no pet.) ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Pete v. Dunn, No. 1:21-CV-546, 2022 WL 2032306 (E.D. Tex. May 11, 2022) ..................... 6, 73
Piazza v. City of Granger, 909 S.W.2d 529 (Tex. App.—Austin 1995, no writ) ......................... 41
Point Isabel Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Hinojosa, 797 S.W.2d 176 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi
1990, writ denied) ......................................................................................................... 28, 30, 71
Porth v. Morgan, 622 S.W.2d 470 (Tex. App.—Tyler 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.) ...................... 28, 72
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
122
Rettberg v. Tex. Dep’t of Health, 873 S.W.2d 408, (Tex. App.—Austin 1994, no writ) ....... 28, 29
Riley v. Comm’rs Court, 413 S.W.3d 774 (Tex. App.—Austin 2013, pet. denied) ..................... 68
River Rd. Neighborhood Ass’n v. S. Tex. Sports, 720 S.W.2d 551 (Tex. App.—San Antonio
1986, writ dism’d) ......................................................................................................... 31, 40, 41
Rivera v. City of Laredo, 948 S.W.2d 787 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1977, writ denied) 42, 68, 69
Rubalcaba v. Raymondville Indep. Sch. Dist., No. 13-14-00224-CV, 2016 WL 1274486
(Tex. App.—Corpus Christi, Mar. 31, 2016, no pet.) (mem. op.) ............................................ 46
Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. Austin Indep. Sch. Dist., 973 S.W.2d 378 (Tex. App.—Austin
1998, no pet.) ............................................................................................................................. 52
Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. City of Dripping Springs, 304 S.W.3d 871 (Tex. App.—
Austin 2010, pet. denied) .......................................................................................................... 30
Save Our Springs All., Inc. v. Lowry, 934 S.W.2d 161, 163 (Tex. App.—Austin 1996, orig.
proceeding [leave denied]) .................................................................................................... 7, 69
Shackelford v. City of Abilene, 585 S.W.2d 665 (Tex. 1979) ................................................... 3, 76
Sierra Club v. Austin Transp. Study Pol’y Advisory Comm., 746 S.W.2d 298 (Tex. App.—
Austin 1988, writ denied) .............................................................................................. 14, 15, 37
Smith Cnty. v. Thornton, 726 S.W.2d 2 (Tex. 1986) .................................................................... 37
Spiller v. Tex. Dep’t of Ins., 949 S.W.2d 548 (Tex. App.—Austin 1997, writ denied) ................ 47
Standley v. Sansom, 367 S.W.3d 343 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2012, pet. denied) ................... 49
State ex rel. Durden v. Shahan, 658 S.W.3d 300 (Tex. 2022) .................................................. 7, 68
State v. Williams, 780 S.W.2d 891 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1989, no writ) ............................. 68
Stockdale v. Meno, 867 S.W.2d 123 (Tex. App.—Austin 1993, writ denied) ........................ 29, 30
Stratta v. Roe, 961 F.3d 340, 363 (5th Cir. 2020)......................................................................... 44
Swate v. Medina Cmty. Hosp., 966 S.W.2d 693 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1998, pet.
denied) ................................................................................................................................. 47, 54
Tarrant Reg’l Water Dist. v. Bennett, 453 S.W.3d 51, 58 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2014,
pet. denied) ................................................................................................................................ 16
Terrell v. Pampa Indep. Sch. Dist., 345 S.W.3d 641(Tex. App.—Amarillo 2011, pet.
denied) ....................................................................................................................................... 38
Terrell v. Pampa Indep. Sch. Dist., 572 S.W.3d 294 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2019, pet.
