Public Notices
Neither of the two main bills aimed at making publication of legal or public notices in newspapers optional, rather than mandatory (as has been the custom for decades) made it out of subcommittee.
(One bill was sent to the FOIA Council, but because the Council’s mandate covers only FOIA issues, its fate before the Council is unsure.)
VCOG’s Board of Directors reconfirmed its position at its October 2010 board meeting that keeping public notices in newspapers is a public-access issue. Consequently, VCOG wrote columns online and in print publications, put the word out on our listserv, social network sites and special legislative alerts, as well as the usual lobbying efforts. Several citizens responded to these efforts and contacted subcommittee members, though the heavy lifting on the issue really came from the Virginia Press Association.
Ironically, while these two bills were aimed at taking public notices out of the newspapers, other bills were being introduced that mandated newspaper publication!
The Governor’s Government Reform Commission has included in its recommendations that public notices in newspapers be made optional.