Bill would shorten waiting period for Missouri newspapers to run legal notices from three years to one

Representative Peggy McGaw presented House Bill 1940 to the Local Government Committee on Jan. 27, proposing two primary changes to the state's legal-notice eligibility rules: reduce the required continuous publication period from three years to one year, and extend the time a successor newspaper has to begin publication from 30 days to 90 days. "This bill reduces the time period of regular publication from 3 years to 1 year and increases the time period from 30 days to 90 days within which a successor newspaper must begin publication," McGaw told the committee.

Advocates told the committee the shorter waiting period would bring Missouri into alignment with most other states and help small, newly established newspapers qualify to publish legal notices. Chad Stebbins, executive director of the Missouri Press Association, said Missouri likely is one of the few states with the three-year rule and urged the committee to pass the change. "Everything she said is 100% accurate," Stebbins said. He offered an example: the Trenton Telegraph began publishing after the Trenton Republican Times closed, but under current law would have to wait three years before running legal notices, which can slow local government operations.

Shannon Hawke of the Missouri Municipal League also testified in favor, saying local governments want notices published in genuinely local outlets so residents can readily find them. The committee closed the public hearing with proponents but no recorded opposition on the transcript excerpt for this meeting.