— Two state bills would, if approved, allow government agencies to publish their legal notices on their own websites rather than in newspapers of record. Here’s what the Port Orchard Independent has to say about the importance of publishing legal notices in newspapers of record:

There aren’t a lot of legal provisions enacted in 1789 still on the books today. But the ones that are have stood the test of time because they absolutely serve the public interest.

One such provision is that the government be obligated to publish its bills, orders, resolutions and votes in a publicly available newspaper — a requirement dating back to the first Congress. The purpose was to compel government to report its actions to its citizens in a medium independent of government influence …

Simply put, the objective of transparency in government is ill-served by a law that would make public officials the gatekeeper of their own information.

Advocates point to the convenience and cost savings of posting the notices online rather than in print. The problem is, there are still those who lack access to the Internet; meanwhile, newspapers such as this one publish legals online for free in addition to the paid in-print version. So for a nominal fee, governments currently getting twice the exposure they would if the new laws were passed.

This isn’t about saving money. It’s about preserving public access to the legislative process and continuing to provide a service without which fewer — rather than more — would know what their elected leaders are up to.