HB2914 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 08758 JRC 18812 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB2914

Introduced 2/6/2025, by Rep. Suzanne M. Ness

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

715 ILCS 5/2.2 new
715 ILCS 5/3.1	from Ch. 100, par. 3.1
715 ILCS 5/5	from Ch. 100, par. 5
715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.
715 ILCS 10/1	from Ch. 100, par. 10
715 ILCS 10/2	from Ch. 100, par. 10.1

Amends the Notice By Publication Act. Provides that in counties with a population of less than 3,000,000, if a unit of local government, community college, or school district is required to provide notice in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, those entities may publish the notice on its official government website instead of in a newspaper. Provides that the entity or the host of the notice website must enter into a service-level agreement with an Internet service provider that guarantees the site is accessible to the public over the Internet at least 98% of the time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Provides that the official Internet website of the entity must prominently display a link to the notice web page. Provides that if an individual is unable to access an electronic publication of a legal notice, the entity must provide a copy of the notice to the individual free of charge. Requires that notices must remain available on the website at least until the last posting date required by law has expired or until the event described in a notice has taken place, whichever is later. Repeals the current provisions that a newspaper that publishes a notice required by law must contract to place the notice at no additional cost on the statewide website established and maintained as a joint venture of the majority of State newspapers as a repository of these notices. Amends the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning notices.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Notice By Publication Act is amended by changing Sections 3.1 and 5 and by adding Section 2.2 as follows:

(715 ILCS 5/2.2 new)

Sec. 2.2. Alternative Publication for counties with less than 3,000,000 residents.

(a) if a governmental unit, community college district, or school district located in a county with a population of less than 3,000,000 is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the governmental unit, community college district, or school district may publish the notice on an official government website instead of in a newspaper.

(b) The governmental unit, community college district, or school district, or the host of the notice website, shall enter into a service-level agreement with an Internet service provider that guarantees the site is accessible to the public over the Internet at least 98% of the time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

(c) The official Internet website of the governmental unit, community college district, or school district shall prominently display a link to the notice web page, which shall be an index web page, containing a list of all current legal notices of the unit or district, with links to the full text of those notices. The index web page shall also contain a search function and other features that improve public accessibility to legal notices.

(d) If an individual is unable to access an electronic publication of a legal notice, the issuing governmental unit, community college district, or school district shall provide a copy of the notice to the individual free of charge.

(e) Notices shall remain available on the website at least until the last posting date required by law has expired or until the event described in a notice has taken place, whichever is later.

(715 ILCS 5/3.1) (from Ch. 100, par. 3.1)

Sec. 3.1. When any notice is required by law, or order of court, to be published in any newspaper, publication of such notice shall include the printing of such notice in the total circulation of each edition on the date of publication of the newspaper in which the notice is published; and the newspaper publishing the notice shall, at no additional cost to government, cause the notice to be placed on the statewide website established and maintained as a joint venture of the majority of Illinois newspapers as a repository for such notices. All notices required for publication by this Act shall remain legal and valid for all purposes when any error that occurs pursuant to the requirements of this Section for placement of the notice on the statewide website is the fault of the printer.

(Source: P.A. 100-72, eff. 1-1-18.)

(715 ILCS 5/5) (from Ch. 100, par. 5)

Sec. 5. When any notice is required by law or contract to be published in a newspaper (unless otherwise expressly provided in the contract), it shall be intended to be in a secular newspaper of general circulation, published in the city, town or county, or some newspaper specially authorized by law to publish legal notices, in the city, town, or county. If there is no newspaper published in the county in which the city or town is located, notice shall be given in a secular newspaper, as defined in this Act, that is published in an adjoining county having general circulation within the city or town. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the contract, the term "newspaper" means a newspaper

(a) which consists of not less than 4 pages of printed matter and contains at least 100 square inches of printed matter per page; and

(b) which is printed through the use of one of the conventional and generally recognized printing processes such as letterpress, lithography or gravure; and

(c) which annually averages at least 25% news content per issue; or which annually averages at least 1,000 column inches of news content per issue, the term "news content" meaning for the purposes of this Act any printed matter other than advertising; and

