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HB0049 • 2024

By the people act.

AN ACT relating to public meetings; requiring audio or video access to public meetings to the extent practicable; providing for public comment at public meetings; specifying when minutes of a public meeting are required to be made available to the public; requiring an agency that makes an audio or video recording of a public meeting to make the recording available for the public; authorizing an agency to erase or destroy a recording after a specified time; authorizing broadcasting or recording of public meetings; and providing for an effective date.

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Representative Penn
Last action
2024-02-16
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2024

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how agencies will carry out the process of erasing or destroying recordings after five years.

By the People Act

The By the People Act requires public meetings to provide audio or video access when practical, allows for public comments during meetings, mandates that minutes and recordings of these meetings are made available to the public, and sets rules on how long these records must be kept.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires public meetings to provide live remote audio or video access if it is practicable.
  • Allows members of the public to comment at meetings either through a timed period or until the agency decides enough time has been given.
  • Mandates that minutes from all public meetings are made available online on the agency's website for at least five years, unless another accessible location is provided.
  • Requires agencies to make audio and video recordings of public meetings available to the public online or in a place where everyone can access them.
  • Authorizes agencies to erase or destroy these recordings after a minimum period of five years.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Government agencies that hold public meetings
  • Members of the public who want to attend and comment on public meetings

Terms To Know

Public Meeting
A gathering where government officials discuss or make decisions about matters affecting the community, which must be open to everyone.
Minutes
Written records of what happened during a public meeting, including who was there and what was discussed.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.
  • It specifies that agencies can erase or destroy recordings after five years but does not detail how this process will be carried out.

Bill History

  1. 2024-02-16 House

    H Did not Consider for Introduction

  2. 2024-01-24 House

    H Received for Introduction

  3. 2024-01-09 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
24LSO-0292
2024
STATE OF WYOMING
24LSO-0292
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0049

By the people act.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Penn, Bear, Heiner, Jennings, Ottman, Pendergraft, Singh, Smith, Strock and Ward and Senator(s) Laursen, D and Salazar

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to public meetings; requiring audio or video access to public meetings to the extent practicable; providing for public comment at public meetings; specifying when minutes of a public meeting are required to be made available to the public; requiring an agency that makes an audio or video recording of a public meeting to make the recording available for the public; authorizing an agency to erase or destroy a recording after a specified time; authorizing broadcasting or recording of public meetings; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 16
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4
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403(a), (b), (c)(intro) and by creating a new subsection (e) is amended to read:

16
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4
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403.

Meetings to be open; participation by public; minutes; recordings.

(a)

All meetings of the governing body of an agency are public meetings, open to the public at all times, except as otherwise provided.
To the extent practicable, public meetings shall provide live remote audio or video access to the meeting by members of the public.
No action of a governing body of an agency shall be taken except during a public meeting following notice of the meeting in accordance with this act. Action taken at a meeting not in conformity with this act is null and void and not merely voidable.

(b)

A member of the public is not required as a condition of attendance at any meeting to register his name, to supply information, to complete a questionnaire, or fulfill any other condition precedent to his attendance. A person seeking recognition at the meeting may be required to give his name and affiliation.
If an agency provides a timed public comment period for a specific agenda item or for general public comment, the public comment period shall not be closed until the timed public comment period has elapsed. An agency that does not provide a timed public comment period shall allow a reasonable amount of time per agenda item for members of the public to provide public comment.

(c)

Minutes shall be compiled for each public meeting. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and in W.S. 16
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4
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405(b), the minutes from the meeting shall be made available to the public on the website of the agency or at another location that is accessible to the public, provided that the minutes may be removed from the website of the agency after a time specified by the agency if the time is not less than five (5) years and a copy of the minutes remains available for public inspection.
Minutes of a meeting:

(e)

Meetings that permit live remote audio or video access to the meeting by members of the public as provided in subsection (a) of this section shall be recorded. The unaltered, original audio or video recording of a public meeting made for whatever purpose by or at the direction of the agency shall be made available to the public on the website of the agency or at another location that is accessible to the public. The agency may establish a standard time period to erase or destroy recordings under this subsection, provided that the time period shall not be less than five (5) years. No agency shall prohibit or restrict the broadcast or audio or video recording of a public meeting unless the agency reasonably determines that the broadcast or recording would cause a disruption of the meeting.

Section 2
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This act is effective July 1, 2024
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(END)

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HB0049