Bill of the Day: Should all state, county, and city government meetings be livestreamed online?

Y’all Politics brings you a Bill of the Day from the Mississippi Legislature that just may pique your interest. 

Technology is everchanging, making it easier every day for public bodies to connect with citizens.

State Senator Nicole Boyd (R) believes it is time to take the next step by requiring all public bodies, from local governments up to the state, to broadcast their meetings via video livestreaming.

SB 2087 states that all regular and special meetings of all public bodies should be broadcast via video livestreaming on the front page of the official website of each respective public body or on a designated government channel.

The exception to the livestreaming would be for executive sessions and other meetings expressly authorized by law to be closed.

Per the bill, public notices of said open meetings should also be broadcast online in the same manner which should contain the agenda of matters to be discussed at the respective meeting in sufficient detail as to put the public on notice as to what is to be discussed, and the online link should be included in all public notices.

Senator Boyd’s bill would require the public bodies to transmit their online streaming link to the Office of Secretary of State which would then maintain a comprehensive list of website streaming links of all public bodies for public use.

The bill adds this note:

“Any action of a public body taken at a meeting is void and of no effect if the public body fails to comply with the public notice of the agenda matter to be discussed or fails to comply with the livestreaming broadcasting requirement pursuant to this subsection (4).”

You can read the full bill here.