Plan for government notices to be online-only reversed
Posted by Simon Day on May 7, 2009 at 6:00 AM
The switch to Internet-only publication of new laws and official actions by the Wisconsin state government has been put to the full Legislature for a reversal, resorting back to print publication, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.
"It's a bad idea," said Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. "There's just no security with an online publication."
"It's a bad idea," said Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. "There's just no security with an online publication."
Peter Fox, executive director of the Wisconsin Newspapers Association, said the Association will request the legislators reject the change to Web online publication of state notices. Fox believes the basis of the change, the assumption that those affected by the state government's actions will firstly have access to the internet and secondly check government Web sites, are false, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Introduced by Rep. Gary Sherman, the online notice bill passed on Tuesday with a vote of 12-4 by the state legislature's Joint Finance Committee. Democrats supported the change, while Republicans opposed it.
Republican Robin Vos said the decision is "not the kind of thing that should be inserted in the state budget" and instead should receive public discussion. Sen. Alberta Darling questioned the impact of the change on democracy, believing the change would blur the need "as much transparency as possible" in state government, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Sherman defended the change, saying newspapers were no longer the most disseminated material in the "modern world" and that the print publication requirement was outdated.
State notices have been required to be published in the designated "official" newspaper since 1961 and the current official paper in the Madison-based Wisconsin State Journal. The Department of Administration paid Capital Newspapers, the publisher of the State Journal, $263,351 in 2008, including classifieds and the official notices, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Introduced by Rep. Gary Sherman, the online notice bill passed on Tuesday with a vote of 12-4 by the state legislature's Joint Finance Committee. Democrats supported the change, while Republicans opposed it.
Republican Robin Vos said the decision is "not the kind of thing that should be inserted in the state budget" and instead should receive public discussion. Sen. Alberta Darling questioned the impact of the change on democracy, believing the change would blur the need "as much transparency as possible" in state government, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Sherman defended the change, saying newspapers were no longer the most disseminated material in the "modern world" and that the print publication requirement was outdated.
State notices have been required to be published in the designated "official" newspaper since 1961 and the current official paper in the Madison-based Wisconsin State Journal. The Department of Administration paid Capital Newspapers, the publisher of the State Journal, $263,351 in 2008, including classifieds and the official notices, the Journal Sentinel reported.
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