104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB0029 Introduced 1/13/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 Amends the Notice By Publication Act. Provides that whenever a municipality is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the notice published on the official municipal website is also published electronically on a searchable online database website and that website provides independent certification of the publication. Provides conditions concerning the availability and format of the searchable online database website. Repeals a Section concerning the placement of published notices on a statewide website and makes corresponding changes throughout the Act and in the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Effective immediately. LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB0029 Introduced 1/13/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 Amends the Notice By Publication Act. Provides that whenever a municipality is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the notice published on the official municipal website is also published electronically on a searchable online database website and that website provides independent certification of the publication. Provides conditions concerning the availability and format of the searchable online database website. Repeals a Section concerning the placement of published notices on a statewide website and makes corresponding changes throughout the Act and in the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Effective immediately. LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB0029 Introduced 1/13/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 Amends the Notice By Publication Act. Provides that whenever a municipality is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the notice published on the official municipal website is also published electronically on a searchable online database website and that website provides independent certification of the publication. Provides conditions concerning the availability and format of the searchable online database website. Repeals a Section concerning the placement of published notices on a statewide website and makes corresponding changes throughout the Act and in the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Effective immediately. LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b A BILL FOR SB0029LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 AN ACT concerning notices. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Notice By Publication Act is amended by 5 changing Sections 3.1 and 5 and by adding Section 2.2 as 6 follows: 7 (715 ILCS 5/2.2 new) 8 Sec. 2.2. Municipal electronic publication. 9 (a) Whenever a municipality is required to provide notice 10 by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or 11 contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an 12 official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the 13 notice published on the official municipal website is also 14 published electronically on a searchable online database 15 website and that website provides independent certification of 16 the publication. 17 (b) The municipality or the host of the website may enter 18 into a service-level agreement with an Internet service 19 provider that guarantees the site is accessible to the public 20 over the Internet at least 98% of the time, 24 hours a day, 365 21 days a year. 22 (c) The official municipal website shall display a link to 23 the searchable online database website, which shall contain a 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB0029 Introduced 1/13/2025, by Sen. Cristina Castro SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 Amends the Notice By Publication Act. Provides that whenever a municipality is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the notice published on the official municipal website is also published electronically on a searchable online database website and that website provides independent certification of the publication. Provides conditions concerning the availability and format of the searchable online database website. Repeals a Section concerning the placement of published notices on a statewide website and makes corresponding changes throughout the Act and in the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Effective immediately. LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b A BILL FOR 715 ILCS 5/2.2 new 715 ILCS 5/3.1 from Ch. 100, par. 3.1 715 ILCS 5/5 from Ch. 100, par. 5 715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep. 715 ILCS 10/1 from Ch. 100, par. 10 715 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 100, par. 10.1 LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 2 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 2 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 2 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 list of all current legal notices of the municipality, with 2 links to or the full text of those notices. The website shall 3 contain a search function or other features that improve 4 public accessibility to the notices. 5 (d) Whenever an individual is unable to access an 6 electronic publication of a notice, the issuing municipality 7 shall provide a copy of the notice to the individual free of 8 charge at the principal office of the municipality. 9 (e) Notices shall remain available on the website at least 10 until the last posting date required by law has expired or 11 until the event described in a notice has taken place, 12 whichever is later. 13 (f) Independent certification of the electronic 14 publication shall include a certificate stating the title of 15 the notice, the exact day, date, and time of the notice's 16 publication, the website address of the searchable online 17 database where the notice and archived notices may be accessed 18 by the public, and other information as may be available. 19 (g) For purposes of this Section, a searchable online 20 database website may be operated or managed by a statewide 21 organization of municipalities as authorized by Section 1-8-1 22 of the Illinois Municipal Code at no additional cost to the 23 municipality to publish notices thereon. 24 (715 ILCS 5/3.1) (from Ch. 100, par. 3.1) 25 Sec. 3.1. When any notice is required by law, or order of SB0029 - 2 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 3 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 3 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 3 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 court, to be published in any newspaper, publication of such 2 notice shall include the printing of such notice in the total 3 circulation of each edition on the date of publication of the 4 newspaper in which the notice is published; and the newspaper 5 publishing the notice shall, at no additional cost to 6 government, cause the notice to be placed on the statewide 7 website established and maintained as a joint venture of the 8 majority of Illinois newspapers as a repository for such 9 notices. All notices required for publication by this Act 10 shall remain legal and valid for all purposes when any error 11 that occurs pursuant to the requirements of this Section for 12 placement of the notice on the statewide website is the fault 13 of the printer. 14 (Source: P.A. 100-72, eff. 1-1-18.) 15 (715 ILCS 5/5) (from Ch. 100, par. 5) 16 Sec. 5. When any notice is required by law or contract to 17 be published only in a newspaper (unless otherwise expressly 18 provided in the contract), it shall be intended to be in a 19 secular newspaper of general circulation, published in the 20 city, town, or county, or some newspaper specially authorized 21 by law to publish legal notices, in the city, town, or county. 