THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Sec. 1-225. (Formerly
Sec. 1-21). Meetings of government
agencies to be public. Recording of
votes. Schedule and agenda of
meetings to be filed. Notice of
special meetings. Executive
sessions. (a)
The meetings of all public agencies, except executive sessions as defined
in subdivision (6) of section 1-200, shall be open to the public.
The votes of each member of any such public agency upon any issue before
such public agency shall be reduced to writing and made available for public
inspection within forty-eight hours and shall also be recorded in the minutes of
the session at which taken, which minutes shall be available for public
inspection within seven days of the session to which they refer.
Each such public agency of the state shall file not later than January
thirty-first of each year in the office of the Secretary of the State the
schedule of the regular meetings of such public agency for the ensuing year,
except that such provision shall not apply to the general assembly, either house
thereof or to any committee thereof. Any
other provision of the Freedom of Information Act notwithstanding, the General
Assembly at the commencement of each regular session in the odd-numbered years,
shall adopt, as part of its joint rules, rules to provide notice to the public
of its regular, special, emergency or interim committee meetings.
The chairman or secretary of any such public agency of any political
subdivision of the state shall file, not later than January thirty-first of each
year, with the clerk of such subdivision the schedule of regular meetings of
such public agency for the ensuing year, and no such meeting of any such public
agency shall be held sooner than thirty days after such schedule has been filed.
The chief executive officer of any multitown district or agency shall
file, not later than January thirty-first of each year, with the clerk of each
municipal member of such district or agency, the schedule of regular meetings of
such public agency for the ensuing year, and no such meeting of any such public
agency shall be held sooner than thirty days after such schedule has been filed.
The agenda of the regular meetings of every public agency, except for the
general assembly, shall be available to the public and shall be filed, not less
than twenty-four hours before the meetings to which they refer, in such agency's
regular office or place of business or, if there is no such office or place of
business, in the office of the Secretary of the State for any such public agency
of the state, in the office of the clerk of such subdivision for any public
agency of a political subdivision of the state or in the office of the clerk of
each municipal member of any multitown district or agency.
Upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of a public agency
present and voting, any subsequent business not included in such filed agendas
may be considered and acted upon at such meetings.
Notice of each special meeting of every public agency, except for the
General Assembly, either house thereof or any committee thereof, shall be given
not less than twenty-four hours prior to the time of such meeting by filing a
notice of the time and place thereof in the office of the Secretary of the State
for any such public agency of the state, in the office of the clerk of such
subdivision for any public agency of a political subdivision of the state and in
the office of the clerk of each municipal member for any multitown district or
agency. The secretary or clerk
shall cause any notice received under this section to be posted in his office.
Such notice shall be given not less than twenty-four hours prior to the
time of the special meeting; provided, in case of emergency, except for the
General Assembly, either house thereof or any committee thereof, any such
special meeting may be held without complying with the foregoing requirement for
the filing of notice but a copy of the minutes of every such emergency special
meeting adequately setting forth the nature of the emergency and the proceedings
occurring at such meeting shall be filed with the Secretary of the State, the
clerk of such political subdivision, or the clerk of each municipal member of
such multitown district or agency, as the case may be, not later than
seventy-two hours following the holding of such meeting.
The notice shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and
the business to be transacted. No
other business shall be considered at such meetings by such public agency.
In addition, such written notice shall be delivered to the usual place of
abode of each member of the public agency so that the same is received prior to
such special meeting. The
requirement of delivery of such written notice may be dispensed with as to any
member who at or prior to the time the meeting convenes files with the clerk or
secretary of the public agency a written waiver of delivery of such notice.
Such waiver may be given by telegram.
The requirement of delivery of such written notice may also be dispensed
with as to any member who is actually present at the meeting at the time it
convenes. Nothing in this section
shall be construed to prohibit any agency from adopting more stringent notice
requirements. No member of the public shall be required, as a condition to
attendance at a meeting of any such body, to register his name, or furnish other
information, or complete a questionnaire or otherwise fulfill any condition
precedent to his attendance. A
public agency may hold an executive session as defined in subdivision (6) of
section 1-200, upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of such
body present and voting, taken at a public meeting and stating the reasons for
such executive session, as defined in said section.
(b) In determining the time
within which or by when a notice, agenda, record of votes or minutes of a
special meeting or an emergency special meeting are required to be filed under
subsection (a) of this section, Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays and any day
on which the office of the agency, the Secretary of the State or the clerk of
the applicable political subdivision or the clerk of each municipal member of
any multitown district or agency, as the case may be, is closed, shall be
excluded. (P.A. 57-468, §1; P.A.
67-723, §2; P.A. 71-499; P.A. 75-342, §6; P.A. 76-435, §63; P.A. 77-609, §4;
P.A. 83-67, §2; P.A. 83-148; P.A. 84-546, §4; P.A. 85-613, §3; P.A. 97-47, §8;
P.A. 99-71, §1).