Chapter 775 Oregon Laws 2007
AN ACT
HB 2603
Relating to the Legislative Assembly website; creating new provisions;
and amending ORS 171.795 and 173.766.
Be It Enacted by the People of
the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
ORS 173.766 is amended to read:
173.766. (1) The
Legislative Administration Committee shall make available to each member of the
Legislative Assembly an electronic mail address accessible by Oregonians
through the largest nonproprietary, nonprofit cooperative public computer
network.
(2) All state agencies
shall cooperate with the Legislative Administration Committee in the
implementation of subsection (1) of this section and ORS 171.795,
173.763 and 183.365.
(3) If the
Legislative Administration Committee makes available to each member of the
Legislative Assembly a webpage on the website of the Legislative Assembly,
employees of the committee shall post material on a member’s webpage or install
or maintain links from the member’s webpage to other websites in the manner
directed by the member. If the posting of material or installation or
maintenance of a link results in a violation of law:
(a) The member who
directed the posting of material or installation or maintenance of the link is
liable for the violation; and
(b) An employee of the
committee who posts the material or installs or maintains the link at the
direction of a member is not liable for the violation.
(4) Subsection (3) of
this section does not authorize the posting of material or the installation or
maintenance of any link that is prohibited by any other law.
SECTION 2.
ORS 171.795 is amended to read:
171.795. (1) The
Legislative Assembly finds and declares that it is now possible and feasible in
this electronic age to distribute information more widely by way of electronic
communication. The Legislative Assembly further finds that it is desirable to
make information available to the citizens of this state in a timely manner and
for the least possible cost. The use of electronic communication will:
(a) Better inform the public
of legislative proceedings and matters pending before the Legislative Assembly;
(b) Allow broader
participation among Oregonians in the legislative process;
(c) Make information
regarding legislative matters and proceedings more readily available to the
citizens of this state;
(d) Allow constituents
to better communicate with their elected representatives, irrespective of where
they reside;
(e) Make administrative
rules adopted or amended by state agencies more readily available to the
citizens of this state; and
(f) Provide the public
with a better insight into the operations of state government.
(2) This section and ORS
173.763, 173.766 (1) and (2) and 183.365 may be cited as the Oregon
Public Access Act.
SECTION 3. The
amendments to ORS 171.795 and 173.766 by sections 1 and 2 of this 2007 Act
apply to material posted and links installed or maintained on or after the
effective date of this 2007 Act.
Approved by the Governor July 16, 2007
Filed in the office of Secretary of State July 17, 2007
Effective date January 1, 2008
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