Public and legal notices are displayed inside the Jan. 14 edition of the Daily Journal. Daily Journal File Photo
An amended local government finance bill now includes a provision that would make publishing government public notices in Indiana newspapers one of three options.
House Bill 1210 is a bill addressing several aspects of local government finances, including local income tax structures and budgets. As of Tuesday, the bill also includes language that would make the publishing of local and state government public notices optional in newspapers. Governments would have the option to publish in the print or electronic edition of a newspaper, the print or electronic edition of a locality newspaper, or on the respective government’s website, effective July 1.
The language was tucked into a 200-page amendment introduced by State Sen. Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville, and was adopted unanimously by the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday. The amended bill passed 13-0 out of the committee without public testimony, as the bill was only scheduled for amendments and votes. It now goes to the full Senate for consideration, and if it passes the Senate, the House will need to either agree to the changes or send it to a conference committee for lawmakers from both chambers to hammer out a final version.
After informing newspaper publishers of the amendment, the Hoosier State Press Association, of which the Daily Journal is a member, encouraged publishers to contact their local lawmakers to ask for the language to be removed. A Senate vote had not yet been scheduled as of mid-afternoon Tuesday.
“Public notice laws have been developed over the last 200 years because it is technically a legal process that ensures due process. It allows the public to address and oversee government and elected officials on issues that are important to the community. Local newspapers are still the best option for getting local awareness on public notices and issues,” said Steve Swails, general manager of AIM Media Indiana, which publishes the Daily Journal.
The bill is the latest attempt to make publishing government notices in newspapers optional, and is the second time the topic has come up this session.
House Bill 1283, authored by State Rep. Alex Zimmerman, R-North Vernon, would’ve done something similar, except it also included the options of publishing on a future state notices website or the Hoosier State Press Association website, and after an amendment, would’ve phased in when the state website could’ve been used. The bill did pass the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee, but was never called for a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee before a key deadline passed, killing that bill.
However, there was always the option for the language to be added into another bill before this year’s legislative session ended. This is what happened Tuesday.
Last month, Steve Wolff, vice president of government affairs and procurement for The Corydon Group, a lobbyist working on behalf of HSPA, told the Daily Journal the changes outlined in HB 1283 — and now, by extension, HB 1210, would change 200-plus years of public notice law and would dilute the ability for people to see notices by giving governments multiple locations to put them.
HSPA wants to work with lawmakers to modernize the public notice process, but keep independence. However, the bill hinders, rather than enhances, transparency, Wolff said.
Anne Durham Smith, editor of the (Greenfield) Daily Reporter, a sister newspaper of the Daily Journal, questioned last month whether there would be accountability for when a government failed to put notices online. As an example, the Daily Reporter sent more than 30 letters to local governments in Hancock County just to get a list of meeting notices for 2026 in December, which the paper doesn’t charge for, but had to follow up with a dozen that didn’t respond, she told the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee during testimony for HB 1283.
Representatives of government associations have expressed support for the changes. Zimmerman, the author of HB 1283, described the bill as a taxpayers savings bill.
Scott Bowling, executive director of the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, previously said HB 1283 would free up dollars for schools and give them more flexibility.
Jake German, a lobbyist representing Indiana County Commissioners, acknowledged there are gaps with internet access in the state, but when counties look at tax policies after property tax revenue cuts from Senate Enrolled Act 1 of 2025, removing the requirement to publish public notices in newspapers would allow governments to stretch tax dollars in the most efficient way possible, he told the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee during testimony for HB 1283.
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