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Senate passes bill allowing legal notices on county news websites after debate over costs
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 773, which would permit counties that qualify a local "news and information website" to carry legal notices in addition to newspapers of general circulation; supporters said it expands transparency while critics warned of added costs for notice publishers and governments.
The Tennessee Senate voted to pass House Bill 773 on third and final reading after floor debate over how the bill would apply and its cost implications for counties.
Senator Paul Yeager, sponsor on the floor, said the bill requires that when legal notices must be published in a newspaper of general circulation, the notice must also be published on one other county-level news and information website if such a website exists and meets statutory criteria. Yeager said the measure "sets out the criteria to determine a news and information website" and that although the law could apply statewide, the current amendment affects only Campbell County.
Senator Yarbrough expressed concern that the statute’s criteria are not narrowly limited and could require publishers and county governments to pay for two publications for every notice, increasing costs for private parties and government agencies across the state. Yarbrough warned the change "will have significant statewide impact on our constituents" and said the bill does not address how those added costs would be funded.
The Senate clerk recorded the final vote as 23 ayes and 7 nays; the presiding officer declared the bill passed and motion to reconsider tabled.
