HB48 Alabama 2015 1st Special Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Randy Davis

Republican

Session

First Special Session 2015

Title

Open Meetings Act, serial meetings exemption for trustees of constitutionally created institutions of higher education deleted, Sec. 36-25A-2 am'd.

Summary

HB48 would remove an exemption so that serial meetings by trustees of constitutionally created higher education institutions are subject to the Open Meetings Act.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill would apply the Open Meetings Act's serial meeting rules to trustees of higher education institutions created by Alabama's Constitution (1901). This means their series of small, separate gatherings could be treated the same as other public meetings, requiring notice and public access, and aimed at preventing evasion of open meeting laws. The overall effect is increased transparency for those trustees' discussions that are intended to influence or decide on public matters.

Who It Affects

• Trustees of constitutionally created higher education institutions (1901) — their serial meetings could be subject to Open Meetings Act rules that require public notice and prevent evasion of the law.
• The public and media — they would have greater access and visibility to those trustee discussions that previously might have been exempt from open meeting requirements.

Key Provisions

• Delete the exemption in the definition of 'serial meeting' that specifically excludes meetings by trustees of constitutionally created higher education institutions (1901).
• Apply the serial meeting definition to those trustees, making their series of gatherings subject to the Open Meetings Act, with the act taking effect immediately after governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Open Meetings