HR9408Referred to Committee

Open Meetings Act of 2026

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-06-23
Introduced
10
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.
Democrat · GA · Representative
Votes with party: 97.2% (644 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/J000288

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (10)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-06-23

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Plain-English Summary

The proposal would change federal rules about what paperwork and documentation is required when certain government conferences and councils hold meetings. This affects how federal agencies organize and record their official gatherings, potentially making the process simpler or more transparent depending on the specific changes made. The bill is currently being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Law

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9408 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9408 To amend chapter 15 of title 28, United States Code, with respect to documentation requirements for a meeting of certain conferences and councils. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 23, 2026 Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Ramirez, and Mr. Thanedar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend chapter 15 of title 28, United States Code, with respect to documentation requirements for a meeting of certain conferences and councils. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Open Meetings Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENT FOR MEETING OF CERTAIN CONFERENCES AND COUNCILS. (a) In General.--Chapter 15 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Sec. 336. Documentation requirement for meeting of certain conferences and councils ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `covered meeting' means a meeting of a conference or council undertaken pursuant to this chapter. ``(b) Notice Requirement.-- ``(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days before a covered meeting, the Judicial Conference shall publish notice of the covered meeting on the internet website of the Judicial Conference, including the date, time, place, and agenda of the covered meeting. ``(2) Exception.--The Judicial Conference may waive for good cause the requirement under paragraph (1). If the Judicial Conference waives the requirement under paragraph (1), the Judicial Conference shall publish an explanation for why the requirement was not met on the internet website of the Judicial Conference. ``(c) Live Audio Streaming Requirement.-- ``(1) In general.--Each covered meeting shall provide live audio streaming, accessible to the public without charge or registration. ``(2) Record.--The Judicial Conference shall maintain an archive of each live audio stream provided pursuant to paragraph (1). ``(3) Publication.--Not later than 7 days after the date of a covered meeting, the Judicial Conference shall publish on the internet website of the Judicial Conference an archive of the live audio stream required under paragraph (1) in a manner that is accessible to the public without charge or registration. ``(4) Exception.-- ``(A) In general.--During each covered meeting, the conference or council-- ``(i) shall resolve into a closed session when publication of the matter at issue is prohibited by law; or ``(ii) may, by a majority vote, resolve into a closed session as determined appropriate by the conference or council for consideration of a sensitive or confidential matter. ``(B) Statement.--Prior to resolving into a closed session under subparagraph (A), the conference or council shall state the reason for so resolving.''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 15 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``336. Documentation requirement for meeting of certain conferences and councils.''. <all>
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