An Act To Provide More Efficient Notice of Public Activities
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 1445
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: HAYES, DUCHESNE
Amends: 1 MRSA §603

Legislative Document 
No. 1445 
H.P. 1059 
House of Representatives, April 11, 2011 
An Act To Provide More Efficient Notice of Public Activities 
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative HAYES of Buckfield. 
Cosponsored by Representative DUCHESNE of Hudson. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  1 MRSA §603 is enacted to read: 
§603.  Electronic publication of legal notices 
Notwithstanding any other section of law, beginning July 1, 2013, a state agency may 
not publish in a newspaper any legal notice, legal advertising or any other matter required 
by law to be published in a newspaper but instead must post the notice on a publicly 
accessible website maintained by the State.  Notices must continue to be posted according 
to the time frames that exist in law for newspaper publication.  For the purposes of this 
section, “state agency” means any unit of State Government including any state board or 
commission but not including the Legislature, the Judicial Department, the University of 
Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime 
Academy. 
Sec. 2.  Report to recommend exemptions.  The Secretary of State and the 
Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services shall jointly examine current 
requirements for publication of legal notices in a newspaper and report to the Joint 
Standing Committee on State and Local Government.  The Secretary of State and the 
Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services shall contact all state agencies, 
including all boards and commissions but not including the Legislature, the Judicial 
Department, the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and 
the Maine Maritime Academy, to determine all instances of legal notice publication 
requirements existing in the Maine Revised Statutes and request recommendations from 
those agencies regarding which notices should continue to be published in a newspaper 
after July 1, 2013.  The Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Administrative and 
Financial Services shall jointly submit a report based on the recommendations from the 
State agencies, along with any necessary implementing legislation to the Joint Standing 
Committee on State and Local Government by December 15, 2012, and the committee is 
authorized to report out legislation to enact those recommendations. 
SUMMARY 
This bill changes the requirement for public notices to be published in a newspaper.  
Beginning July 1, 2013, a state agency may no longer publish a legal notice, legal 
advertising or other matter required by law to be published in a newspaper but must 
instead post such notices on a publicly accessible website maintained by the State.  “State 
agency” is defined as any unit of State Government, including any state board or 
commission but not including the Legislature, the Judicial Department, the University of 
Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime 
Academy.  The Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial 
Services shall contact all state agencies to determine all instances of legal notice 
publication requirements existing in the Maine Revised Statutes and request 
recommendations from those agencies regarding which notices should continue to be 
published in a newspaper after July 1, 2013.  The Secretary of State and the 
Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services shall jointly submit a report 
based on the recommendations from the state agencies, along with any necessary 
implementing legislation to the Joint Standing Committee of State and Local Government 
by December 15, 2012, and the committee is authorized to report out legislation to enact 
those recommendations.