HB2927

THE CONTEXT: Arizona's public meeting laws require meetings of public bodies to be conducted openly and notices and agendas be provided for such meetings that contain information that is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided. Public entities can be subject to public records requests and must make publicly available a way to contact the entity.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require the minutes or recording of a meeting be available online within three working days after the meeting and remain available for public indefinitely, allow public bodies to make an open call to the public during a meeting to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the public body's jurisdiction, and exempt executive sessions from posting a notice that specifies the applicable period of a notice unless they comply with other notice requirements for executive sessions.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for public meetings into an enforceable rule. It would require the minutes or recording of a meeting be available online within three working days after the meeting and remain available for public indefinitely, and would also allow public bodies to make an open call to the public during a meeting to allow individuals to address the public body on any issue within the public body's jurisdiction, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.