LRB-2836/1
MES:jld:ph
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
November 3, 2009 - Introduced by Representatives Roys, Pasch, Berceau, Bies and
Grigsby, cosponsored by Senators Kreitlow and Plale. Referred to
Committee on Urban and Local Affairs.
AB546,1,3
1An Act to create 66.0145 of the statutes;
relating to: requiring governmental
2bodies of certain political subdivisions to post meeting notices and minutes on
3their Web sites.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Currently, under the open meetings law, with certain exceptions, meetings of
state and local governmental bodies must be preceded by public notice, must be held
in places that are reasonably accessible to the public, and must be open to the public
at all times, although such meetings may convene in closed session for the purpose
of considering certain matters specified by law.
A public notice of a meeting of a governmental body must contain the time, date,
place, and subject matter of the meeting and must be given at least 24 hours before
the start of the meeting, although shorter notice, but never less than two hours, may
be given under limited circumstances. The notice must be given to news media that
have filed a request to receive such a notice and the notice must appear in the
governmental body's official newspaper or, if none exists, in a news medium likely
to give notice in the area.
Under this bill, a governmental body of a city, village, town, or county (political
subdivision) that has a Web site is required to post a public notice of a meeting that
is subject to the open meetings law on that political subdivision's Web site and also
must post any minutes of the meeting that relate to business conducted during an
open session of the meeting. Current law defines "governmental body" to include any
agency, board, commission, committee, council, or department of a political
subdivision.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB546, s. 1
1Section
1. 66.0145 of the statutes is created to read:
AB546,2,2
266.0145 Posting of public meeting notice, minutes. (1) In this section:
AB546,2,33
(a) "Political subdivision" means a city, village, town, or county.
AB546,2,64
(b) "Public notice" means a public notice, as that term is used in s. 19.84, that
5sets forth the time, date, place, and subject matter of a meeting of a governmental
6body of the political subdivision.
AB546,2,8
7(2) If a political subdivision has a Web site, it shall post on its Web site all of
8the following:
AB546,2,109
(a) The public notice for every meeting of a governmental body of the political
10subdivision, consistent with the notice requirements in s. 19.84 (3).
AB546,2,1311
(b) As soon as possible after the conclusion of the meeting for which the public
12notice was posted, the minutes that relate to that meeting, but only to the extent that
13the minutes reflect any business conducted during the open session of the meeting.
AB546,2,1615
(1) This act first applies to a meeting that is held on the day after the date on
16which this subsection takes effect.
