Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                             AN ACT

                                       ________________

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                   _______________________

To amend, on an emergency basis, the Open Meetings Act of 2010 to provide that a meeting

      shall be deemed open to the public if the public body takes steps reasonably calculated to

      allow the public to view or hear the meeting while the meeting is taking place, or, if

      doing so is not technologically feasible, as soon thereafter as reasonably practicable.

       BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

act may be cited as the “Virtual Open Meetings Authority Extension Emergency Amendment

Act of 2024”.

         Sec. 2. The Open Meetings Act of 2010, effective March 31, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-350;

D.C. Official Code § 2-571 et seq.), is amended as follows:

         (a) Section 405(a) (D.C. Official Code § 2-575(a)) is amended as follows:

                 (1) Paragraph (2) is amended by striking the phrase “; or” and inserting a

semicolon in its place.

                 (2) Paragraph (3) is amended by striking the period and inserting the phrase “; or”

in its place.

                 (3) A new paragraph (4) is added to read as follows:

                 “(4) The public body takes steps reasonably calculated to allow the public to view

or hear the meeting while the meeting is taking place, or, if doing so is not technologically

feasible, as soon thereafter as reasonably practicable.”.

         (b) Section 407(a)(1) (D.C. Official Code § 2-577(a)(1)) is amended by striking the

phrase “attend the meeting;” and inserting the phrase “attend the meeting, or steps are taken that

are reasonably calculated to allow the public to view or hear the meeting while the meeting is

taking place, or, if doing so is not technologically feasible, as soon thereafter as reasonably

practicable;” in its place.

       Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.

       The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement of the Budget Director as the fiscal impact

statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved

October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).

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                                                               ENROLLED ORIGINAL

       Sec. 4. Effective date.

       This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the

Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), and shall remain in effect for no longer than

90 days, as provided for emergency acts of the Council of the District of Columbia in section

412(a) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 788;

D.C. Official Code § 1-204.12(a)).

               ______________________________

               Chairman

               Council of the District of Columbia

_________________________________

Mayor

District of Columbia

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