denied) ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Tex. State Bd. of Dental Exam’rs v. Silagi, 766 S.W.2d 280 (Tex. App.—El Paso 1989,
writ denied) ................................................................................................................................. 2
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
123
Tex. State Bd. of Pub. Accountancy v. Bass, 366 S.W.3d 751 (Tex. App.—Austin 2012, no
pet.) ................................................................................................................................ 46, 47, 50
Tex. Tpk. Auth. v. City of Fort Worth, 554 S.W.2d 675 (Tex. 1977) ............................................ 29
Thompson v. City of Austin, 979 S.W.2d 676 (Tex. App.—Austin 1998, no pet.) ....................... 54
Tovar v. State, 978 S.W.2d 584 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998) ............................................................. 75
Town of Shady Shores v. Swanson, 590 S.W.3d 544, 554 (Tex. 2019) ........................................ 69
Toyah Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Pecos-Barstow Indep. Sch. Dist., 466 S.W.2d 377 (Tex. App.—
San Antonio 1971, no writ) ............................................................................................. 1, 47, 71
Tyler v. City of Manhattan, 849 F. Supp. 1429 (D. Kan. 1994) ............................................. 77, 78
United Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Gonzalez, 911 S.W.2d 118 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 1995),
writ denied, 940 S.W.2d 593 (Tex. 1996) ................................................................................. 57
Washington v. Burley, 930 F. Supp. 2d 790, 807 (S.D. Tex. 2013) ............................................. 29
Weatherford v. City of San Marcos, 157 S.W.3d 473 (Tex. App.—Austin 2004, pet. denied)
................................................................................................................................................... 50
Webster v. Tex. & Pac. Motor Transp. Co., 166 S.W.2d 75 (Tex. 1942) ............................. 1, 2, 46
Willmann v. City of San Antonio, 123 S.W.3d 469 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2003, pet.
denied) ................................................................................................................................... 1, 15
York v. Tex. Guaranteed Student Loan Corp., 408 S.W.3d 677 (Tex. App.—Austin 2013,
no pet.) ................................................................................................................................. 64, 79
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
124
Open Meetings Act Provisions
551.001(2) ......................................................................................................................... 19, 20, 43
551.001(3) ............................................................................................................................... 17, 20
551.001(3)(A) ......................................................................................................................... 12, 44
551.001(3)(B)–(L) ........................................................................................................................ 44
551.001(3)(D) ............................................................................................................................... 13
551.001(3)(H) ............................................................................................................................... 14
551.001(3)(J)–(K) ......................................................................................................................... 17
551.001(4) ............................................................................................................................... 12, 43
551.001(4)(A) ......................................................................................................................... 19, 21
551.001(4)(B)................................................................................................................................ 21
551.001(4)(B)(iv) .......................................................................................................................... 44
551.001(6) ....................................................................................................................................... 2
551.0015........................................................................................................................................ 12
551.002.................................................................................................................................... 11, 19
551.003.......................................................................................................................................... 12
551.0035........................................................................................................................................ 34
551.004.......................................................................................................................................... 76
551.006.......................................................................................................................................... 22
551.006(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 22
551.006(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 22
551.006(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 22
551.006(e) ..................................................................................................................................... 22
551.007.......................................................................................................................................... 44
551.007(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 44
551.007(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 44
551.007(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 45
551.007(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 45
551.007(e) ..................................................................................................................................... 45
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
125
551.021.......................................................................................................................................... 64
551.021(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 80
551.022.......................................................................................................................................... 64
551.023.......................................................................................................................................... 46
551.041.......................................................................................................................................... 28
551.0411(a) ................................................................................................................................... 42
551.0411(c) ................................................................................................................................... 42
551.0415(a) ................................................................................................................................... 32
551.0415(b). .................................................................................................................................. 32
551.042.................................................................................................................................... 31, 45
551.043(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 32
551.043(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 33
551.043(b)(3) ................................................................................................................................ 34
551.044.......................................................................................................................................... 33
551.045.......................................................................................................................................... 40
551.045(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 40
551.045(a-1) .................................................................................................................................. 41
551.045(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 40
551.045(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 40
551.046.................................................................................................................................... 33, 34
551.047(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 40
551.047(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 40
551.056(b) ................................................................................................................................. 4, 38
551.056(b)(8) .................................................................................................................................. 4
551.056(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 38
551.071.......................................................................................................................................... 50
551.071(1) ..................................................................................................................................... 50
551.071(2) ..................................................................................................................................... 50
551.071–.091................................................................................................................................. 49
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
126
551.072.......................................................................................................................................... 51
551.0725(b) ................................................................................................................................... 65
551.0726........................................................................................................................................ 53
551.0726(b) ................................................................................................................................... 65
551.073.......................................................................................................................................... 53
551.074.......................................................................................................................................... 53
551.074(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 54
551.0745........................................................................................................................................ 54
