House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

The COVID-19 pandemic required countless meetings to be conducted electronically for the health and wellbeing of all those involved. To keep the public and our local elected officials safe, we established procedures for municipalities to hold meetings remotely during the COVID-19 declaration of disaster emergency. However, when the emergency ended, provisions allowing for remote meetings expired. 

 

We must learn from our experiences during the pandemic and be better prepared for future crises that require remote municipal meetings. Simultaneously, we need to keep in mind the importance of public trust, transparency, and input in local government. That is why I plan to introduce legislation providing comprehensive guidelines that facilitate public participation for remote municipal meetings during emergency declarations.  

 

Please join me in supporting this important legislation. During an emergency, it is crucial that local elected officials conduct business in a manner that is accessible to the public. Thank you for your consideration.