PNA Supports HB 1291
Public notices are official advertisements required to be published in printed newspapers of general circulation. They are mandated by statutes, regulations, court rules, and court orders. Public notices are important because they inform citizens about tax increases, zoning changes, school closures, environmental proposals impacting health and property, and other critical issues before local governments take action. Public notices are published in newspapers because newspapers are an independent, third party whose constitutional role is to hold government accountable. Public notices have been published in newspapers in Pennsylvania for centuries; in fact, the Declaration of Independence was a public notice published in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776.
Public notices in Pennsylvania are governed by the Newspaper Advertising Act, which requires that public notices be published in printed newspapers of general circulation. More specific statutes dealing with a variety of subjects often contain more detailed notice requirements. PNA is currently monitoring bills in the General Assembly that would seek to amend the Newspaper Advertising Act, as well as many other pieces of legislation that would touch on public notices.
Pennsylvania’s newspapers remain the most reliable place to read and establish legal proof of public notices. Most Pennsylvania registered voters, 92%, agree that public notices should be published in print by local newspapers and favor current state law that requires this process.1
Pennsylvania House Local Government Committee Testimony: House Bill 1291 Recap – September 29, 2025
The House Local Government Committee held a two-hour hearing Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 on bipartisan legislation to modernize the state public notice law. HB 1291 is sponsored by committee Chairman Robert Freeman (D-Northampton).
Committee members heard testimony in support of, and in opposition to, the bill that would require newspapers to post notices on their websites, in front of their paywalls in addition to their printed editions and post on the statewide public notice website to meet state legal requirements for publication. HB 1291 would allow online publications and free newspapers to publish public notices if no printed newspaper exists in a community.
Speaking in support of the bill from PNA were board Chairwoman Jennifer Bertetto, president and CEO of Trib Total Media; board Vice Chairwoman Sharon Sorg, executive vice president of newspaper operations for CNHI, LLC, and publisher of its newspapers in Sharon, Grove City and New Castle; and Melissa Bevan Melewsky, PNA media law counsel. Their testimony emphasized that:
- Newspapers are an independent third party whose only stake in the public notice system is informing readers.
- Citizens know they will find notices in newspapers, whose print and digital products have never had a bigger audience.
- Public notice costs are payments for professional, legally required services and investments in local journalism that hold power to account.
- Removing print newspapers from the public notice system would exclude millions of Pennsylvanians who have limited or no internet access.
- Requiring newspapers to post notices on the PNA-maintained statewide public notice website at no additional cost to taxpayers is a value-added public service
Representatives from county, borough, township, school board, and municipal authority associations spoke against HB 1291 and in favor of SB 194, which would allow for public notice publication on government websites.
Delphine Samuels, associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago, presented her research into the impact of Florida’s 2023 law that allowed public notices to be posted on government websites. Her findings showed that notices in newspapers declined by 36% in the two years after the law took effect; traffic on government websites showed no change; and citizen participation at government meetings declined by 16%.
Frank Lutz, principal of PennBid, an e-procurement system, and LevittownNow.com publisher Tom Sofield also testified.
After the hearing, Freeman said he may offer amendatory language when the committee brings up the bill for a vote.
The full hearing is available to watch online.
PNA members can log-in and download the testimonies from Jennifer Bertetto, Jim Lockwood (The Times-Tribune), Melissa Bevan Melewsky, Delphine Samuels and Sharon Sorg. A letter in support of HB 1291 from AAA and other coalition partners is also available with a PNA username and password.
Delphine Samuels, an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, along with Yale School of Management professor Anya Nakhmurina and Texas A&M University assistant professor of accounting Kimberly Munevar conducted research into the evolving debate over whether placing public notices on government websites is an equal or superior alternative to newspapers. The researchers focused on Florida’s significant reform enacted in 2023 that allowed local governments to post legally required notices on county-operated websites and found that public participation decreased significantly and traffic to government websites did not increase. The following graphic reflects their findings:
Public Notice Ad Campaign Materials
News organizations provide an independent step in the public notice process, safeguarding the public interest, and preventing the government in self-policing its compliance with laws that require it to tell the public of plans before decisions are made.
PNA has developed print and digital ads for our members to run. The campaign highlights the importance of keeping public notices in the news media industry while supporting ongoing efforts to modernize the Newspaper Advertising Act.
Please complete the form below to access the advertising campaign. These ads are provided at no charge to members of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
Statewide Ad Campaign Request (Public Notices)
Contact your state senator today to urge “NO” on vote SB 194
The bill would take public notices out of newspapers and put them on government websites.
State Senate Bill 194, sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams/Franklin), would allow school districts and municipal and county governments the option of posting meeting and other legally required public notices on their websites instead of publishing them in newspapers, the trusted source of public notices for generations.
PNA members can log-in with their username and password to read our memo against SB 194 below.
The core principle of public notice is simple: citizens cannot hold government accountable if they are unaware of proposed government actions.
PNA President and CEO Bill Cotter has penned an op-ed discussing why the push to move public notices to government websites is a bad move.
Search public notices in Pennsylvania
The website linked below is a compilation of public notices published throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a public service made possible by the newspapers of Pennsylvania at no cost to taxpayers. This easy-to-use website is designed to assist citizens who want to know more about the actions of local, county and state government, as well as events occurring in the local and state court systems.
1 “PA NewsMedia Association Benchmark,’’ survey of 600 Pennsylvania registered voters Aug. 24-28, 2022, conducted for PNA by Public Opinion Strategies, Alexandria, Virginia.