House Study Bill 59



                                       SENATE/HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED CITIZENS'
                                            AIDE/OMBUDSMAN BILL)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to meetings of governmental bodies.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  3 TLSB 1279DP 81
  4 rh/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 21.2, subsection 2, Code 2005, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    2.  "Meeting" means a gathering in person or by electronic
  1  4 means, formal or informal, of a majority of the members of a
  1  5 governmental body where there is deliberation or action upon
  1  6 any matter within the scope of the governmental body's policy=
  1  7 making duties.  A meeting includes a series of gatherings of
  1  8 members who constitute less than a majority of the members at
  1  9 each gathering, but who collectively constitute a majority of
  1 10 the members, where the series of gatherings includes
  1 11 deliberation or action upon any matter within the scope of the
  1 12 governmental body's policy=making duties.  Meetings A meeting
  1 13 shall not include a gathering of members of a governmental
  1 14 body for purely ministerial or social purposes when there is
  1 15 no discussion of policy or no intent to avoid the purposes of
  1 16 this chapter.
  1 17                           EXPLANATION
  1 18    This bill expands the definition of a meeting under the
  1 19 open meetings law to include serial gatherings of members of a
  1 20 governmental body who constitute less than a majority of the
  1 21 members at each gathering, but who collectively constitute a
  1 22 majority of the members, where the series of gatherings
  1 23 includes deliberation or action upon any matter within the
  1 24 scope of the governmental body's policy=making duties.
  1 25 Currently, a majority of the members of a governmental body
  1 26 who attend a gathering and deliberate or take action upon any
  1 27 matter within the scope of the governmental body's policy=
  1 28 making duties are subject to the requirements of Iowa's open
  1 29 meetings law, which requires advance public notice and public
  1 30 access.
  1 31 LSB 1279DP 81
  1 32 rh/sh/8