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Senators debate bright‑line test to define 'meeting' for open‑meetings law
Summary
SB 382 would define a public 'meeting' as two or more members convening to discuss, deliberate or decide public business; proponents say the bright‑line rule would block secret email/text deliberations, while critics warn it could impede informal information‑gathering and regular collaboration among officials.
Senators and witnesses spent a prolonged portion of the hearing debating SB 382, a bill that would define when a gathering of public officials qualifies as a public meeting subject to Arkansas’s open‑meetings rules.
Sponsor advocates said SB 382 would remove ambiguity about small‑group deliberations—such as private email chains or text message threads—by treating the convening of two or more governing‑body…
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