Off keys

It’s becoming harder than ever to see public officials during regular meetings, since they often are hidden behind laptop computers or crouched over mobile phones, hammering away at the keys.

There are only two possibilities for such busywork during public meetings. Either the officials are conducting official business, or they’re not.

If they’re not, then they’re not doing their job, which is to pay attention and be active participants in the meetings. If they are conducting official business, then they are breaking the law.

Those are the concerns behind House Bill 2977, filed by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi. The bill would restrict texting during open meetings, and is scheduled for a hearing before the state Senate Affairs Committee today (April 28). It needs to pass.

Advances in technology have made communications easier than ever. Mobile phones with Internet access and texting capabilities allow people to send and receive messages anywhere. Elected officials are among the many people who have found it convenient to make such communications, even during meetings.

The trouble is, people have little way of knowing if the officials are using their devices to communicate with each other during the meetings, either to comment on the proceedings or to collude on votes.

Such actions violate the very intent of open meetings, which is to keep the public informed of all actions and deliberations, and to give them an opportunity to respond.

Many officials say they need the devices to inform themselves better about the issues that are being addressed in the meetings. Traditionally, staff prepares background information on each agenda item for the officials. Historically the information has been printed out and given in a packet to each member. Officials have said that the electronic devices — $1,000-$2,000 laptops for each person and at least $100 in monthly Internet fees — saves them money by not requiring all that expensive paper, which costs about $2 a ream. If you’re spending taxpayers’ money, this logic makes sense.

Some officials have been honest about their use of the devices. Austin city officials admitted communicating with each other during meetings. They started using their own mobile phones, saying that since they were personal devices they were not subject to public review — even though their actions still constituted official business.

Other officials say they use them to keep up with outside business. State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, told The Houston Chronicle that he might be handling family emergencies, communications from constituents, or just reading the Gospel of the Day. Such actions are better done outside of a public meeting. One would expect that most officials would deal with a family emergency by first leaving the chamber in order to take care of the business at hand.

HB 2977 would allow the use of the devices for “administrative or ministerial information or that is sent in relation to an emergency situation.” Such cases most likely would involve the entire board, and be part of the public proceedings.

Public business must be conducted publicly. Covert collusion through private communication devices should be restricted, and this is why the bill should pass.

We can’t argue with the desire to check out the latest bible verse online, but such things are best done before or after the meetings. Avoiding such distractions would, we hope, help officials pay better attention during the meetings. That way, perhaps they can make better decisions when it’s time to vote.