Chapter 214
2017 -- H 6323
Enacted 07/18/2017

A N   A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- OPEN MEETINGS

Introduced By: Representatives Shanley, Barros, and Cunha
Date Introduced: June 09, 2017

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Sections 42-46-6 and 42-46-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-46
entitled "Open Meetings" are hereby amended to read as follows:
     42-46-6. Notice.
     (a) All public bodies shall give written notice of their regularly scheduled meetings at the
beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates, times, and places of the
meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request and to the secretary of
state at the beginning of each calendar year in accordance with subsection (f).
     (b) Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a
minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours,
before the date. This notice shall include the date the notice was posted,; the date, time, and place
of the meeting,; and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed. Copies of
the notice shall be maintained by the public body for a minimum of one year. Nothing contained
herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to
the agenda by majority vote of the members. School committees may, however, add items for
informational purposes only, pursuant to a request, submitted in writing, by a member of the
public during the public comment session of the school committee's meetings. Said informational
items may not be voted upon unless they have been posted in accordance with the provisions of
this section. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted
on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to
protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.
     (c) Written public notice shall include, but need not be limited to, posting a copy of the
notice at the principal office of the public body holding the meeting, or if no principal office
exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held, and in at least one other prominent place
within the governmental unit, and electronic filing of the notice with the secretary of state
pursuant to subsection (f); however, nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body from
holding an emergency meeting, upon an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the
body when the meeting is deemed necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires
immediate action to protect the public. If an emergency meeting is called, a meeting notice and
agenda shall be posted as soon as practicable and shall be electronically filed with the secretary of
state pursuant to subsection (e)(f) and, upon meeting, the public body shall state for the record
and minutes why the matter must be addressed in less than forty-eight (48) hours in accordance
with §42-46-6(b) subsection (b) of this section and only discuss the issue or issues which that
created the need for an emergency meeting. Nothing contained herein shall be used in the
circumvention of the spirit and requirements of this chapter.
     (d) Nothing within this chapter shall prohibit any public body, or the members thereof,
from responding to comments initiated by a member of the public during a properly noticed open
forum even if the subject matter of a citizen's comments or discussions were not previously
posted, provided such matters shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on
except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to
protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.
Nothing contained in this chapter requires any public body to hold an open-forum session, to
entertain or respond to any topic nor does it prohibit any public body from limiting comment on
any topic at such an open-forum session. No public body, or the members thereof, may use this
section to circumvent the spirit or requirements of this chapter.
     (e) A school committee may add agenda items not appearing in the published notice
required by this section under the following conditions:
     (1) The revised agenda is electronically filed with the secretary of state pursuant to
subsection (f), and is posted on the school district's website and the two (2) public locations
required by this section at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting in accordance
with §42-46-6(b) subsection (b) of this section;
     (2) The new agenda items were unexpected and could not have been added in time for
newspaper publication;
     (3) Upon meeting, the public body states for the record and minutes why the agenda
items could not have been added in time for newspaper publication and need to be addressed at
the meeting;
     (4) A formal process is available to provide timely notice of the revised agenda to any
person who has requested that notice, and the school district has taken reasonable steps to make
the public aware of this process; and
     (5) The published notice shall include a statement that any changes in the agenda will be
posted on the school district's web site website and the two (2) public locations required by this
section and will be electronically filed with the secretary of state at least forty-eight (48) hours in
advance of the meeting in accordance with §42-46-6(b) subsection (b) of this section.
     (f) All notices required by this section to be filed with the secretary of state shall be
electronically transmitted to the secretary of state in accordance with rules and regulations which
that shall be promulgated by the secretary of state. This requirement of the electronic
transmission and filing of notices with the secretary of state shall take effect one year after this
subsection takes effect.
     (g) If a public body fails to transmit notices in accordance with this section, then any
aggrieved person may file a complaint with the attorney general in accordance with § 42-46-8.
     42-46-7. Minutes.
     (a) All public bodies shall keep written minutes of all their meetings. The minutes shall
include, but need not be limited to:
     (1) The date, time, and place of the meeting;
     (2) The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent;
     (3) A record by individual members of any vote taken; and
     (4) Any other information relevant to the business of the public body that any member of
the public body requests be included or reflected in the minutes.
     (b) (1) A record of all votes taken at all meetings of public bodies, listing how each
member voted on each issue, shall be a public record and shall be available, to the public at the
office of the public body, within two (2) weeks of the date of the vote. The minutes shall be
public records and unofficial minutes shall be available, to the public at the office of the public
body, within thirty-five (35) days of the meeting or at the next regularly scheduled meeting,
whichever is earlier, except where the disclosure would be inconsistent with §§ 42-46-4 and 42-
46-5 or where the public body by majority vote extends the time period for the filing of the
minutes and publicly states the reason.
     (2) In addition to the provisions of subdivision subsection (b)(1), all volunteer fire
companies, associations, fire district companies, or any other organization currently engaged in
the mission of extinguishing fires and preventing fire hazards, whether it is incorporated or not,
and whether it is a paid department or not, shall post unofficial minutes of their meetings within
twenty-one (21) days of the meeting, but not later than seven (7) days prior to the next regularly
scheduled meeting, whichever is earlier, on the secretary of state's website.
     (c) The minutes of a closed session shall be made available at the next regularly
scheduled meeting unless the majority of the body votes to keep the minutes closed pursuant to
§§ 42-46-4 and 42-46-5.
     (d) All public bodies within the executive branch of the state government and all state
public and quasi-public boards, agencies and corporations, and those public bodies set forth in
subdivision (b)(2), shall keep official and/or approved minutes of all meetings of the body and
shall file a copy of the minutes of all open meetings with the secretary of state for inspection by
the public within thirty-five (35) days of the meeting; provided that this subsection shall not apply
to public bodies whose responsibilities are solely advisory in nature.
     (e) All minutes and unofficial minutes required by this section to be filed with the
secretary of state shall be electronically transmitted to the secretary of state in accordance with
rules and regulations which that shall be promulgated by the secretary of state. If a public body
fails to transmit minutes or unofficial minutes in accordance with this subsection, then any
aggrieved person may file a complaint with the attorney general in accordance with § 42-46-8.
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2018.
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LC002865
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