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Debate stalls HB1312 proposal for statewide public-notice website; motion to recommit to appropriations fails
Summary
Lawmakers debated a bill to create an optional statewide public-notice website; the author said setup would cost about $400,000 with $120,000 annual maintenance, phased in through 2027. A motion to recommit the bill to Appropriations failed on a roll call, 2-8, after members raised concerns about excluding newspaper notice and the digital divide.
The Senate committee debated House Bill 1312, a proposal to create a statewide public-notice website available free to state and local governments and to residents, but a motion to recommit the bill to the Appropriations Committee failed on a roll call vote 2–8 after members expressed sharply divided views on the digital divide, newspaper notice and cost.
Rep. Meltzer, the bill's House sponsor, told senators the proposal would be phased in beginning July 2026, with later phases in January 2027 and July 2027, and that it would be free for governments and for residents who use it. Meltzer said the website would be searchable by local unit and by notice type and would allow email subscription alerts. He said state agencies in 2024 spent "just over $330,000 on public notices" and estimated the website would cost about $400,000 to set up and about $120,000 per year thereafter.
Several senators raised objections. One senator who works in local government argued that print publication remains essential in many communities and warned that moving away from print could reduce public access where residents rely on newspapers. Senator Jackson said he would "vote no on this bill" until the digital divide is fixed for his constituents. Senator Taylor and others said the bill replaces one publication method with another and leaves some residents without adequate notice. By contrast, proponents argued the website would increase searchable access and reduce overall costs for governments, and the chair noted the bill is voluntary and would not bar continued newspaper publication.
The committee considered a motion to recommit the bill to Appropriations (the chair moved to recommit to Appropriations). The roll-call result recorded two yes votes (Senator Thoms and Senator Buck) and eight no votes (including Senator Jackson and others who cited concerns about newspaper notice and broadband access), yielding a 2–8 result on the motion to recommit; the record shows senators used their one-minute explain-vote time to state reasons for their positions.
No final committee passage of the bill on the floor is recorded in the committee transcript; the motion to recommit failed. The debate illustrated lingering questions about whether and how to add a statewide digital public-notice platform while preserving older notice paths for residents who rely on newspapers or have limited broadband.
Key details cited on the record: the author said the site setup would cost roughly $400,000 and annual maintenance about $120,000; phases would start July 2026 with statewide roll-out by July 2027; the author said the site would be voluntary and free to governments and residents; the author cited 2024 state spending on public notices of about $330,000.
