House committee tables public notices bill

Continued from Page 1

Delinquent tax notices would be phased out of newspapers in 2026. A year later, cities and counties would have the choice of moving delinquent real estate and certification listings to the internet instead of newspapers. Finally, election and voting-related notices would be removed from newspapers at the start of 2028. Before transitioning to online public notices, city and county officials must notify the public of the change in local newspapers. HB 1399 would not impact other notices now published in newspapers, such as marriages and divorces, new mortgages, legal filings and other court-mandated ads.

After Cavenaugh finished pitching HB 1399, several APA members vehemently spoke against the legislation. Robyn Yarbo, general manager of WEHCO Media’s Camden News, El Dorado NewsTimes and the Banner-News of Magnolia, told the House panel that newspapers are vital to democracy and their local communities.

“Removing public notices from newspapers will absolutely hurt your community newspaper, the people we employ and the citizens we serve,” Yarbo testified. “I am here to humbly ask you to vote against HB 1399. Transparency in city and county government should be just as important to you as it is to your constituents. The only people who take issue with transparency are those who have something to hide. It is not enough to post it on a website somewhere.”

Yarbo also testified that the amended bill would hurt local newspapers financially and the communities they serve. Although she did not have enough time to fully study the amendment before the hearing, the WEHCO executive said posting a notice “on a website somewhere” as required by Cavenaugh’s proposal was insufficient to ensure transparency.

Yarbro also reiterated the Association’s stance that many rural communities across Arkansas still don’t have access to high-speed broadband services, including senior citizens and those with lower incomes or fewer educational opportunities.

“How will your constituents reach the websites?” Yarbo asked. “Print is still an option for these people.”

After several APA members testified against HB 1099 for more than an hour, the committee ran out of its allotted time and tabled the legislation until later. Committee Vice Chair Rep. Milton Nicks, Jr. (D-Marion), told the overflow crowd that the measure would be put back on the panel’s calendar after BLR provides an impact statement.

“I know many of you did not get to testify, and we do apologize about that. However, after Rep. Cavanaugh gets her impact statement, we will put this back on special order so you will have plenty of time to realize when we are actually going to run the bill,” said Committee Member Rep. Mike Holcomb (R-Pine Bluff). “Those that did not get a chance to (testify) will still get that chance.”