[Hen] Press Release House Approves Proposal to Use Videoconferencing for Public Meetings

[Johnson, Bill]

FYI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Gus Blackwell
Capitol: (405) 557-7384
Goodwell: (580) 349-2263

House Approves Proposal to Use Videoconferencing 
for Public Meetings

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 19, 2005) - By incorporating videoconference
technology, meetings of governmental boards and agencies across Oklahoma
will become more accessible, thanks to legislation passed today by the
state House of Representatives.

House Bill 1860, by Rep. Gus Blackwell, allows all public bodies who are
under the authority of state open meetings requirements to utilize
videoconferencing as a way for the general public and board members to
fully participate in meetings.

"This legislation allows state agencies and boards to save money, time
and effort when conducting their meetings, and at the same time it
allows public bodies in other parts of the state to know what's going
on," said Blackwell, R-Goodwell. "In the end, this will help Oklahomans
to move into the Twenty-First Century by enabling us to work smarter,
rather than just working harder."

HB 1860 features a wide array of guidelines and protections for
videoconferencing procedures, including limiting videoconferencing feeds
to certain predetermined locations within each community.

The measure also calls for creation of a special task force to review
the videoconferencing process, in order to ensure no other concerns
within the process have been overlooked.

Blackwell said videoconferencing feeds would be set up through T-1
telecommunications lines. He said that most schools, libraries,
hospitals, health departments and universities around the state have
access to the facilities needed to tap into a videoconferencing feed.

 "This opens up state boards and agencies to greater accountability,
making 'open meetings' truly open to every part of the state," Blackwell
added. "Because of the continuing advances in technology, no longer do
you have to travel to Oklahoma City just to participate in an 'open
meeting.'"

Blackwell, who represents the entire Oklahoma panhandle in the state
House of Representatives, said the idea for the proposal in HB 1860 came
after his area "led the way in establishing long-distance learning
programs.

"Over the years, it has become incumbent on us in the Panhandle, because
of distance and travel, to use technology to solve certain problems. In
this case, technology presents a solution to the issue of members of the
public and of public bodies not being able to fully participate in
meetings in which taxpayer-funded issues are discussed. I just thought
it made sense to use the same approach that we utilized in setting up
long-distance learning to address this issue statewide."

HB 1860 unanimously passed the House today, and now moves on for a vote
of the Senate.

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