Pennsylvania SB 194 Returns to the Senate Calendar

On October 6, 2026, the Pennsylvania Senate removed Senate Bill 194 from the table, more than a year after it was set aside. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33), would let counties, municipalities, school districts and municipal authorities meet legal advertising requirements by posting notices on government websites instead of publishing them in a newspaper.

For Pennsylvania publishers, the bill's return is a reminder that the state's notice law is still in play. The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) has opposed SB 194 since it was introduced. Here is what the bill would change, where it stands, and how publishers can prepare.

What the Bill Would Do

The current version of SB 194, Printer's Number 933, was amended by the Senate Local Government Committee on June 10, 2025. It amends Title 45 (Legal Notices) and Title 65 (Public Officers) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.

Who it covers. The bill defines a "local government unit" as a county, city, borough, incorporated town, township, school district, municipal authority, or any entity governed by a home rule charter, optional plan or optional charter.

A new way to satisfy notice requirements. A new Section 311 lets a local government unit fulfill any required advertisement or notice in one of two ways:

• Publishing in a newspaper, as under current law.

• A government-run alternative, which the bill lists as three parts: publishing on the county's official public website, publishing on the unit's own official website if one exists, and physically posting a copy at both its principal office and the public building where it regularly meets. The text groups these under a single option without saying outright whether all three are required; the Pennsylvania Municipal League reads them as separate choices.

Units without a website. A local government unit that does not maintain its own website must publish on the county's website, publish in a newspaper of general circulation, and post physical copies at its office and meeting location.

Other key provisions:

• The bill adds an "alternative publication method" to the legal definition of "publication," and makes that method sufficient for meeting notices under the Sunshine Act.

• Local governments could use the new options to advertise bids for public works, contracts, supplies and equipment.

• Each unit must keep every notice, both physically and electronically, for at least three years.

• Existing obligations to publish in a county legal journal remain in place.

• Within 90 days, each county must designate an office to receive public notices from local government units and share its phone number and email address with them.

The county-contact requirement would take effect immediately. The rest of the act would take effect 90 days after enactment.

What changed from the original. The introduced version would also have allowed notices on any website whose primary purpose is posting notices, and required each local government to adopt a resolution and announce the switch before using an online method. The committee amendment replaced that framework with the county-website model described above.

Where the Bill Stands

SB 194 is back on the Senate calendar but has not passed either chamber. Its history, per the General Assembly's official record:

• Oct. 6, 2026: Removed from the table

• Sept. 8, 2025: Laid on the table under Senate Rule 9

• June 10, 2025: Reported as amended by Senate Local Government Committee (10–1); first consideration

• Jan. 29, 2025: Introduced and referred to Senate Local Government Committee

Removal from the table makes a bill eligible for further floor action; it does not guarantee a vote. SB 194 would still need second and third consideration in the Senate, passage in the House, and the governor's signature. Pennsylvania's 2025–2026 session ends November 30, 2026, and bills that are not enacted by then must be reintroduced in the next session.

What's at Stake for Newspapers

SB 194 would turn newspapers from the default home for public notice into one option among several. A local government could meet every notice requirement without placing a single notice with its local paper.

Florida offers an early look at what that shift can mean. At a September 2025 House Local Government Committee hearing, University of Chicago researcher Delphine Samuels presented findings on Florida's 2023 law allowing notices on county websites. In the two years that followed, newspaper notices fell 36%, traffic to government websites did not change, and participation in public meetings dropped 16%, according to PNA's summary of the testimony.

The arguments on the other side are worth knowing, because publishers will hear them in hearings and from their own local officials. The Pennsylvania Municipal League supports SB 194, pointing to rising costs, newspapers that publish less often, and the fact that most municipalities have only one qualifying newspaper to choose from. Those are real frustrations, and newspapers that answer them directly are in the strongest position.

A Path That Keeps Newspapers at the Center

PNA supports a different approach to modernization: House Bill 1291, sponsored by Rep. Robert Freeman (D-Northampton). Rather than moving notices to government websites, it updates how newspapers deliver them. Notices would be posted on newspaper websites in front of the paywall, added to the statewide site publicnoticepa.com at no extra cost, and open to qualifying digital or free publications in communities with no printed newspaper.

The House Local Government Committee advanced an amended version of HB 1291 on a 14–12 party-line vote. It shows that modernization and an independent third party are not at odds.

How Publishers Can Prepare

Whatever happens with SB 194 this session, the pressure behind it is not going away. Publishers who act now will be better positioned in the next round.

• Follow both bills. Watch for a second-consideration vote on SB 194 in the Senate and for floor action on HB 1291 in the House. PNA's legislative updates are the best place to track both.

• Make notices easy to find. Give notices a visible spot on your homepage, keep them in front of the paywall, and make sure every notice appears on publicnoticepa.com.

• Fix the friction local officials complain about. Cost, tight deadlines and slow paperwork are the reasons many municipalities support SB 194. Simple online placement, clear pricing and fast affidavits answer those complaints directly.

• Know your numbers. Notice volume, turnaround times and online readership help your press association make the case to legislators.

• Build relationships before you need them. Get to know your county commissioners, borough managers and school business officials now, not during a legislative fight.

Pennsylvania is not alone. In Arizona, publishers and local governments reached a compromise this year that lets governments post notices on their own websites while keeping newspapers at the center of the process. The lesson for Pennsylvania publishers is that the strongest defense of public notice is a notice process that works well for everyone who depends on it.

Column works with publishers and press associations across the country to modernize public notice, from online placement and payments to affidavits, archives and data. If you're a Pennsylvania publisher preparing for what comes next, talk with our team about how we can help.