Bill > H1566

This bill, known as the "Electronic Publication of Legal Notices Act," mandates that when a legal notice is required to be published in a "newspaper" (a publication intended for general readership), it must also be published online. This online publication must occur on the newspaper's own website and on a statewide website created and managed by a majority of Massachusetts newspapers as a central repository for these notices. The bill outlines several requirements for these online publications, including that the sites must be accessible to the public at all times, prominently linked from government websites, fully searchable by the public, and comply with accessibility standards for individuals with disabilities. Notices must remain available online for a specified period, and public access to these notices and basic search functions must be free of charge, though newspapers can charge for enhanced features. State agencies and local governments will not be charged more for online publication than for print. The statewide website will also maintain an archive of past notices, searchable by various identifiers, and newspapers must implement robust security and backup measures, along with contingency plans for system failures.