22 If there is no newspaper published in the county in which the 23 city or town is located, notice shall be given in a secular 24 newspaper, as defined in this Act, that is published in an 25 adjoining county having general circulation within the city or SB0029 - 3 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 4 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 4 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 4 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 town. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the contract, the 2 term "newspaper" means a newspaper: 3 (a) which consists of not less than 4 pages of printed 4 matter and contains at least 100 square inches of printed 5 matter per page; and 6 (b) which is printed through the use of one of the 7 conventional and generally recognized printing processes such 8 as letterpress, lithography, or gravure; and 9 (c) which annually averages at least 25% news content per 10 issue; or which annually averages at least 1,000 column inches 11 of news content per issue, the term "news content" meaning for 12 the purposes of this Act any printed matter other than 13 advertising; and 14 (d) which publishes miscellaneous reading matter, legal or 15 other announcements and notices, and news and information 16 concerning current happenings and passing events of a 17 political, social, religious, commercial, financial, or legal 18 nature, and advertisements or bulletins; and 19 (e) which has been continuously published at regular 20 intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 21 issues per year, for at least one year prior to the first 22 publication of the notice; or which is a successor to a 23 newspaper as herein defined with no interruption of 24 publication of more than 30 days; or which is a merged or 25 consolidated newspaper formed by the merger or consolidation 26 of 2 two or more newspapers, one of which has been continuously SB0029 - 4 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 5 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 5 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 5 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 published at regular intervals of at least once each week with 2 a minimum of 50 issues per year, for at least one year prior to 3 the first publication of the notice. A newspaper shall be 4 considered as continuously or regularly published although its 5 publication has been suspended, where such suspension was 6 caused by fire or an Act of God or by a labor dispute or by its 7 owner, publisher, managing editor, or other essential employee 8 entering the active military service of the United States, if 9 the newspaper was continuously or regularly published for at 10 least one year prior to its suspension and if its publication 11 is resumed at any time not later than 12 months after such fire 12 or Act of God, or if its publication is resumed at any time 13 within 12 months after the termination of the labor dispute, 14 or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months 15 after the termination of the war in connection with which such 16 persons entered such military service; and 17 (f) (blank). which has the capability of placing notices 18 required pursuant to this Act on a daily or weekly basis on the 19 statewide website as required by Section 2.1. 20 (Source: P.A. 96-59, eff. 7-23-09; 96-1144, eff. 12-31-12.) 21 (715 ILCS 5/2.1 rep.) 22 Section 10. The Notice By Publication Act is amended by 23 repealing Section 2.1. 24 Section 15. The Newspaper Legal Notice Act is amended by SB0029 - 5 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 6 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 6 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 6 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 changing Sections 1 and 2 as follows: 2 (715 ILCS 10/1) (from Ch. 100, par. 10) 3 Sec. 1. Whenever it is required by law that any legal 4 notice or publication shall be published only in a newspaper 5 in this State, it shall be held to mean a newspaper: 6 (a) which consists of not less than 4 pages of printed 7 matter and contains at least 100 square inches of printed 8 matter per page; and 9 (b) which is printed through the use of one of the 10 conventional and generally recognized printing processes such 11 as letterpress, lithography, or gravure; and 12 (c) which annually averages at least 25% news content per 13 issue; or which annually averages at least 1,000 column inches 14 of news content per issue, the term "news content" meaning for 15 the purposes of this Act any printed matter other than 16 advertising; and 17 (d) which publishes miscellaneous reading matter, legal or 18 other announcements and notices, and news and information 19 concerning current happenings and passing events of a 20 political, social, religious, commercial, financial, or legal 21 nature, and advertisements or bulletins; and 22 (e) which has been continuously published at regular 23 intervals of at least once each week with a minimum of 50 24 issues per year, for at least one year prior to the first 25 publication of the notice; or which is a successor to a SB0029 - 6 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 7 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 7 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 7 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 newspaper as herein defined with no interruption of 2 publication of more than 30 days; or which is a merged or 3 consolidated newspaper formed by the merger or consolidation 4 of 2 two or more newspapers, one of which has been continuously 5 published at regular intervals of at least once each week with 6 a minimum of 50 issues per year for at least one year prior to 7 the first publication of the notice. A newspaper shall be 8 considered as continuously or regularly published although its 9 publication has been suspended, where such suspension was 10 caused by fire or an Act of God or by a labor dispute or by its 11 owner, publisher, managing editor, or other essential employee 12 entering the active military service of the United States, if 13 the newspaper was continuously or regularly published for at 14 least one year prior to its suspension and if its publication 15 is resumed at any time not later than 12 months after such fire 16 or Act of God, or if its publication is resumed at any time 17 within 12 months after the termination of the labor dispute, 18 or if its publication is resumed at any time within 12 months 19 after the termination of the war in connection with which such 20 persons entered such military service; and 21 (f) (blank). which has the capability of placing, at no 22 additional cost to government, notices required pursuant to 23 this Act on a daily or weekly basis on the statewide website 24 established and maintained as a joint venture by the majority 25 of Illinois newspapers as a repository for such notices. 26 (Source: P.A. 96-59, eff. 7-23-09; 96-1144, eff. 12-31-12.) SB0029 - 7 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029- 8 -LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 8 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b SB0029 - 8 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b 1 (715 ILCS 10/2) (from Ch. 100, par. 10.1) 2 Sec. 2. When any legal notice is required by law to be 3 published in any newspaper, such notice shall include the 4 printing of such notice in the total circulation of each 5 edition on the date of publication of the newspaper in which 6 the notice is published; and the newspaper publishing the 7 notice shall, at no additional cost to government, cause the 8 notice to be placed on the statewide website established and 9 maintained as a joint venture of the majority of Illinois 10 newspapers as a repository for such notices. All notices 11 required for publication by this Act shall remain legal and 12 valid for all purposes when any error that occurs pursuant to 13 the requirements of this Section in the requirement for 14 placement of the notice on the statewide website is the fault 15 of the printer. 16 (Source: P.A. 100-72, eff. 1-1-18.) SB0029 - 8 - LRB104 03021 LNS 13039 b