Open Meetings Act Suspensions Terminate Spetember 1, 2021

OPEN MEETINGS ACT SUSPENSIONS TERMINATE SEPTEMBER 1

In March 2020, as Texans worked to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Governor Abbott’s office granted the attorney general’s request to suspend certain open-meeting statutes. The temporary suspension allows, among other things, for telephonic or videoconference meetings of governmental bodies that are accessible to the public in an effort to reduce in-person meetings that assemble large groups of people.

On June 30, 2021, the governor’s office approved a request by the attorney general to lift those suspensions.  The suspensions will lift at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2021. Thus, as of September 1, 2021, all provisions of the Open Meetings Act will be effective and all Texas governmental bodies subject to the Open Meetings Act must conduct their meetings in full compliance with the Open Meetings Act as written in state law.

Contact the attorney general with questions about the lifting of the suspensions at (888) 672-6787 or via email at TOMA@oag.texas.gov..