Local newspapers make local government better and deserve to be fairly compensated for publishing public notices.
During my four years on the House Local Government Committee, legislative bills to stop the requirement of publishing local government and school boards minutes, agendas, and other public notices in a local paper have been voted down. The committee heard testimony that the public wants to read the notices in their local paper and having a third-party keeper of the notices is important for good government. During these discussions I have always advocated for a requirement for the newspaper to also publish the notices to a website free to the public.
This year, I’m prime sponsoring House Bill 1050 which is an act to modernize public notices and create a fair payment structure for publishing public notices.
This bill requires newspapers to publish and archive public notices to a website free to the public. It also recognizes that if you are reading electronic editions of the printed newspaper, it is counted when determining legal newspaper status.
Newspaper electronic editions subscription are replacing the printed editions and should be counted. The electronic edition of The Brookings Register keeps me up to date on the news of Brookings while I’m in Pierre.
The state sets the maximum amount a newspaper can charge for publishing notices. This bill contains an annual rate increase to offset increases in production and distributions costs and removes the ten percent rate discount school boards receive. The last time newspapers received an increase was in 2016, and before that it was 2007. It is time newspapers are fairly paid for keeping the public informed through public notices..
House Bill 1050 will make sure newspapers are able to continue to let you know the activities of your city council, school board, and county commission.
