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Committee hears bill to let Nebraska legal notices appear on qualified news websites and apps
Summary
A Nebraska bill would allow legal notices now required to appear in print newspapers to be published on qualifying websites and mobile applications; proponents said the change would reach residents in media deserts, while the Nebraska Press Association urged clearer standards and stakeholder negotiation.
Sen. Rita Sanders, chairwoman of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced LB596 on behalf of her constituent and local publisher Garrett Sims, saying the bill would permit legal notices to appear on "websites and application of digital news publications" in addition to print newspapers.
The measure would change current practice under the cited statute that requires publication in print; Sanders said the bill "updates our legal notice requirements to better reflect the modern media landscape." The bill keeps print publication as an option while allowing notices to be considered legally published on a digital platform if that platform meets specified qualifications.
Supporters told the committee the change is aimed primarily at smaller jurisdictions where local newspapers have closed and residents now rely on digital local news. Colby Coash of the Nebraska Association of School Boards said some school districts are in "virtual media deserts" where the nearest qualifying print publication is many miles away and not read locally. "We're not interested in not publicizing when meetings are happening," Coash said. "We want the public engaged." Beth Bazyn Ferrell of the Nebraska Association of County Officials said counties worry when a local paper closes because they still must publish notices such as meeting minutes and lists of delinquent taxes.
Dennis Deroissett, executive director of the Nebraska Press Association, testified in opposition to the bill "as it is currently worded," urging the committee to allow stakeholders to craft clear parameters. "Public notices are not advertisements. They are legally required information to be disseminated to taxpayers and the public," Deroissett said, arguing that any digital standard must protect accessibility, independence, verifiability and archivability. He noted Nebraska newspapers already maintain a free, cooperative statewide website that archives notices and currently houses over 500,000 notices at no cost to government or the courts.
Committee members questioned what would qualify as an eligible digital publisher; Sanders and proponents said they expect a certification or qualification process rather than allowing unvetted social media pages. During questioning the Nebraska Press representative said roughly 22 of the state's smaller, rural newspapers currently have no website and that about one-third of papers have increased readership in the last two years.
Sen. Sanders closed by saying the bill is intended to complement, not replace, print notices and asked for a green vote. For the hearing record, online position comments showed 10 proponents and 2 opponents and 0 neutral comments.
The committee did not take a vote on LB596 during the hearing; senators asked stakeholders to continue conversations about workable standards for digital publication.
