HB558 Alabama 2021 Session

Under existing law, certain governmental bodies may conduct meetings where certain members may participate by means of telephone conference, video conference, or other similar communications equipment, so long as all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time

However, participants communicating in this manner are not considered present at the meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum

This bill would provide that at every meeting of a governmental body, members may participate in the meeting through electronic communication, and such participation by a member is considered present for purposes of establishing a quorum

This bill would provide if a meeting is conducted through electronic communication, the meeting must be conducted in such a manner as to allow members of the public to hear all persons participating remotely and participate as otherwise required by the Open Meetings Act

This bill would also provide that if a meeting of a governmental body is conducted through electronic communication, the governmental body must post a summary of the meeting in a prominent location on its website or, if it has no website, in any other location or using any other method designed to provide reasonable notice to the public. The summary shall recount the deliberations conducted and the actions taken with reasonable specificity to allow the public to understand what happened at the meeting summarized

Relating to the Alabama Open Meetings Act; to amend Section 36-25A-5.1, Code of Alabama 1975, to further provide for participation by electronic communications at meetings of certain governmental bodies.