By: E&P Staff Legislation that would permit Pennsylvania municipalities and school boards to shift legal notices from daily newspapers to their Web sites has advanced to the floor of the House.
The bill passed the state House Judiciary Committee by an 18-6 vote.
Opponents of the legislation, including the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association (PNA), say the touted cost savings by government bodies are exaggerated, and that Web-only publication would limit public access to public information.
In an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer by staff writer Amy Worden, PNA lobbyist Deb Musselman argued the legislation would force residents to visit multiple Web sites in search of public information. A newspaper, by contrast, is a central repository for regional information, she said.
In addition, the association sees the legislation as opening up a big loophole that would allow municipalities and other bodies to circumvent the state's new open records act by, for instance, publicizing construction bids only on lists that are e-mailed to a few contractors.
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, which supports the bill, says it gives governmental bodies important options at a time of declining newspaper readership. Proponents of the legislation say it could save Pennsylvania government units as much as $50 million annually.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here