Texas Senate bill by Sen. Eckhardt establishes guidelines for municipal online communication systems

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt aims to establish guidelines for municipalities to use online message boards and similar communication systems, seeking to enhance regulated digital engagement within local government, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 56 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Sarah Eckhardt introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Monday, Jan. 6, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Eckhardt graduated from New York University in 1986 with a BA and again in 1998 from University of Texas with a JD.

Eckhardt, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2020 to represent the state’s 14th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Kirk Watson.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the establishment and use of a written electronic communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal entities’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends the Government Code to establish guidelines for the use of written electronic communications systems, such as online message boards, by certain municipal entities. It permits a municipality’s governing body to authorize a commission or entity organized under specific local government codes to create and use an online message board or similar application for communication purposes. Such authorization can be granted for up to two years and may be renewed as needed. The bill requires that any online message board be easily accessible from the municipality’s primary website and must comply with existing regulations. A municipal employee must monitor the message board for compliance. The act takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 30, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.