2006 Legislation
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SENATE BILL NO. 1287 – Open meeting law violation, fines

SENATE BILL NO. 1287

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Bill Status



S1287..........................................................by SCHROEDER
OPEN MEETING LAW - Amends existing law to further define the term
"governing body" for open meeting law purposes; and to increase the maximum
fines for violation of the open meeting law.
                                                                        
01/20    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
01/23    Rpt prt - to St Aff

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2006
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                                                                        
                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1287
                                                                        
                                        BY SCHROEDER
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO THE OPEN MEETING LAW; AMENDING SECTION  67-2341,  IDAHO  CODE,  TO
  3        FURTHER  DEFINE  THE  TERM "GOVERNING BODY"; AND AMENDING SECTION 67-2347,
  4        IDAHO CODE, TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM FINES FOR VIOLATION OF THE OPEN  MEET-
  5        ING LAW AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION.
                                                                        
  6    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  7        SECTION  1.  That  Section 67-2341, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
  8    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
  9        67-2341.  OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS -- DEFINITIONS. As used in this act:
 10        (1)  "Decision" means any determination, action, vote or final disposition
 11    upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, ordinance or measure  on  which  a
 12    vote  of  a  governing  body  is required, at any meeting at which a quorum is
 13    present, but shall not include those  ministerial  or  administrative  actions
 14    necessary to carry out a decision previously adopted in a meeting held in com-
 15    pliance with sections 67-2342 through 67-2346, Idaho Code.
 16        (2)  "Deliberation"  means the receipt or exchange of information or opin-
 17    ion relating to a decision, but shall not include informal or  impromptu  dis-
 18    cussions of a general nature which do not specifically relate to a matter then
 19    pending before the public agency for decision.
 20        (3)  "Executive  session" means any meeting or part of a meeting of a gov-
 21    erning body which is closed to any persons for deliberation  on  certain  mat-
 22    ters.
 23        (4)  "Public agency" means:
 24        (a)  any  state  board,  commission,  department,  authority,  educational
 25        institution or other state agency which is created by or pursuant to stat-
 26        ute,  other than courts and their agencies and divisions, and the judicial
 27        council, and the district magistrates commission;
 28        (b)  any regional board, commission, department or authority created by or
 29        pursuant to statute;
 30        (c)  any county, city, school district, special district, or other munici-
 31        pal corporation or political subdivision of the state of Idaho;
 32        (d)  any subagency of a public agency which is created by or  pursuant  to
 33        statute, ordinance, or other legislative act.
 34        (5)  "Governing  body"  means  the members of any public agency which con-
 35    sists of two (2) or more members, with the authority to make decisions for  or
 36    recommendations  to  a public agency regarding any matter. The term "governing
 37    body" shall include any members of a public agency regardless of whether those
 38    members receive funding from the public agency as long as the members are act-
 39    ing on behalf of the public agency.
 40        (6)  "Meeting" means the convening of a governing body of a public  agency
 41    to make a decision or to deliberate toward a decision on any matter.
 42        (a)  "regular meeting" means the convening of a governing body of a public
 43        agency  on  the  date fixed by law or rule, to conduct the business of the
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1        agency.
  2        (b)  "special meeting" is a convening of the governing body  of  a  public
  3        agency pursuant to a special call for the conduct of business as specified
  4        in the call.
                                                                        
  5        SECTION  2.  That  Section 67-2347, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
  6    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
  7        67-2347.  VIOLATIONS. (1) If an action, or any deliberation  or  decision-
  8    making  decision  making  that leads to an action, occurs at any meeting which
  9    fails to comply with the provisions of sections 67-2340 through 67-2346, Idaho
 10    Code, such action shall be null and void.
 11        (2)  Any member of the governing body governed by the provisions  of  sec-
 12    tions  67-2340 through 67-2346, Idaho Code, who knowingly conducts or partici-
 13    pates in a meeting which violates the provisions of this act shall be  subject
 14    to  a  fine  not  to exceed one five hundred fifty dollars ($1500) for a first
 15    violation and not to exceed three hundred one thousand dollars  ($31,000)  for
 16    each subsequent violation as a civil penalty.
 17        (3)  The attorney general shall have the duty to enforce this act in rela-
 18    tion  to public agencies of state government, and the prosecuting attorneys of
 19    the various counties shall have the duty to enforce this act  in  relation  to
 20    local public agencies within their respective jurisdictions. In the event that
 21    there  is reason to believe that a violation of the provisions of this act has
 22    been committed by members of a board of county commissioners or, for any other
 23    reason a county prosecuting attorney is deemed disqualified from proceeding to
 24    enforce this act, the prosecuting attorney or board  of  county  commissioners
 25    shall seek to have a special prosecutor appointed for that purpose as provided
 26    in section 31-2603, Idaho Code.
 27        (4)  Any  person affected by a violation of the provisions of this act may
 28    commence a civil action in the magistrate division of the  district  court  of
 29    the  county  in  which  the public agency ordinarily meets, for the purpose of
 30    requiring compliance with provisions of this act. No  private  action  brought
 31    pursuant  to this subsection shall result in the assessment of a civil penalty
 32    against any member of a public agency and there shall be no private  right  of
 33    action  for damages arising out of any violation of the provisions of sections
 34    67-2342 through 67-2346, Idaho Code. Any suit brought for the purpose of  hav-
 35    ing  an  action declared or determined to be null and void pursuant to subsec-
 36    tion (1) of this section shall be commenced within thirty  (30)  days  of  the
 37    time  of the violation or alleged violation of the provisions of this act. Any
 38    other suit brought under the provisions of this  section  shall  be  commenced
 39    within  one  hundred eighty (180) days of the time of the violation or alleged
 40    violation of the provisions of this act.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS 15620

This bill pertains to the open meeting law and defines the term
"governing body".  It would also increase the maximum fines for
violation.



                           FISCAL NOTE

There is no fiscal impact.





Contact
Name: Roger Falen 
Phone: 208-285-1116




STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                        S 1287