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Proposed Revisions to State Bar Rules Title 6, Division 2, Chapters 1 and 2 regarding State Bar Open Meeting Rules
The State Bar has been subject to open meeting requirements since 1975 when Business and Professions Code section 6026.5 was enacted. Section 6026.5 requires full meetings of the State Bar Board of Governors (“Board”) to be open and contains a list of specified situations in which closed sessions are allowed. In 1985, the Board adopted rules which extended open meeting requirements to its board committees. Between 1989 and 1990, the Board adopted additional rules which extended open meeting requirements to regulatory and special committees appointed by the Board. All of the open meeting rules applicable to the Board, board committees and board-appointed bodies now appear in State Bar Rules 6.50-6.54 (“open meeting rules”).
To apply some open meeting requirements of the Bagley Keene Open Meeting Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 11120 et seq.) to the Board and board committees by revising the State Bar’s open meeting rules. The proposed additional open meeting requirements would include:
Minimal cost associated with public call in to teleconferences
Board Committee on Stakeholder Relations May 12, 2011 Agenda Item III.B.
Pat Bermudez Office of General Counsel 180 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 415-538-2270 415-538-2321 Pat.bermudez@calbar.ca.gov