The Peoples Access Act

If it passed, this bill says that:

• All important meetings of any public body must be accessible to the public at all times unless the law says it should be closed.

  • The public: people who are not members of the public body

  • Public body: a department, council, or other type of group that makes decisions about the state’s rules and policies. 

•  Public bodies can have meetings through telephone or video every now and then.  

• The members of a public body can be at different locations for remote meetings if the equipment is set up at the usual meeting spot.

• The technology used for remote meetings must allow all members and the public audience to hear or see what is being talked about at the meeting.

• An agenda and any materials created before the meeting should be made available to the public when the meeting takes place.  

  • Agenda: plan for how the meeting will go. 

• Votes during remote meetings should be heard and seen to everyone in the meeting and the public.  

• Regular and special meetings of all public bodies should be livestreamed on the official website or a specific government channel. 

•  Before the meeting, public bodies should post meeting agendas online so the public knows what's going to be talked about at the meeting.  The post should include a streaming link for the public to watch. 

•  Each public body needs to send its online streaming link to the Office of the Secretary of State, which will keep a list of all links for public access.  

• If the public body didn’t follow the rules, any action that members take at the meeting will be invalid.

  • Invalid: not legally acceptable.