Changes sought in Pa.’s public notice laws

Critics of the current regulations call them outdated and say the information should be posted on a digital platform.

Should the public’s right to know be printed on paper or posted online?

That question fueled a heated debate in Harrisburg Monday, where lawmakers took up House Bill 1291 — a proposal to overhaul how Pennsylvanians are notified about tax hikes, zoning changes and school construction plans.

The fight has drawn sharp lines between local governments and legacy media, with both sides claiming to champion transparency.

Under current Pennsylvania law, public notices must be published in a printed newspaper of general circulation in the area affected.

There is no requirement that notices appear online, and no centralized public notice system exists.

Critics of the status quo say it’s outdated, expensive and fails to reach residents who consume news digitally.

Supporters argue print still plays a crucial role — especially for rural and older populations — and that newspaper publication provides an essential layer of independent oversight.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Freeman (D-Northampton), would continue requiring legal notices to be published in print newspapers.

It would also mandate that notices appear on newspaper websites, outside of paywalls, and on a centralized public notice portal — publicnoticepa. com — maintained by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association at no cost to taxpayers.

Freeman said the “layered access” approach balances tradition with digital modernization, especially for communities with limited internet access or older demographics.

“In the absence of a print newspaper of general circulation,” he said, “notices can be placed in a digital newspaper as well as the statewide public Supporters: Layered model protects access, trust and inclusion

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the PNA, called HB 1291 a modernization that “safeguards the public’s right to participate before government decisions are made.”

She emphasized that 1.3 million Pennsylvania households — more than a quarter of the state — remain digitally excluded.

“The core principle of public notice is simple,” Melewsky said. “Citizens cannot hold government accountable if they are unaware of proposed government actions.”

Jennifer Bertetto, CEO of Trib Total Media, warned that removing notices from newspapers would devastate community journalism. She added that TribLive’s website has far greater reach than most municipal websites and that notices are a critical point of engagement with local news.

Sharon Sorg, publisher for CNHI newspapers in Grove City, Sharon and New Castle, said the bill preserves trust by keeping notices in independent outlets.

“Our markets are blue-collar, older, and rural,” she said. “A municipality could easily bury a crucial public notice on a barely visible page of its website. Newspapers provide accountability.”

Opponents: HB 1291 limits flexibility, ignores digital reality

Frank Mazza of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania contends HB 1291 doesn’t go far enough, saying, “It falls short of real flexibility and cost savings.” Counties want more options, not mandates, he added.

Amy Sturges of the Pennsylvania Municipal League said governments already use digital tools to reach residents — websites, emails and social media.

“This bill continues to rely on the outdated notion that print newspapers are the gold standard,” she said. Limited print schedules and rising ad rates, she added, often delay urgent notices and inflate costs.

Ron Grutza of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs called the print mandate an “unfunded burden” that doesn’t reflect where residents actually get their information. “People are online,” he said. “They’re not reading the print newspaper anymore.”

Grutza also criticized added fees from third-party posting platforms and rising ad rates. “They’re nickel and diming the taxpayers,” he said. He pushed for greater transparency — such as including the cost of each notice and annual revenue reports from newspapers.

He advocates expanding the definition of legal publications to include online-only outlets, borough websites and even high-traffic media sites. “Why not allow that?” he asked. “Why are we locked into print?”

Townships and authorities back reform

Holly Fishel of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors cited data showing only 1% of voters rely on public notices for local news. She also criticized newspaper websites as clunky and hard to search. “We don’t want the public charged just to access information,” she said.

Jennie Shade of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association said public notices are becoming costly and irrelevant. “Authorities are being asked to spend more ratepayer dollars to reach fewer people,” she said.

Kevin Busher of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said the current law is “antiquated” and ineffective. He emphasized that digital notices can be translated and made ADA-compliant, expanding — not limiting — access.

Academic research warns of lower visibility, digital publishers shut out

Dr. Delphine Samuels of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business presented research on Florida’s 2023 public notice law. That law allowed governments to post notices on county websites instead of in newspapers.

The result? Newspaper placements dropped 36%, but traffic to county sites didn’t increase. “These notices became less visible,” Samuels said. “And that decline led to lower public participation and increased development activity — signs of reduced oversight.”

Freddy Lutz of PennBid said the bill ignores how notices are used in procurement. “There’s just no real savings,” he said. “And for many agencies, it won’t even apply.”

Tom Sofield, who runs Levittown-Now.com and two other online-only news sites, said publishers like him are unfairly excluded. “Our site reaches 82% of adults in our area,” he said. “That’s more than any print publication.”

Sofield pointed to Virginia’s law, which opened notice publishing to online outlets in cooperation with the state press association. “It expanded transparency and competition,” he said. “We can do it better, faster, and cheaper — but we’re locked out.”

What’s next?

HB 1291 is one of several public notice bills introduced this session.

Two competing proposals — Senate Bill 194 and House Bill 424 — were laid on the table earlier this year and are not currently moving.

SB 194, introduced by Sen. Cris Dush, would allow municipalities to satisfy notice requirements solely by publishing on their own official websites — a move strongly backed by local governments but opposed by media groups, who argue it eliminates independent verification.

HB 424, sponsored by Rep. Brett Miller, sought a similar digital-first approach but included broader definitions for qualifying online publications. Like SB 194, it failed to gain enough traction in committee.

The House Local Government Committee did not vote Monday on HB 1291, but the hearing highlighted a fundamental disagreement: Should public notices be preserved by independent media or adapted for digital tools that governments already use?

Freeman, the bill’s sponsor, stood firm.

“My bill provides a layered access approach,” he said, “balancing tradition with technology at no additional cost to taxpayers.”

HB 1291 remains in the House Local Government Committee, which could hold additional hearings, propose amendments, or vote to advance the bill.

If approved, it would move to the full House for consideration before heading to the Senate. Lawmakers will need to reconcile competing proposals — including previously tabled bills like Senate Bill 194 and House Bill 424 — before any changes to public notice law can become final.