In Government we trust?

This week, House Bill 298 did not get considered for introduction, therefore it is dead for this session. As it should be.

House Bill 298 would have created a centralized electronic public notice system for Wyoming which would have ensured the watchmen would be in charge of watching themselves.

The bill was intended to create a centralized electronic notice system maintained by the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. In short, the government would then be in charge of keeping an eye on the government. Yes, you read that correctly.

Under House Bill 298, the Secretary of State’s Office would have been put in charge of providing proof of publication to other government entities or individuals, an example of government being its own regulatory check. Newspapers, as neutral entities, already provide that check, issuing sworn affidavits of publication for each and every public notice published in our pages. By going strictly digital, and trusting the government to regulate itself, potential bad actors could change digital notices. Printed in newspapers, these notices cannot be changed.

We are thankful this Bill has died for now. We do not believe the government should serve as a watchdog for the government.

We are happy to continue to serve as the watchdog.