Will livestreamed government proceedings be coming to your Facebook feed?

More citizen engagement in government affairs is a good thing, right?

Rep. Jimmy Gordon (R-Isanti) thinks so. He sponsors HF3295 that would authorize a public body to live broadcast meetings subject to the Open Meeting Law using social media.

Current law allows state governmental units to hold official meetings by “interactive technology,” but Gordon says more clarity is needed on whether “interactive technology” includes social media streaming, and if it does, whether online comments during the meeting, if allowed, would be part of the official public record.

“HF3295 would clear all that up and hopefully lead to more public bodies live broadcasting meetings, which in turn would lead to a more engaged and informed electorate,” he said.

By a voice vote, the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee approved the bill Thursday and sent it to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee.

Much of the debate focused on how to handle public comments on livestreamed meetings.

The bill would not require a public body to offer a comment feature on the platform carrying the broadcast. Gordon wants cities to have the flexibility to take whatever path they want on that matter.

But if an official meeting does offer comments, the bill specifies they are not considered government records under state law unless public notice for the meeting states comments are part of the official meeting record.

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) said comments should be part of an official public record and would therefore need to be retained in accordance with public meeting laws.

Gordon committed to consider modifying the bill in that regard as it moves through the committee process.

“On the one hand you want the comments for more engagement and participation, but on the other hand people are going to say more vulgar things in social media comments that they may not say in a public meeting,” he said.