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Pennsylvania State Senate
07/17/2024 12:37 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20230&chamber=S&cosponId=41881
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: December 21, 2023 11:27 AM
From: Senator Ryan P. Aument
To: All Senate members
Subject: LBFC Study on Required Advertising
 
In the near future I intend to introduce a resolution directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to conduct a study on required advertising by governmental entities in Pennsylvania.
 
Currently, Pennsylvania requires counties, municipalities, and school districts to publish notices of committee meetings, bidding requirements, legal notices, and official advertisements in print newspapers of general circulation. 
 
These requirements were enacted long before the internet and at a time when most people received their news via a printed newspaper.  But times have changed.
 
In a 2021 survey, Pew Research Center found that more than 8 in 10 Americans get their news from digital sources.   And in a 2023 survey, Pew Research Center found that half of U.S. adults get news at least sometimes from social media.  Even adults aged 65 and older get their news more often from a smartphone, computer or tablet than printed publications.
 
For years we have debated reforms aimed at providing a more cost-effective and useful way to inform the public about the activities of local governments and schools across the Commonwealth.  Given this emerging data that Americans are increasingly turning to digital media for news consumption, I believe it would be useful to the debate to have Pennsylvania specific information.
 
To that end, my legislation would direct the LBFC to collect information on the current system, including:
  • How much are local governments (county, municipal, school districts) spending on public notice mandates?
  • What is the subscription of those publications as a percentage of the population of the county, municipality, or school district?
  • What is the subscription and cost trend over the last ten years?
  • What percentage of overall revenue consists of required advertising and public notice mandates?
 
Requiring transparency is a good thing and I do believe the intent behind these public notice requirements was genuine.  But as we know, times have changed, and this information will go a long way to helping the legislature decide if continued advertising in print newspapers is still the best method to ensure this important information reaches the public.