CHAPTER 383.
AN ACT PERMITTING THE USE OF RECORDING DEVICES IN
MEETINGS.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court
convened:

383:1 Recording Devices Permitted.  Amend RSA 91-A:2 (supp), as
inserted by 1967, 251:1, as amended, by inserting in line three after the
word "agencies" the following (Any person shall be permitted to use
recording devices, including but not limited to, tape recorders, cameras and
videotape equipment, at such meetings.) and by striking out in line seven
the words "section 5 of this chapter" and inserting in place thereof the
following (RSA 91-A:5) so that said section as amended shall read
as follows:

91-A:2  Meetings Open to the Public.   All public proceedings shall be
open to the public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meet-
ings of those bodies or agencies.  Any person shall be permitted
to use recording devices, including but not limited to, tape recorders,
cameras and videotape equipment, at such meetings.  Minutes of all such
meetings, including names of members, persons appearing before the
bodies or agencies, and a brief description of the subject matter discussed
and final decisions shall be promptly recorded and open to public inspection
within seventy-two hours of the public meeting, except as provided by
RSA 91-A:5, and shall be treated as permanent records of any body
or agency, without exception.  Except in an emergency or when there is
a meeting of a legislative committee, a notice of the time and place of
each such meeting shall be posted in two appropriate public places or
shall be printed in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or
town at least twenty-four hours, excluding Sundays and legal holidays,
prior to such meetings.  An emergency shall mean a situation where
immediate undelayed action is deemed to be imperative and the minutes
of the meeting shall clearly spell out the need for the emergency meeting.
When a meeting of a legislative committee is held, publication made
pursuant to the rules of the house of representatives shall be sufficient
notice.  If the charter of any city or guide lines set down by the appointing
authority requires a broader public access to official meetings and records
than herein described, such charter provisions or guide lines shall take
precedence over the requirements of this chapter.

383:2 Effective Date.  This act shall take effect sixty days after its
passage.

[Approved June 7, 1975.]
[Effective date August 6, 1975.]