BATON ROUGE – The House of Representatives voted 74-17 to pass a bill that would shift the state’s official public notices from The Advocate newspaper to a government-run website.

House Bill 526 directs the Commissioner of Administration to create and maintain a new website that will serve as the primary platform for posting official information about boards, commissions and state agencies.

Under current law, the state is required to publish advertisements, proclamations and notices in a designated daily newspaper, incurring printing and contract costs.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jacob Landry, R-Erath, estimated the change could save the state more than $400,000 annually. An amendment to the bill also requires all retirement-related legislation to be posted on the new platform.

Opponents raised concerns about digital accessibility, particularly for rural residents and older citizens.

Landry noted that about 4.1 million residents in Louisiana have smartphones and pointed to expanding broadband initiatives, like "Gumbo 2.0,"  which aim to eventually bring full internet access statewide.

“This bill will not prevent professional reporting on state business,” Landry said during the floor debate. “I think this bill will give more Louisianians actual access to the right news.”

But other lawmakers noted that although roughly 75% of Louisiana residents have internet access, many still lack consistent or affordable service. They also questioned how an elderly citizen who relies on the printed newspaper would stay informed.

"Do you think everybody in Louisiana has stable access to the internet? Do you think everybody in Louisiana has access to a smartphone?" asked Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans. "Right now, people have stable access to local papers. You don't have any worry that this could limit access to information?"

Critics also warned about the financial impact on local newspapers and the risk of reducing public visibility for government notices.

“There would be no economic incentive for newspapers to put official information in their papers anymore," said Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge.

House Bill 526 only addresses state-level public notices, which mainly run in The Advocate, the daily paper in Baton Rouge. It does not affect local governments’ requirements for publishing their official notices.

Even if House Bill 526 passes the Senate and becomes law, local notices, such as city council agendas, parish ordinances and zoning changes, will still be published in each area's designated local official journal, not on the newly created state website. That business is vital for the survival of many weekly and biweekly newspapers.

Rep. Landry, who was elected in 2023, said on the floor that this was the first bill he had authored in the House. Others involved in the matter said that negotiations are continuing for some type of compromise on the bill.

It now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers could offer amendments.