Common types of nonprofits that are subject to open meeting laws are: State, local and federal boards, commissions and authorities. State educational institutions. Private entities receiving public funds.
The public has the right to attend meetings of public bodies, listen to debate and watch the decision-making process. Open Meetings Law.
The District of Columbia Open Meetings Act (OMA) requires that any gathering of a quorum of a public body where members consider, conduct or advise on public business offer the opportunity for the public to observe the meeting.
The D.C. Act provides that: "The public policy of the District of Columbia is that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and employees.
A quorum is a majority of the public body's members unless the law applicable to that particular public body sets a different number.
This provision establishes that, although the Maryland Sunshine Law is the touchstone by which public bodies are to conduct their meetings, the statute is not exclusive in its application. The statute only outlines the minimum requirements for conducting open meetings. . . .
Maryland's Open Meetings Act is a statute that requires many State and local public bodies to hold their meetings in public, to give the public adequate notice of those meetings, and to allow the public to inspect meetings minutes. The Act permits public bodies to discuss some topics confidentially.
Meetings must: Be noticed in advance; Include only business described in the agenda; Take place within agency boundaries; Be completely accessible by the public. Notice and agenda for regular meeting must be: Posted 72 hours in advance; Posted in an accessible location; Mailed to persons who request notice.
All meetings of the governing body of a public agency shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the governing body of a public agency, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
California. Both Acts provide that it is a misdemeanor for a member of a state or legislative body to attend a meeting in violation of any provision of the Act, where the member intends to deprive the public of information to which the member knows or has reason to know the public is entitled.