Readers are invited to join Indiana newspapers, including members of the Daily Journal staff, for an advocacy event for public notices at the Statehouse March 19.
The advocacy event organized by Hoosier State Press Association will begin at 11 a.m. on March 19. Daily Journal reporters will join fellow journalists from all over Indiana to share why we think public notices should continue to be locally published.
House Bill 1312 on public notices was passed by the House and is now before the Senate. Public notices are required by law for a wide variety of public information, including public hearings for local government bodies, property tax information, annexations, bids for government projects, estates, name changes and more.
Currently, these notices must be published in the area’s newspaper of record and website per the state’s pricing and style guidelines, and on the website for the municipality or county that the notice impacts. However, House Bill 1312 would change this.
If passed in its current form, HB 1312 would provide four options for advertising a public notice in the first phase starting in July: a newspaper print edition, a newspaper website, a political subdivision website or the state public notice website. In phases starting with counties 50,000 or under in July 2026, the bill would funnel all notices to the state’s website. Johnson County would make the shift to the state website in January 2027, when it would be required for counties of 100,000 or more people.
The Daily Journal and our parent company AIM Media Indiana are concerned about the impacts it could have not only on newspaper operations, but on Hoosiers’ ability to track what their governments are doing. We seeking readers’ help and feedback about the changes.
We are asking readers to help in any of two ways.
Firstly, write letters to the editor on the bill that we can publish and share with lawmakers on the advocacy day. To share your thoughts, write to letters@dailyjournal.net. Include a name, place of residence and phone number with your letter. For publication in the newspaper, send letters by 5 p.m. March 14. Letters for lawmakers that you don’t want to be published should be emailed or dropped off at our office by 5 p.m. March 18.
Secondly, if you’re free at 11 a.m. March 19, join us on advocacy day. Newspapers are part of Indiana history and open government. The Founding Fathers thought they were important enough to protect them in the First Amendment. We’d love it if you could help us preserve that by joining us for the event.