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HB 3069

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2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jarred Cannon and 9 co-sponsors

Allows Illinois municipalities to publish legally required notices online on their site with a certified database; offers free print copies on request, reducing newspaper notices.

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Bill Summary · HB 3069

HB 3069 — Notices: Electronic Publication (Introduced Feb 20, 2025)

Purpose / Intent

HB 3069 updates the Illinois Notice By Publication Act to allow municipalities to publish legally required public notices electronically instead of in a print newspaper, provided certain safeguards are met. The bill creates standards for online publication, certification, accessibility, and retention of electronic notices, and removes a prior statutory requirement that newspapers place notices on a statewide repository website.

Key provisions

  • Municipal electronic alternative: Whenever a municipality is required by law, court order, or contract to publish a notice in a newspaper, the municipality may instead publish the notice on its official municipal website — but only if the notice is also published on a searchable online database website that provides independent certification of the publication.
  • Searchable database and linkage: The official municipal website must display a link to the searchable online database, which must list all current municipal legal notices and provide either full text or links to the notices and a search function or other accessibility features.
  • Independent certification & certificate content: Electronic publications must be accompanied by a certificate that includes the notice title, exact day/date/time of publication, the searchable database website address (including archived notices), and other available information. The searchable database must provide independent certification of publication.
  • Availability and retention: Notices must remain available on the database at least until the last posting date required by law has expired or until the event described in the independent notice certification has occurred, whichever is later.
  • Access fallback: If an individual cannot access the electronic notice, the issuing municipality must provide a copy free of charge at the municipality’s principal office.
  • Reliability standard: The municipality or the website host may enter a service-level agreement with a provider that guarantees the site is publicly accessible at least 98% of the time, 24/7, 365 days/year.
  • Use of statewide municipal organization: A searchable online database may be operated or managed by a statewide organization of municipalities (per Ill. Municipal Code Section 1‑8‑1) at no additional cost to the publishing municipality.
  • Repeal and cross‑act changes: The bill repeals an existing section requiring newspapers to place published notices on a statewide website and correspondingly modifies definitions and provisions in the Notice By Publication Act and the Newspaper Legal Notice Act.

Who is affected

  • Municipal governments: gain an option to publish legally required notices electronically, subject to the bill’s technical and certification requirements.
  • Residents and notice recipients: gain online access to notices, with a guaranteed route to obtain a free printed copy if they cannot access electronic versions.
  • Newspapers and print publishers: potentially lose some mandatory legal-notice publication business because municipalities may substitute electronic publication; the bill also removes the statutory requirement for newspapers to post notices to a statewide repository.
  • Third‑party operators / statewide municipal organizations: may operate searchable databases and provide certification services.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced Feb 20, 2025 (by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford).
  • Passed one chamber (actions show passage on 2025-05-06) and has had committee hearings and substitutions.
  • Current status (per document): Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee.
  • Effective date: The synopsis states the act is effective immediately upon enactment.

Practical considerations

  • Municipalities choosing electronic publication must ensure compliance with uptime, certification, retention, and access requirements.
  • Implementation may require technical contracts or use of a statewide municipal database operator.
  • The change may alter revenue and operational models for local newspapers that rely on paid legal notices.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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