Committee approves bill requiring boards to provide contact information

Senate Bill 47, introduced by Senator Mizell, would require certain email and telephone contact information for individual members of boards and commissions so constituents have a direct point of contact.

Senator Mizell said the bill originated after a constituent could not reach a cemetery board over the holidays; he told the committee the measure's intent is modest: "to make some point of contact available to a constituent who has the need of the services represented by that board or commission." The sponsor offered an amendment (set 9 43) removing the word "direct," explaining that "direct" implied a personal cell phone and that a posted office or Google-forwarded number could address the public-contact need while protecting privacy.

Members questioned whether commissioners had been consulted and raised concerns about the fiscal and cybersecurity implications of a statewide contact system. The sponsor acknowledged an OTS-originated fiscal note estimating approximately $2,000,000 if the requirement were implemented by providing state-managed devices or infrastructure; he stressed the amendment keeps the requirement minimal and flexible (phone or email), and said there are technical ways — such as Google numbers or office lines — to preserve privacy while maintaining public access.

The committee adopted the sponsor's amendment and, seeing no objection, reported SB 47 with amendments to the Senate floor.