SF4132 Summary

• Requires all closed meetings (except those under attorney-client privilege) to be electronically recorded and preserved for at least three years at public body expense.

• Increases civil penalties for intentional open meeting law violations from $300 to $1,000 for the first violation and $1,200 for any subsequent violation.

• Allows any person to bring a civil action in court claiming a public body violated attorney-client privilege closure rules, with courts able to review meeting recordings in camera.

• Requires forfeiture of office if a person commits three or more separate intentional violations of open meeting law involving the same governing body for a period equal to the term being served.

• Limits attorney fee awards to prevailing plaintiffs unless the court finds the public body ignored a prior written opinion directly related to the violation, in which case attorney fees must be awarded.