Legislative update April 8

Dear TPA member,

Public notices in Texas newspapers received strong bipartisan support from veteran legislators on the House State Affairs Committee today.
HB 2578 by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, would establish a state-run public notice site for all levels of state and local government to use as an alternative to newspaper publication.
Reps. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, and Richard Pena Raymond, D-Laredo, questioned Leach about whether web postings on a government site would be as visible as newspaper notices are. They worried that officials who want to discourage public awareness and involvement in government activities could use obscure web postings to effectively hide notices from citizens.
TPA member publishers Bill Patterson of Denton, Regina Keilers of LaGrange and Tom Morin of Houston testified that newspapers provide strong readership of notices through their combination of print and digital products. TPA attorney Wesley Lewis testified that newspapers have been reliable providers of public notice and remain “the gold standard” for disseminating civic information.
Several city officials from around Texas testified in favor of the legislation, maintaining that newspaper notices are ineffective and that web postings and social media would be better alternatives.
As is standard practice, the committee did not vote on the bill immediately but left it pending for possible action at a later date.
In the days leading up to the hearing countless Texas publishers contacted legislators and asked them to oppose the bill. Many TPA members also filed comments on the State Affairs portal established to connect remotely with citizens during the pandemic.
It’s much too early to relax, but it was a good day in Austin for Texas newspapers.

Thanks for everything you do.

Sincerely,
Mike Hodges
Mhodges@texaspress.com

Donnis Baggett
Dbaggett@texaspress.com