Assembly Bill No. 60–Assemblyman Beers

 

CHAPTER..........

 

AN ACT relating to meetings of public bodies; requiring a public body to post additional notice of its meetings on its website on the Internet if the public body maintains such a website; providing an exception; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

   Section 1. NRS 241.020 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   241.020  1.  Except as otherwise provided by specific statute, all

 meetings of public bodies must be open and public, and all persons must

 be permitted to attend any meeting of these bodies. Public officers and

 employees responsible for these meetings shall make reasonable efforts to

 assist and accommodate physically handicapped persons desiring to

 attend.

   2.  Except in an emergency, written notice of all meetings must be

 given at least 3 working days before the meeting. The notice must include:

   (a) The time, place and location of the meeting.

   (b) A list of the locations where the notice has been posted.

   (c) An agenda consisting of:

     (1) A clear and complete statement of the topics scheduled to be

 considered during the meeting.

     (2) A list describing the items on which action may be taken and

 clearly denoting that action may be taken on those items.

     (3) A period devoted to comments by the general public, if any, and

 discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter

 raised under this item of the agenda until the matter itself has been

 specifically included on an agenda as an item upon which action may be

 taken pursuant to subparagraph (2).

   3.  Minimum public notice is:

   (a) Posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public

 body, or if there is no principal office, at the building in which the meeting

 is to be held, and at not less than three other separate, prominent places

 within the jurisdiction of the public body not later than 9 a.m. of the third

 working day before the meeting; and

   (b) Mailing a copy of the notice to any person who has requested notice

 of the meetings of the body in the same manner in which notice is required

 to be mailed to a member of the body. A request for notice lapses 6

 months after it is made. The public body shall inform the requester of this

 fact by enclosure with or notation upon the first notice sent. The notice

 must be delivered to the postal service used by the body not later than 9

 a.m. of the third working day before the meeting.

   4.  If a public body maintains a website on the Internet or its

 successor, the public body shall post notice of each of its meetings on its

 website unless the public body is unable to do so because of technical

 problems relating to the operation or maintenance of its website. Notice

 posted pursuant to this subsection is supplemental to and is not a

 substitute for the minimum public notice required pursuant to

 subsection 3. The inability of a public body to post notice of a meeting

 pursuant to

this subsection as a result of technical problems with its website shall not

be deemed to be a violation of the provisions of this chapter.

   5. Upon any request, a public body shall provide, at no charge, at least

 one copy of:

   (a) An agenda for a public meeting;

   (b) A proposed ordinance or regulation which will be discussed at the

 public meeting; and

   (c) Any other supporting material provided to the members of the body

 for an item on the agenda, except materials:

     (1) Submitted to the public body pursuant to a nondisclosure or

 confidentiality agreement;

     (2) Pertaining to the closed portion of such a meeting of the public

 body; or

     (3) Declared confidential by law.

   [5.] 6. As used in this section, “emergency” means an unforeseen

 circumstance which requires immediate action and includes, but is not

 limited to:

   (a) Disasters caused by fire, flood, earthquake or other natural causes;

 or

   (b) Any impairment of the health and safety of the public.

   Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective on January 1, 2003.

 

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