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House adopts revisions to Open Meetings Act after audit-driven changes
Summary
The House passed amended Open Meetings Act changes requiring recordings of closed meetings (with narrow exceptions), clarified acceptable closed‑meeting purposes, and directed annual training for compliance following an audit. The bill passed on third reading and will go to the Senate.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers on Thursday passed amendments to the Open Meetings Act aimed at increasing transparency and compliance after an audit found widespread problems with closed‑meeting practices.
Representative Wayne Harper, sponsor of the amendments, said the legislation implements recommendations from an audit of local public bodies and clarifies what may constitute a closed meeting, where such meetings should occur, and how minutes and recordings are handled. "The public's business should be done in the light of day," Harper said on the floor in support of the bill.
Under the amended measure, closed meetings must be recorded and minutes approved by the presiding officer, except in two statutorily enumerated cases: discussions of character or competency of an individual and deployment of security. The bill also directs the Attorney General and the State Office of Education to provide annual training on compliance with the Open Meetings Act.
Floor questions focused on the retention schedule for closed meeting records, the formal process for coming out of a closed meeting and making motions in open session, and whether retreats or off‑site workshops remain permissible if publicly noticed. The sponsor said recorded minutes and recordings are kept in secure storage and are reviewed only in response to a legal challenge, consistent with current retention rules.
The House passed House Bill 14, as amended, on third reading and will refer the bill to the Senate for further consideration.
