Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1420 By: Mann
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act;
7 amending 25 O.S. 2021, Section 311, as amended by
8 Section 1, Chapter 60, O.S.L. 2024 (25 O.S. Supp.
8 2025, Section 311), which relates to notice;
9 permitting public bodies to provide opportunity for
9 public comment; authorizing certain limitations on
10 public comment; updating statutory language; updating
10 statutory references; and providing an effective
11 date.
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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 25 O.S. 2021, Section 311, as
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15 amended by Section 1, Chapter 60, O.S.L. 2024 (25 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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16 Section 311), is amended to read as follows:
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17 Section 311. A. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law,
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18 all regularly scheduled, continued or reconvened, special or
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19 emergency meetings of public bodies shall be preceded by public
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20 notice as follows:
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21 1. All public bodies shall give notice in writing by December
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22 15 of each calendar year of the schedule showing the date, time and
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23 place of the regularly scheduled meetings of such public bodies for
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24 the following calendar year;
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1 2. All state public bodies including, but not limited to,
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2 public trusts and other bodies with the state as beneficiary, shall
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3 give such notice to the Secretary of State;
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4 3. All county public bodies including, but not limited to,
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5 public trusts and any other bodies with the county as beneficiary,
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6 shall give such notice to the county clerk of the county wherein
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7 they are principally located;
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8 4. All municipal public bodies including, but not limited to,
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9 public trusts and any other bodies with the municipality as
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10 beneficiary, shall give such notice to the municipal clerk of the
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11 municipality wherein they are principally located;
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12 5. All multicounty, regional, areawide area-wide or district
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13 public bodies including, but not limited to, district boards of
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14 education, shall give such notice to the county clerk of the county
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15 wherein they are principally located, or if no office exists, to the
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16 county clerk of the county or counties served by such public body;
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17 6. All governing boards of state institutions of higher
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18 education, and committees and subcommittees thereof, shall give such
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19 notice to the Secretary of State. All other public bodies covered
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20 by the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act which exist under
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21 the auspices of a state institution of higher education, but a
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22 majority of whose members are not members of the institution's
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23 governing board, shall give such notice to the county clerk of the
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24 county wherein the institution is principally located;
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1 7. The Secretary of State and each county clerk or municipal
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2 clerk shall keep a record of all notices received in a register open
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3 to the public for inspection during regular office hours, and, in
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4 addition, shall make known upon any request of any person the
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5 contents of the register;
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6 8. If any change is to be made of the date, time or place of
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7 regularly scheduled meetings of public bodies, then notice in
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8 writing shall be given to the Secretary of State or county clerk or
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9 municipal clerk, as required herein, not less than ten (10) days
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10 prior to the implementation of any such change;
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11 9. a. In addition to the advance public notice in writing
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12 required to be filed for regularly scheduled meetings,
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13 described in paragraph 1 of this subsection, all
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14 public bodies shall, at least twenty-four (24) hours
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15 prior to such regularly scheduled meetings, display
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16 public notice of the meeting by at least one of the
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17 following methods:
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18 (1) by posting information that includes the date,
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19 time, place and agenda for the meeting in
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20 prominent public view at the principal office of
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21 the public body or at the location of the meeting
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22 if no office exists, or
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23 (2) by posting on the public body's Internet website
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24 the date, time, place and agenda for the meeting
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1 in accordance with Section 3106.2 311.1 of Title
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2 74 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Additionally,
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3 the public body shall offer and consistently
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4 maintain an email distribution system for
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5 distribution of such notice of a public meeting
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6 required by this subsection, and any person may
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7 request to be included without charge, and their
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8 request shall be accepted. The emailed notice of
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9 a public meeting required by this subsection
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10 shall include in the body of the email or as an
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11 attachment to the email the date, time, place and
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12 agenda for the meeting and it shall be sent no
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13 less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the
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14 meeting. Additionally, the public body shall
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15 make the notice of a public meeting required by
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16 this subsection available to the public in the
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17 principal office of the public body or at the
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18 location of the meeting during normal business
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19 hours at least twenty�four (24) hours prior to
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20 the meeting.
