2007 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 224 – Meetings, public place/exec session

HOUSE BILL NO. 224

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Bill Status



H0224......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
OPEN MEETINGS - Amends existing law relating to open meetings to require
that meetings be held in a public place; to define a term; to specify
matters to be included in the minutes of an executive session; to provide
an exception to when an executive session may be held; to increase fines;
and to extend a time limitation.
                                                                        
02/22    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/23    Rpt prt - to St Aff

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   First Regular Session - 2007
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 224
                                                                        
                                 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO OPEN MEETINGS; AMENDING SECTION 67-2342, IDAHO  CODE,  TO  REQUIRE
  3        THAT  MEETINGS  BE  HELD  IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND TO DEFINE A TERM; AMENDING
  4        SECTION 67-2344, IDAHO CODE, TO SPECIFY MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE MIN-
  5        UTES OF AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION;  AMENDING
  6        SECTION  67-2345, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION TO WHEN AN EXECUTIVE
  7        SESSION MAY BE HELD  AND  TO  REVISE  TERMINOLOGY;  AND  AMENDING  SECTION
  8        67-2347, IDAHO CODE, TO INCREASE FINES AND TO EXTEND A TIME LIMITATION.
                                                                        
  9    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
 10        SECTION  1.  That  Section 67-2342, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 11    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 12        67-2342.  GOVERNING BODIES -- REQUIREMENT FOR OPEN  PUBLIC  MEETINGS.  (1)
 13    Except  as provided below, all meetings of a governing body of a public agency
 14    shall be held in a public place and shall be open to the public and  all  per-
 15    sons  shall be permitted to attend any meeting except as otherwise provided by
 16    this act. No decision at a meeting of a governing  body  of  a  public  agency
 17    shall  be made by secret ballot. As used in this section, "public place" means
 18    any area that is used or held out for use by the general public whether  owned
 19    or  operated  by public or private interests and excludes a private residence,
 20    but does not include a site visit.
 21        (2)  Deliberations of the board of tax  appeals  created  in  chapter  38,
 22    title  63, Idaho Code, the public utilities commission and the industrial com-
 23    mission in a fully submitted adjudicatory proceeding in which hearings, if any
 24    are required, have been completed, and in which the legal  rights,  duties  or
 25    privileges  of  a  party  are to be determined are not required by this act to
 26    take place in a meeting open to the public. Such deliberations  may,  however,
 27    be made and/or conducted in a public meeting at the discretion of the agency.
 28        (3)  Meetings  of the Idaho life and health insurance guaranty association
 29    established under chapter 43, title 41, Idaho Code, the Idaho insurance  guar-
 30    anty  association  established under chapter 36, title 41, Idaho Code, and the
 31    surplus line association approved by the director of the Idaho  department  of
 32    insurance  as  authorized  under  chapter  12,  title  41, Idaho Code, are not
 33    required by this act to take place in a meeting open to the public.
 34        (4)  A governing body shall not hold a meeting at any place where discrim-
 35    ination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age  or  national  origin  is
 36    practiced.
 37        (5)  All  meetings may be conducted using telecommunications devices which
 38    enable all members of a governing body participating in the meeting to  commu-
 39    nicate  with  each  other.  Such  devices may include, but are not limited to,
 40    telephone or video conferencing devices and similar communications  equipment.
 41    Participation  by  a  member  of the governing body through telecommunications
 42    devices shall constitute presence in person by such  member  at  the  meeting;
 43    provided  however,  that at least one (1) member of the governing body, or the
                                                                        
                                       2
                                                                        
  1    director of the public agency, or the chief administrative officer of the pub-
  2    lic agency shall be physically present at the location designated in the meet-
  3    ing notice, as required under section 67-2343, Idaho Code, to ensure that  the
  4    public  may attend such meeting in person. The communications among members of
  5    a governing body must be audible to the public attending the meeting in person
  6    and the members of the governing body.
                                                                        
  7        SECTION 2.  That Section 67-2344, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
  8    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
  9        67-2344.  WRITTEN  MINUTES OF MEETINGS. (1) The governing body of a public
 10    agency shall provide for the taking of written minutes of  all  its  meetings.
 11    Neither  a  full transcript nor a recording of the meeting is required, except
 12    as otherwise provided by law. All minutes shall be  available  to  the  public
 13    within  a  reasonable  time  after the meeting, and shall include at least the
 14    following information:
 15        (a)  All members of the governing body present;
 16        (b)  All motions, resolutions, orders, or ordinances  proposed  and  their
 17        disposition;
 18        (c)  The  results of all votes, and upon the request of a member, the vote
 19        of each member, by name;.
 20        (2)  Minutes of executive sessions may be limited to material the  disclo-
 21    sure  of  which  is  not  inconsistent with the provisions of section 67-2345,
 22    Idaho Code, but shall contain sufficient detail to convey the general tenor of
 23    the meeting. The minutes of each executive session shall include  the  general
 24    subject matter and a summary of the proceedings.
                                                                        
