Sec. 81.0821.  LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEALTH OVERSIGHT BOARD.  (a)  In this section, "board" means the legislative public health oversight board established under this section.
(b)  The legislative public health oversight board is established to provide oversight for declarations of public health disasters and orders of public health emergencies issued by the commissioner under this chapter and perform other duties required by law.
(c)  The board consists of the following members:
(1)  the lieutenant governor;
(2)  the speaker of the house of representatives;
(3)  the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance or its successor;
(4)  the chair of the Senate Committee on State Affairs or its successor;
(5)  the chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services or its successor;
(6)  the chair of the Senate Committee on Education or its successor;
(7)  the chair of the House Committee on Appropriations or its successor;
(8)  the chair of the House Committee on State Affairs or its successor;
(9)  the chair of the House Committee on Public Health or its successor;
(10)  the chair of the House Committee on Public Education or its successor;
(11)  two additional members of the senate appointed by the lieutenant governor; and
(12)  two additional members of the house appointed by the speaker.
(d)  The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives are joint chairs of the board.
(e)  A majority of the members of the board from each house of the legislature constitutes a quorum to transact business.  If a quorum is present, the board by majority vote may act on any matter within the board's jurisdiction.
(f)  The board shall meet as often as necessary to perform the board's duties.  Meetings may be held at any time at the request of either chair or on written petition of a majority of the board members from each house of the legislature.
(g)  The board shall meet in Austin, except that if a majority of the board members from each house of the legislature agree, the committee may meet in any location determined by the board.
(h)  As an exception to Chapter 551, Government Code, and other law, for a meeting in Austin at which both joint chairs of the board are physically present, any number of the other board members may attend the meeting by use of telephone conference call, video conference call, or other similar telecommunication device.  This subsection applies for purposes of establishing a quorum or voting or any other purpose allowing the members to fully participate in any board meeting.  This subsection applies without regard to the subject or topics considered by the members at the meeting.
(i)  A board meeting held by use of telephone conference call, video conference call, or other similar telecommunication device:
(1)  is subject to the notice requirements applicable to other meetings;
(2)  must specify in the notice of the meeting the location in Austin at which the joint chairs will be physically present;
(3)  must be open to the public and audible to the public at the location specified in the notice under Subdivision (2); and
(4)  must provide two-way audio communication between all board members attending the meeting during the entire meeting, and if the two-way audio communication link with any member attending the meeting is disrupted at any time, the meeting may not continue until the two-way audio communication link is reestablished.
Added by Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 861 (S.B. 966), Sec. 6, eff. June 16, 2021.