House panel holds HB 33 after hours of testimony for and against moving public notices online

The House State Affairs Committee heard more than three hours of public testimony Thursday on House Bill 33, a bill from Representative Jeff Ehlers, R‑Meridian, that would allow public entities and other parties required to publish legal notices to do so electronically on a state controller website in lieu of a print newspaper in many circumstances.

Ehlers said the bill is intended to modernize notice requirements and expand reach: “The intent of why we have public notices … is to notify the public of what's happening, to bring transparency to the actions of the government,” he told the committee, and the bill would create a centralized site with searchable notices and optional push subscriptions. Ehlers said state agencies estimated initial development and one‑time costs and ongoing maintenance; he cited a state controller estimate of about $570,000 to build a site using existing infrastructure and about $300,000 a year in maintenance, while state agencies alone could save approximately $1 million annually and local governments…