SECTION 401.11. Conduct of Commission and Advisory Meetings

(a) Statements concerning items which are part of the commission's posted agenda. Persons who desire to make presentations to the commission concerning matters on the agenda for a scheduled commission or fire fighter advisory committee meeting shall complete registration cards which shall be made available at the entry to the place where the scheduled meeting is to be held. The registration cards shall include blanks in which all of the following information must be disclosed:

(1) name of the person making a presentation;

(2) a statement as to whether the person is being reimbursed for the presentation; and if so, the name of the person or entity on whose behalf the presentation is made;

(3) a statement as to whether the presenter has registered as a lobbyist in relationship to the matter in question;

(4) a reference to the agenda item which the person wishes to discuss before the commission;

(5) an indication as to whether the presenter wishes to speak for or against the proposed agenda item; and

(6) a statement verifying that all factual information to be presented shall be true and correct to the best of the knowledge of the speaker.

(b) Discretion of the presiding officer. The presiding officer of the commission or the advisory committee, as the case may be, shall have discretion to employ any generally recognized system of parliamentary procedures, including, but not limited to, Robert's Rules of Order for the conduct of commission or committee meetings, to the extent that such parliamentary procedures are consistent with the Texas Open Meetings Act or other applicable law and these rules. The presiding officer shall also have discretion in setting reasonable limits on the time to be allocated for each matter on the agenda of a scheduled commission meeting or advisory committee meeting and for each presentation on a particular agenda item. If several persons wish to address the commission or advisory committee on the same agenda item, it shall be within the discretion of the chairperson to request that persons who wish to address the same side of the issue coordinate their comments, or limit their comments to an expression in favor of views previously articulated by persons speaking on the same side of an issue.

(c) Requests for issues to be placed on an agenda for discussion. Persons who wish to bring issues before the commission shall first address their request in writing to the Agency Chief. Such requests should be submitted at least 15 days in advance of commission or fire fighter advisory committee meetings. The decision whether to place a matter on an agenda for discussion before the full commission, or alternatively before the fire fighter advisory committee, or with designated staff members, shall be within the discretion of the appropriate presiding officer.

Source Note: The provisions of this §401.11 adopted to be effective March 8, 2001, 26 TexReg 2040; amended to be effective December 18, 2012, 37 TexReg 9778; amended to be effective January 11, 2023, 48 TexReg 51