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21 b. In addition to the notice requirements of this
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22 section, all state public bodies, as defined provided
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23 in paragraph 2 of this subsection, shall, at least
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1 twenty-four (24) hours prior to regularly scheduled
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2 meetings, display public notice of the meeting by:
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3 (1) posting information that includes the date, time,
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4 place and agenda for the meeting in prominent
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5 public view at the principal office of the public
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6 body or at the location of the meeting if no
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7 office exists, and
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8 (2) posting on the public body's Internet website the
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9 date, time, place and agenda for the meeting in
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10 accordance with Section 3106.2 311.1 of Title 74
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11 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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12 10. The twenty-four (24) hours required in paragraph 9 of this
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13 subsection shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays legally
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14 declared by the State of Oklahoma. The posting or distribution of a
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15 notice of a public meeting as described in paragraph 9 of this
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16 subsection shall not preclude a public body from considering at its
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17 regularly scheduled meeting any new business. "New business", as
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18 used herein, shall mean any matter not known about or which could
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19 not have been reasonably foreseen prior to the time of the posting;
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20 11. In the event any meeting is to be continued or reconvened,
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21 public notice of such action including the date, time and place of
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22 the continued meeting, shall be given by announcement at the
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23 original meeting. Only matters appearing on the agenda of the
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1 meeting which is continued may be discussed at the continued or
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2 reconvened meeting;
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3 12. Special meetings of public bodies shall not be held without
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4 public notice being given at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to
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5 the meetings. Such public notice of date, time and place shall be
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6 given in writing, in person or by telephonic means to the Secretary
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7 of State or to the county clerk or to the municipal clerk by public
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8 bodies in the manner set forth in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of
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9 this subsection. The public body also shall cause written notice of
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10 the date, time and place of the meeting to be mailed or delivered to
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11 each person, newspaper, wire service, radio station and television
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12 station that has filed a written request for notice of meetings of
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13 the public body with the clerk or secretary of the public body or
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14 with some other person designated by the public body. Such written
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15 notice shall be mailed or delivered at least forty-eight (48) hours
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16 prior to the special meeting. The public body may charge a fee of
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17 up to Eighteen Dollars ($18.00) per year to persons or entities
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18 filing a written request for notice of meetings, and may require
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19 such persons or entities to renew the request for notice annually.
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20 In addition, all public bodies shall, at least twenty-four (24)
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21 hours prior to such special meetings, display public notice of the
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22 meeting, setting forth thereon the date, time, place and agenda for
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23 the meeting. Only matters appearing on the posted agenda may be
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24 considered at the special meeting. Such public notice shall be
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1 posted in prominent public view at the principal office of the
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2 public body or at the location of the meeting if no office exists.
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3 Twenty-four (24) hours prior public posting shall exclude Saturdays,
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4 Sundays and holidays legally declared by the State of Oklahoma. In
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5 lieu of the public posting requirements of this paragraph, a public
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6 body may elect to follow the requirements found in division (2) of
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7 subparagraph a of paragraph 9 of this subsection, provided that
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8 forty-eight-hour notice is required for special meetings and that
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9 the forty-eight-hour requirement shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays
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10 and holidays legally declared by the State of Oklahoma;
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11 13. In the event of an emergency, an emergency meeting of a
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12 public body may be held without the public notice heretofore
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13 required. Should an emergency meeting of a public body be
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14 necessary, the person calling such a meeting shall give as much
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15 advance public notice as is reasonable and possible under the
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16 circumstances existing, in person or by telephonic or electronic
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17 means; and
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18 14. A public body that gives public notice of a meeting for
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19 which there will be a videoconference option in accordance with
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20 Section 307.1 of this title shall not modify the method of meeting
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21 described in the notice prior to the meeting and shall conduct the
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22 meeting according to the methods described in the notice. If a code
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23 or password is required to access the videoconference meeting, the
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24 code or password shall be included in the public notice.
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1 B. 1. All agendas required pursuant to the provisions of this
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2 section shall identify all items of business to be transacted by a
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3 public body at a meeting including, but not limited to, any proposed
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4 executive session for the purpose of engaging in deliberations or
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5 rendering a final or intermediate decision in an individual
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6 proceeding prescribed by the Administrative Procedures Act.
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7 2. If a public body proposes to conduct an executive session,
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8 the agenda shall:
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9 a. contain sufficient information for the public to
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10 ascertain that an executive session will be proposed,
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11 b. identify the items of business and purposes of the
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12 executive session, and
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13 c. state specifically the provision of Section 307 of
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14 this title authorizing the executive session.
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15 C. A public body may provide a reasonable opportunity for
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16 public comment on agenda items prior to any business being
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17 transacted. A public body may adopt written rules governing the
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18 time, manner, and order of public comment. Such rules, if adopted,
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19 shall allow a person an opportunity to speak on an item appearing on
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20 the agenda. A public body may limit the duration of individual
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21 comments, limit total comment time for an agenda item, or require
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22 commenters to register prior to the item being heard, provided that
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23 such limits are applied uniformly and are reasonably related to the
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1 efficient conduct of the meeting. Nothing in this section shall be
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2 construed to require a public body to permit public comment.
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3 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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Req. No. 2513 Page 9Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.