State Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, presents a bill to require governing bodies set aside a period during public meetings for public comment. The bill passed the committee and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate State and Local Committee next week.
A bill to require governing bodies to set aside a period for public comment “on matters that are germane to the items on the agenda” passed the House State Government committee on Wednesday.
The bill had a amendment that exempts meetings for which there are no actionable items on the agenda. The amendment also exempts meetings or portions of meetings in which the governing body is conducting a disciplinary hearing for a member of the governing body or for a person whose profession or activities fall within the jurisdiction of the governing body, such as state licensing boards.
Otherwise, the bill requires the governing body to include in its notice of the meeting how a person can indicate the person’s desire to provide public comment. The bill allows governing bodies to restrict the period reserved for public comment, the number of speakers and the time that each speaker is allowed to provide comment.
The bill largely reflects what is already being done by many city and county legislative bodies and school boards, though not all.
It is being sponsored by Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, and Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun.
“We’re wanting to … just ensure those First Amendment protections for our citizens — that they have the ability to come and redress their government,” Davis said in presenting her bill this week to the House State Government Committee. “But with those governmental bodies, they have the ability to make those reasonable restrictions with regard to the length of period, the length of time that someone can speak, the number of speakers, to ensure that the topic that they speak to is germane to the agenda.”
The bill is on the calendar for the Senate State and Local Committee on Tuesday.
