This legislative bill concerns the state's open meeting law for public bodies. The bill requires that all public meetings be accessible both physically and remotely at no cost, accommodating individuals with disabilities. The bill mandates generally that at least one-third of a public body’s members to be physically present at meetings, while remote participants are granted the same voting rights and contribute to the quorum. The bill also requires that state public body meetings be video recorded, with recordings made available online within ten business days. It also requires accurate minutes for all meetings, including executive sessions, to be created and made available upon request. 

The bill includes penalties for repeated knowing violations, allowing civil penalties against individual public body members, and private education letters and reprimands. 

Authorizes public bodies to allow members to participate remotely-counted for quorum and voting-with roll-call votes when any member is remote, and to provide adequate, alternative public access at no charge; permits municipal chief executives and non-municipal public bodies to set remote-participation standards, allows local disability commissions to set standards for their own meetings, and, in cases of municipal economic hardship, allows posting a full record of proceedings in lieu of live access.

Requires the Attorney General, within 90 days of the effective date and after a public hearing, to issue best-practice guidelines for remote participation.

Empowers Select Boards to delay annual elections to a date at least 64 days after the postponement vote but no later than June 30, and to postpone caucuses or elections during a declared weather-related, public safety, or public health emergency and for 5 days thereafter when declared by the Governor or the town's chief executive; carries forward deadlines and materials, specifies treatment of early and absentee ballots, sets minimum timing for postponements over 7 days, authorizes remote meetings to vote on postponement with subsequent ratification, and prescribes notice by the Town Clerk.

Authorizes Town Moderators-after consulting with the Select Board and the local disability commission or ADA coordinator and certifying a tested platform-to convene remote or hybrid town meetings; requires credentialing that limits voting to confirmed eligible voters while maintaining regularity, accuracy, and a fraud-free environment, real-time identification and recognition, quorum determination, public access, roll-call capability for representative town meetings, and recording, mandates an initial vote to proceed, and requires the recording be publicly available for at least 90 days and until official minutes are prepared; defines "Select Board" as synonymous with "Board of Selectmen."

Requires all public bodies to hold meetings that are both physically open and remotely accessible, with the Chair or designee physically present; permits members to participate remotely while voting and counting toward quorum; and, for state public bodies, mandates video recording of all meetings and posting within 10 business days, with free, ADA-compliant remote access including captioning and reasonable accommodations.

Overhauls notice and minutes by requiring at least 48-hour notice with website postings; requiring creation and approval of minutes by the next meeting or within 30 days; requiring public availability of open-session minutes within 10 business days and online posting within 10 business days of approval; and requiring online posting of executive-session minutes within 10 business days after release, while allowing bodies to direct requesters to posted minutes.

Strengthens enforcement by authorizing the Attorney General to issue private education letters and reprimands, adding a civil penalty up to $200 for a third or subsequent knowing violation by a member, and permitting orders requiring reimbursement of reasonable attorney's fees and court costs to three or more registered voters in certain actions.

Creates a temporary hardship waiver, issued annually by the Division of Open Government to non-elected local public bodies in rural communities defined by the State Office of Rural Health within the Department of Public Health, allowing them to forgo hybrid meetings and instead either provide remote access and participation or hold fully in-person, physically accessible meetings; sunsets the waiver July 1, 2030, and makes other reforms effective July 1, 2027.

Amends the Open Meeting Law to authorize remote and hybrid meetings, including fully remote sessions without a physically present quorum or chair; permits remotely participating members to vote; requires no-cost public access via adequate, alternative means and real-time public participation when otherwise mandated; allows remote appearance by parties entitled or required to appear; authorizes removal of disruptive individuals after warning; and requires a certification within two weeks that members have received educational materials. Provides an economic-hardship option for municipal bodies that, despite best efforts, cannot provide real-time access to instead provide a full transcript, recording, or other comprehensive record after the meeting unless another law requires active public participation.

Establishes a process for representative and open town meetings to be conducted remotely or in hybrid form upon a written request by the Moderator and approval by the Select Board within 10 business days, using a platform that can identify and hear participants, confirm quorum, manage recognition and motions, enable roll-call voting, allow remote public access, and record the proceedings; requires registered voters who wish to participate remotely to request access from the Town Clerk at least 48 hours in advance.

Authorizes secure roll-call, electronic, ballot, phone, or combined voting at remote or hybrid town meetings with votes recorded in the minutes; requires recordings to be preserved for at least 90 days; ratifies actions taken remotely or in hybrid form as if conducted in person; and directs the Attorney General to adopt standards and guidelines for remote or hybrid participation by public bodies and town meetings.

Authorizes and standardizes remote participation for municipal, state, county, and regional public bodies, allowing members to attend, vote, and count toward quorum remotely; requires no-cost public access through adequate, alternative means when remote participation is used; mandates roll-call votes when any member participates remotely; permits such bodies to adopt remote-participation standards; and allows municipalities facing economic hardship to satisfy access by posting a full record after the meeting. Requires the Attorney General to develop best practices for remote participation within 90 days, following a publicly noticed hearing before they take effect.

Empowers Select Boards to postpone annual elections to a date no earlier than 64 days after the vote and no later than June 30 of that fiscal year, and to delay caucuses or elections during locally or gubernatorially declared weather, public safety, or public health emergencies and for five days thereafter; carries forward existing deadlines and materials, counts previously received early and absentee ballots when a postponement is under seven days, and requires at least a 15-day buffer when postponements exceed seven days.

Allows remote meetings to vote on postponement with a follow-up meeting to review actions and adopt minutes, and authorizes Town Moderators to conduct remote or hybrid town meetings with voter credentialing, quorum and recognition tools, public access, roll-call capability for representative town meetings, recording, and an initial vote of the meeting to proceed.

This bill authorizes members of a public body to engage in meetings remotely, where they will be considered present for all purposes, including voting and establishing a quorum. The bill requires that all participants must be clearly audible to one another abd mandates that meetings must be accessible to the public through audio or video conferencing. Supporting documents for the meetings must be made publicly available before or at the time of the meeting. The bill prohibits charging subscription fees or any other charges for public access to remote meetings.