(d) which publishes miscellaneous reading matter, legal or other announcements and notices, and news and information concerning current happenings and passing events of a political, social, religious, commercial, financial or legal nature, and advertisements or bulletins; and

(e) which has been continuously published at regular intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 issues per year, for at least one year prior to the first publication of the notice; or which is a successor to a newspaper as herein defined with no interruption of publication of more than 30 days; or which is a merged or consolidated newspaper formed by the merger or consolidation of two or more newspapers, one of which has been continuously published at regular intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 issues per year, for at least one year prior to the first publication of the notice. A newspaper shall be considered as continuously or regularly published although its publication has been suspended, where such suspension was caused by fire or an Act of God or by a labor dispute or by its owner, publisher, managing editor or other essential employee entering the active military service of the United States, if the newspaper was continuously or regularly published for at least one year prior to its suspension and if its publication is resumed at any time not later than 12 months after such fire or Act of God, or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months after the termination of the labor dispute, or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months after the termination of the war in connection with which such persons entered such military service; and

(f) (Blank). which has the capability of placing notices required pursuant to this Act on a daily or weekly basis on the statewide website as required by Section 2.1.

(Source: P.A. 96-59, eff. 7-23-09; 96-1144, eff. 12-31-12.)

(715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.)

Section 10. The Notice By Publication Act is amended by repealing Section 2.1.

Section 15. The Newspaper Legal Notice Act is amended by changing Sections 1 and 2 as follows:

(715 ILCS 10/1) (from Ch. 100, par. 10)

Sec. 1. Whenever it is required by law that any legal notice or publication shall be published in a newspaper in this State, it shall be held to mean a newspaper

(a) which consists of not less than 4 pages of printed matter and contains at least 100 square inches of printed matter per page; and

(b) which is printed through the use of one of the conventional and generally recognized printing processes such as letterpress, lithography or gravure; and

(c) which annually averages at least 25% news content per issue; or which annually averages at least 1,000 column inches of news content per issue, the term "news content" meaning for the purposes of this Act any printed matter other than advertising; and

(d) which publishes miscellaneous reading matter, legal or other announcements and notices, and news and information concerning current happenings and passing events of a political, social, religious, commercial, financial or legal nature, and advertisements or bulletins; and

(e) which has been continuously published at regular intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 issues per year, for at least one year prior to the first publication of the notice; or which is a successor to a newspaper as herein defined with no interruption of publication of more than 30 days; or which is a merged or consolidated newspaper formed by the merger or consolidation of two or more newspapers, one of which has been continuously published at regular intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 issues per year for at least one year prior to the first publication of the notice. A newspaper shall be considered as continuously or regularly published although its publication has been suspended, where such suspension was caused by fire or an Act of God or by a labor dispute or by its owner, publisher, managing editor or other essential employee entering the active military service of the United States, if the newspaper was continuously or regularly published for at least one year prior to its suspension and if its publication is resumed at any time not later than 12 months after such fire or Act of God, or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months after the termination of the labor dispute, or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months after the termination of the war in connection with which such persons entered such military service; and

(f) (Blank). which has the capability of placing, at no additional cost to government, notices required pursuant to this Act on a daily or weekly basis on the statewide website established and maintained as a joint venture by the majority of Illinois newspapers as a repository for such notices.

(Source: P.A. 96-59, eff. 7-23-09; 96-1144, eff. 12-31-12.)

(715 ILCS 10/2) (from Ch. 100, par. 10.1)

Sec. 2. When any legal notice is required by law to be published in any newspaper, such notice shall include the printing of such notice in the total circulation of each edition on the date of publication of the newspaper in which the notice is published; and the newspaper publishing the notice shall, at no additional cost to government, cause the notice to be placed on the statewide website established and maintained as a joint venture of the majority of Illinois newspapers as a repository for such notices. All notices required for publication by this Act shall remain legal and valid for all purposes when any error that occurs pursuant to the requirements of this Section in the requirement for placement of the notice on the statewide website is the fault of the printer.

(Source: P.A. 100-72, eff. 1-1-18.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.