551.075.......................................................................................................................................... 55
551.076.......................................................................................................................................... 55
551.077.................................................................................................................................... 11, 55
551.078.......................................................................................................................................... 55
551.0785........................................................................................................................................ 55
551.082.......................................................................................................................................... 57
551.085.......................................................................................................................................... 58
551.086.......................................................................................................................................... 59
551.086(b)(1) ................................................................................................................................ 59
551.086(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 59
551.086(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 59
551.087.......................................................................................................................................... 59
551.088.......................................................................................................................................... 60
551.089.......................................................................................................................................... 60
551.090.......................................................................................................................................... 60
551.091(a) ............................................................................................................................... 24, 41
551.091(a)–(b) .............................................................................................................................. 61
551.091(b) ................................................................................................................... 24, 28, 41, 43
551.091(c) ............................................................................................................................... 28, 41
551.091(d)(1) ................................................................................................................................ 41
551.091(d)(2) .......................................................................................................................... 42, 65
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
127
551.091(e) ......................................................................................................................... 24, 42, 61
551.101................................................................................................................................ 1, 43, 49
551.102.................................................................................................................................... 46, 47
551.103.......................................................................................................................................... 80
551.103(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 65
551.103(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 65
551.103(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 65
551.104.................................................................................................................................... 66, 80
551.104(a) ............................................................................................................................... 65, 66
551.121(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 23
551.121–.126................................................................................................................................. 23
551.123.......................................................................................................................................... 23
551.124.......................................................................................................................................... 23
551.125(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 23
551.125(b)–(f) ............................................................................................................................... 23
551.127.......................................................................................................................................... 24
551.127(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(a-1) .................................................................................................................................. 25
551.127(a-2) .................................................................................................................................. 26
551.127(a-3) .................................................................................................................................. 26
551.127(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(e) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(f)...................................................................................................................................... 26
551.127(g) ..................................................................................................................................... 26
551.127(h) ..................................................................................................................................... 25
551.127(i) ...................................................................................................................................... 26
551.127(j) ...................................................................................................................................... 25
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
128
551.127(k) ..................................................................................................................................... 26
551.128(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 26
551.128(b-1).................................................................................................................................. 26
551.128(b-1)(1) ............................................................................................................................. 27
551.128(b-1)(B) ............................................................................................................................ 27
551.128(b-2).................................................................................................................................. 27
551.128(b-4)(1) ............................................................................................................................. 27
551.128(b-4)(2) ............................................................................................................................. 27
551.1281–.1282................................................................................................................. 27, 38, 39
551.1283(a)–(b) ............................................................................................................................ 64
551.1283(b) ............................................................................................................................. 65, 67
551.1283(d) ................................................................................................................................... 65
551.1283(e) ................................................................................................................................... 26
551.129(a), (d) .............................................................................................................................. 24
551.129(e) ..................................................................................................................................... 24
551.129(f)...................................................................................................................................... 24
551.129–.131................................................................................................................................. 23
551.130.......................................................................................................................................... 24
551.141.............................................................................................................................. 28, 37, 70
551.142.......................................................................................................................................... 68
551.142(a) ..................................................................................................................................... 69
551.142(b) ..................................................................................................................................... 70
551.142(c) ............................................................................................................................... 41, 70
551.142(d) ..................................................................................................................................... 41
551.143.......................................................................................................................................... 74
551.143(a)(1) ................................................................................................................................ 22
551.143(a)(2) ................................................................................................................................ 22
551.144.......................................................................................................................................... 75
551.144(c) ..................................................................................................................................... 75
Appendix B: Table of Authorities
2024 Open Meetings Handbook • Office of the Attorney General
129
551.145.................................................................................................................................... 65, 73
551.146.................................................................................................................................... 66, 73
551.146(a)(2) ................................................................................................................................ 70
