MassachusettsWellesley would let town officials publish required notices entirely online
Wellesley boards and officials would be allowed to use listed websites to meet newspaper notice requirements while keeping the same publication deadlines.
What it does
Wellesley could publish required newspaper notices entirely online. Town boards would need a majority vote, while responsible officials could choose this option themselves. Existing publication deadlines would still apply.
Argument forOnline posting could help Wellesley keep publishing required notices when an adequate local print newspaper is unavailable.
Argument againstAllowing notices entirely online could make them harder to find for residents who rely on print newspapers or lack internet access.
More detail
Wellesley boards and officials would be allowed to publish required newspaper notices through listed online options. This would cover Wellesley notices that laws, town rules, or court orders require to appear in a newspaper. Boards would need a majority vote; individual officials could decide themselves. Online options include newspaper websites, local news websites that meet state rules, and statewide or townwide notice websites. Print newspapers would remain an option. The act would take effect upon passage.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Oct 13Referred to the committee on Bills in the Third ReadingLatest
- Oct 8Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossedPassed 2nd Chamber
- Oct 8Ordered to a third reading
- Oct 8Amended (Creem) by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the text of S3272Major
- Oct 8Read secondMinor
- Oct 8Taken out of the Orders of the Day
- Jul 27Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session
- Jul 23Read third and passed to be engrossedPassed 1st Chamber
- 2025
- Jul 23Read second and ordered to a third readingMinor
- Jul 23Rules suspended
- Jul 23Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting
- Jul 14Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and SchedulingMinor
- Jun 3Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-1
- May 15Senate concurred
- May 12Referred to the committee on Municipalities and Regional GovernmentIntroduced
Government & Ethics