 25        SECTION  3.  That  Section 67-2345, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 26    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 27        67-2345.  EXECUTIVE SESSIONS -- WHEN AUTHORIZED. (1) Nothing contained  in
 28    this  act shall be construed to prevent, upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote recorded
 29    in the minutes of the meeting by individual vote, a governing body of a public
 30    agency from holding an executive session during any meeting, after the presid-
 31    ing officer has identified the authorization under this act for the holding of
 32    such executive session. An executive session may be held:
 33        (a)  To consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or  indi-
 34        vidual  agent.  This  paragraph  does not apply to filling a vacancy in an
 35        elective office;
 36        (b)  To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to  hear
 37        complaints  or  charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff
 38        member or individual agent, or public school student;
 39        (c)  To conduct deliberations concerning labor negotiations or to  acquire
 40        an  interest  in real property which is not owned by a public agency; pro-
 41        vided however, that a governing body organized under chapter 20, title 50,
 42        Idaho Code, shall not hold an executive session to  conduct  deliberations
 43        concerning the acquisition of any interest in real property;
 44        (d)  To  consider  records  that are exempt from disclosure as provided in
 45        chapter 3, title 9, Idaho Code;
 46        (e)  To consider preliminary negotiations involving matters  of  trade  or
 47        commerce in which the governing body is in competition with governing bod-
 48        ies in other states or nations;
 49        (f)  To  consider  consult and advise its legal representatives in counsel
 50        concerning pending litigation or where there is a general public awareness
 51        of probable litigation;
                                                                        
                                       3
                                                                        
  1        (g)  By the commission of pardons and parole, as provided by law;
  2        (h)  By the sexual offender classification board, as provided  by  chapter
  3        83, title 18, Idaho Code;
  4        (i)  By  the custody review board of the Idaho department of juvenile cor-
  5        rections, as provided by law.
  6        (2)  Labor negotiations may be conducted in executive  session  if  either
  7    side  requests  closed  meetings.  Notwithstanding  the  provisions of section
  8    67-2343, Idaho Code, subsequent sessions  of  the  negotiations  may  continue
  9    without further public notice.
 10        (3)  No  executive session may be held for the purpose of taking any final
 11    action or making any final decision.
                                                                        
 12        SECTION 4.  That Section 67-2347, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
 13    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 14        67-2347.  VIOLATIONS.  (1)  If an action, or any deliberation or decision-
 15    making that leads to an action, occurs at any meeting which  fails  to  comply
 16    with  the  provisions  of  sections  67-2340 through 67-2346, Idaho Code, such
 17    action shall be null and void.
 18        (2)  Any member of the governing body governed by the provisions  of  sec-
 19    tions  67-2340 through 67-2346, Idaho Code, who knowingly conducts or partici-
 20    pates in a meeting which violates the provisions of this act shall be  subject
 21    to  a  fine  not  to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($15,000) for a
 22    first violation and  not    to  exceed  three  hundred  two  thousand  dollars
 23    ($32,000)  for each subsequent violation as a civil penalty. Any fine assessed
 24    pursuant to this subsection (2) shall be the individual responsibility of  the
 25    governing body member and shall not be paid by the public agency.
 26        (3)  The attorney general shall have the duty to enforce this act in rela-
 27    tion  to public agencies of state government, and the prosecuting attorneys of
 28    the various counties shall have the duty to enforce this act  in  relation  to
 29    local public agencies within their respective jurisdictions. In the event that
 30    there  is reason to believe that a violation of the provisions of this act has
 31    been committed by members of a board of county commissioners or, for any other
 32    reason a county prosecuting attorney is deemed disqualified from proceeding to
 33    enforce this act, the prosecuting attorney or board  of  county  commissioners
 34    shall seek to have a special prosecutor appointed for that purpose as provided
 35    in section 31-2603, Idaho Code.
 36        (4)  Any  person affected by a violation of the provisions of this act may
 37    commence a civil action in the magistrate division of the  district  court  of
 38    the  county  in  which  the public agency ordinarily meets, for the purpose of
 39    requiring compliance with provisions of this act. No  private  action  brought
 40    pursuant  to this subsection shall result in the assessment of a civil penalty
 41    against any member of a public agency and there shall be no private  right  of
 42    action  for damages arising out of any violation of the provisions of sections
 43    67-2342 through 67-2346, Idaho Code. Any suit brought for the purpose of  hav-
 44    ing  an  action declared or determined to be null and void pursuant to subsec-
 45    tion (1) of this section shall be commenced within  thirty  (30)  ninety  (90)
 46    days  of  the  time of the violation or alleged violation of the provisions of
 47    this act. Any other suit brought under the provisions of this section shall be
 48    commenced within one hundred eighty (180) days of the time of the violation or
 49    alleged violation of the provisions of this act.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS 17035

The purpose of this legislation is to amend the open meeting laws
to ensure that the meetings are held in a public place, bring
clarity to what is included in the minutes of an executive
session, provide an exception to when a executive session may be
held and to increase the fines.  
                                
                                
                          FISCAL NOTE

There is no fiscal impact. 



Contact
Name:     Rep. Jim Clark 
Phone:    332-1000



STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                         H 224