Bill Text: TX SB623 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of a public information Internet website.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-13 - Referred to Business & Commerce [SB623 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB623-Introduced.html
| 85R7123 YDB-D | ||
| By: Burton | S.B. No. 623 | |
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| relating to the establishment of a public information Internet | ||
| website. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subtitle A, Title 5, Government Code, is amended | ||
| by adding Chapter 561 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 561. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE | ||
| Sec. 561.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
| (1) "Governmental entity" means: | ||
| (A) a state agency in the executive, legislative, | ||
| or judicial branch of state government, including an institution of | ||
| higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code; or | ||
| (B) a political subdivision of this state. | ||
| (2) "Public information" means a public or legal | ||
| notice that a governmental entity is required to publish under a | ||
| statute or rule and any other information that a governmental | ||
| entity submits for publication on the public information Internet | ||
| website. | ||
| (3) "Public information Internet website" means the | ||
| official state Internet website developed and maintained by the | ||
| comptroller under this chapter. | ||
| Sec. 561.002. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE. (a) | ||
| The comptroller shall develop and maintain an Internet website of | ||
| public information, including archived public information. | ||
| (b) The public information Internet website must be | ||
| designed to: | ||
| (1) allow a governmental entity to easily post public | ||
| information or the comptroller to post public information on | ||
| receipt of the information from the entity; | ||
| (2) allow the public to search and sort the public | ||
| information on the Internet website by: | ||
| (A) a specific municipality or county; | ||
| (B) a governmental entity name; | ||
| (C) the type of governmental entity; | ||
| (D) the date the public information is submitted; | ||
| (E) the date an event or deadline stated in the | ||
| public information occurred; and | ||
| (F) any additional criteria approved by the | ||
| comptroller; | ||
| (3) allow the public to search and view archived | ||
| public information posted on the Internet website; | ||
| (4) allow a person to subscribe to e-mail notices of | ||
| public information associated with a specific governmental entity; | ||
| (5) be easily accessible by the public 24 hours a day, | ||
| 7 days a week, through the Texas.gov Internet website that includes | ||
| a direct link to the public information Internet website; | ||
| (6) have a unique and easy to remember Internet | ||
| website address; and | ||
| (7) have adequate systems for protection, backup, and | ||
| contingency planning to address power outages, systematic | ||
| failures, and electronic security. | ||
| (c) The comptroller shall develop a process for a | ||
| governmental entity to access the public information Internet | ||
| website to post public information or modify information previously | ||
| posted by the entity or to submit the information or modified | ||
| information to the comptroller for posting on the Internet website. | ||
| Sec. 561.003. REQUIRED SUBMISSION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION. | ||
| Each governmental entity: | ||
| (1) shall submit for inclusion on the public | ||
| information Internet website any public or legal notice the entity | ||
| is required to publish under statute or rule; and | ||
| (2) may submit any other public information the entity | ||
| elects to submit. | ||
| Sec. 561.004. PUBLIC INFORMATION INTERNET WEBSITE DOES NOT | ||
| SATISFY PUBLICATION REQUIREMENT. A governmental entity's | ||
| submission of public information to the public information Internet | ||
| website does not satisfy a publication requirement under other law. | ||
| Submission of public information to the Internet website shall be | ||
| made in addition to any other publication requirement. | ||
| Sec. 561.005. IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY OR PENALTY. A | ||
| governmental entity that in good faith attempts to submit public | ||
| information to the public information Internet website and that | ||
| satisfies the publication requirements for that information under | ||
| other law is not subject to liability or other penalty for a failure | ||
| in posting the public information to the public information | ||
| Internet website or in delivery of an e-mail notice of the posted | ||
| public information. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, but not later than September 1, 2018: | ||
| (1) the comptroller of public accounts shall develop | ||
| the public information Internet website as required by Chapter 561, | ||
| Government Code, as added by this Act; and | ||
| (2) each governmental entity in this state shall begin | ||
| submitting public information to the public information Internet | ||
| website in the format and manner required by the comptroller and | ||
| Chapter 561, Government Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
