INDIANA GOVERNMENT MEETINGS – STREAMING REQUIREMENTS

Local governing bodies in Indiana are busy preparing to comply with a new livestreaming mandate, effective July first. 

Signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Eric Holcomb, Indiana House Enrolled Act 1167 requires the livestreaming and archival of all public meetings. Any governing body that holds routine meetings in the same public place is required to livestream and record the meetings, archiving the recordings on a publicly available website for at least 90 days after the meeting. The bill also “provides that if a governing body does not have Internet capability for live transmission of public meetings, the governing body shall record the meeting.” In addition, links to any meeting agendas, minutes, or memoranda must be available to the public. 

The goal of the new law is to create more transparency in local levels of government and to increase public participation by making public meetings more accessible. Affected bodies will include state and local governing boards that conduct regular meetings, including school boards. One locally impacted body is the Greater Jasper Consolidated School Corporation Board, which is developing the infrastructure necessary to comply with the mandate. 

There are a host of considerations for organizations to evaluate. In addition to hardware including computers, cameras, and microphones, access to appropriate software like Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook Live needs to be secured. Servers may need to be evaluated to see if they have enough storage space to accommodate the large files, and meeting notices need to include relevant information to access livestreamed meetings in addition to archived recordings, minutes, and other pertinent materials. In some instances, organizations may need to get assistance from an IT professional in order to assist with setup, livestreaming, troubleshooting, or archiving. Some municipalities will continue to utilize their current platforms, while others have used the opportunity to transition to other platforms that they feel may offer greater security, flexibility, or enhanced quality. 

Gillian Blessinger Marketing and Communications Director told WITZ, “GJCS has been working to comply with the livestreaming requirements outlined in the mandate. When the bill was passed, we met and discussed our approach and identified necessary equipment. We are currently conducting tests during school board meetings and gathering feedback to guide improvements before the July 1 deadline.” 

Superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey said that GJCS has been busy making preparations. “So we’ve been working for several months to acquire the proper equipment and make sure that we are able to do that so that those who want to observe those livestreams or any of the recordings that are archived would be able to hear and see the activity of the board. Once we get the bugs worked out, it will become a link that we’ll put on our board agenda and then people will get that in our public notices and they’ll be able to watch from the comfort of their own home.” 

Although the new law will result in some additional expenditures, funding will be the responsibility of the district. “We did have to purchase all of the… equipment that we’re going to need to do the broadcast piece of that… It was a cost that we absorbed within our operations fund. It’s just one of the necessary evils in order for us to be able to comply with the mandate, and we will do that and be ready by July 1.” 

For more information, visit www.witzamfm.com/news 

 - Drew Hasselbring