The Senate gave unanimous approval to Senate Bill 1547, which would make virtual public meetings a permanent fixture.

The bill, authored by Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus, would modify the Open Meetings Act to require public bodies such as school boards, local municipalities, and state agencies to stream and post all public meetings online if they maintain a website and utilize a high-speed internet connection. In addition, public bodies in counties with an active state of emergency declaration may conduct executive session via videoconference.

While local governments and schools were required to hold virtual meetings in addition to in-person sessions during the governor-declared state of emergency due to COVID-19, such provisions expired when the emergency declaration ended.