HOUSE BILL No. 146
INTRODUCED BY: Rep. Close of Cheshire Dist. 15
REFERRED TO: Municipal and County Government
AN ACT specifically including committees within the right to know law.
ANALYSIS
This bill includes a "committee" in the definitions of public proceedings under the access to public records or right to know law.
The bill further provides that regulations providing broader access adopted by any board, commission, committee, agency or authority take precedence over the provisions of the requirements of this chapter.
HB 146
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seventy-five
AN ACT
specifically including committees within the right to know law.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Including Committee in the Definitions of Public Proceedings. Amend RSA 91-A:1, III and IV (supp) as inserted by 1971, 327:1, by striking out said paragraphs and inserting in place thereof the following:
III. Any board, commission or committee of any state agency or authority;
IV. Any board, commission, committee, agency or authority of any county, town, municipal corporation, school district, or other political subdivision
2 Certain Regulations to take Precedence over Provisions of Chapter. Amend RSA 91-A:2 (supp), as inserted by 1967, 251:1, as amended, by striking out said section and inserting in place thereof the following:
91-A:2 Meetings Open to the Public. All public proceedings shall be open to the public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meetings of those bodies or agencies. Minutes of all such meetings, including names of members, persons appearing before the bodies or agencies, and a brief description of the subject matter discussed and final decisions shall be promptly recorded and open to public inspection within seventy-two hours of the public meeting, except as provided by RSA 91-A:5, and shall be treated as permanent records of any body or agency, without exception. Except in an emergency or when there is a meeting of a legislative committee, a notice of the time and place of each such meeting shall be posted in two appropriate public places or shall be printed in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town at least twenty-four hours, excluding Sundays and legal holidays, prior to such meetings. An emergency shall mean a situation where immediate undelayed action is deemed to be imperative and the minutes of the meeting shall clearly spell out the need for the emergency meeting. When a meeting of a legislative committee is held, publication made pursuant to the rules of the house of representatives shall be sufficient notice. If the charter of any city or guidelines or regulations adopted by any board, commission, committee, agency or authority require a broader public access to official meetings and records than herein described, such charter provisions, guidelines or regulations shall take precedence over the requirements of this chapter.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect sixty days after its passage.