JACKSON - The House has passed amended bills that would penalize public boards that knowingly violate the Open Meetings Act and bring teleconferences and video conferences under the law.
The bills passed Wednesday in the House were amended versions of legislation already approved in the Senate. The two houses will have to meet to reconcile the differences.
One bill would set a $100 penalty for members of public boards that intentionally close meetings that are supposed to be open. It also would require the board to pay legal expenses if they're successfully sued over the closings.
The Senate added a provision to limit attorney's fees to a maximum of $1,000. The House bill has no such limit on attorney's fees.
The two chambers have also passed different versions of a bill to require teleconferences and video conferences to be open to the public.
The Senate bill would require notices of such meetings to be posted 30 days in advance and allow public access to them. Notice would not be required if a meeting was called on emergency matters.
"The Senate bill is much broader than the one we passed," Rep. Ed Blackmon Jr., D-Canton, chairman of the House Judiciary B Committee, said in asking the House to substitute its version for the Senate legislation.
In other action Wednesday:
- House members killed a bill that would suspend the drivers' licenses of underage youths trying to pass themselves off as 18 to buy cigarettes.
The Senate version mandated the suspension of licenses. The amended bill from the House Juvenile Justice Committee would have lessen the penalties for first offenders.
Opponents, however, said the penalties were still unnecessarily harsh.
On a voice vote, the bill was sent back to the House committee.
- The House sent to the governor a bill to increase the amount airport authorities could borrow to $10 million. The bill already passed the Senate.
Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Columbus, said many airports around the state needed the money to match available federal funds for new construction, renovations and other projects.
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