LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts issued an executive order to permit state and local governmental boards, commissions, and other public bodies to meet by videoconference, teleconference, or other electronic means through May 31, 2020. The Governor’s order stipulated that all such virtual meetings must be available to members of the public, including media, to give citizens the opportunity to participate as well as to be duly informed of the meetings’ proceedings. The Governor’s order did not waive the advanced publicized notice and the agenda requirements for public meetings.
The Governor’s executive order comes a day after the White House Coronavirus Task Force issued guidance limiting social gatherings to 10 people or less through March 31, 2020. The executive order is part of an overall public health strategy to increase social distancing to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease.