A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to require that the proceedings of the house of representatives are Broadcast to the general public and to study the feasibility of televising all sessions.
Whereas, it is a duty of the North Carolina House of Representatives to provide access to the citizens of the State of North Carolina; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Internet Broadcast of Sessions. – The North Carolina House of Representatives shall provide the general public with video access of its daily legislative sessions. The General Assembly shall install video equipment in the House of Representatives chamber, an on‑site control center to manage all production aspects of recording, and ensure Internet broadcasting of each daily session. The Legislative Services Office shall provide staff to the Information Systems Division (ISD), which shall be responsible for procuring video equipment and implementing the daily video production and broadcast of the House of Representatives' daily sessions. ISD shall also archive the video recordings and make such recordings accessible to the public on the General Assembly Web site.
SECTION 2.  Televise Selected Sessions. – The University of North Carolina Center for Public Television shall broadcast daily sessions of the House of Representatives that are of particular public importance.
SECTION 3.  Study Televising All Sessions. – There is created the House Select Committee on Televising Legislative Sessions (Committee). The Committee shall study the feasibility of creating a new channel for use by The University of North Carolina Center for Public Television to broadcast all legislative sessions of the House of Representatives.
The Committee shall consist of nine members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate the Chair. The Committee shall meet upon the call of the Chair. A majority shall constitute a quorum of the Committee and no official action may be taken except by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present. While in the discharge of its official duties, the Committee shall have the powers under G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4.
Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses as provided in G.S. 120‑3.1. The Committee may contract for consultants or hire employees in accordance with G.S. 120‑32.02. The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign professional staff to assist the Committee in its work. Upon the direction of the Legislative Services Commission, the Supervisors of Clerks of the Senate and of the House of Representatives shall assign clerical staff to the Committee.
The Committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the 2019 General Assembly no later than April 15, 2020. The Committee shall terminate upon submission of its report or April 15, 2020, whichever occurs first.
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.