HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 6213        FILED ON: 6/4/2026

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

David Paul Linsky and James B. Eldridge

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
 Court assembled:

 The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act allowing 'print free' digital legal notices for the town of Wayland.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 6213        FILED ON: 6/4/2026

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act allowing 'print free' digital legal notices for the town of Wayland.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

 SECTION 1. The purpose of this Act is to allow, but not require the Town of Wayland and its subdivisions to satisfy legal notice requirements entirely by digital publication as voted necessary by its Select Board in light of the changing landscape of print newspaper businesses, particularly at the local level.

 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 13 of chapter 4 of the General Laws, wherever the Town of Wayland, Wayland Public Schools and/or their subdivisions, committees, boards, commissions, or officers are required by statute, ordinance, by-law or judicial order to publish a legal notice in a newspaper or newspaper of general circulation, the person, corporation, agency, authority, municipality or other legal entity may satisfy such requirement by one or more of the following means as authorized by local vote in Section 3:

 A. a newspaper of local or general circulation’s print publication;

 B. a newspaper’s website;

 C. websites reporting local news and opinion which satisfy all criteria for digital publication as set forth in said subsection (b) of section 13 of chapter 4 of the General Laws;

 D. a statewide website that may be maintained as a repository for such notices; or

 E. a town wide website that may be maintained as a repository for such notices;

 SECTION 3.

 A. For all legal notices to be issued by Town of Wayland boards, committees, commissions and officials, including, but not limited to the Wayland Zoning Board of Appeals, the Conservation Commission, the Wayland Historic District Commissions, the Town Manager, Town Treasurer, Town Clerk, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Building Commissioner, the Select Board by majority vote shall determine at least two of the means of legal notice publication set forth in Section 2 to satisfy publication requirements.

 B. For all legal notices to be issued by Wayland Public School boards, committees, commissions and officials, the School Committee by majority vote shall determine at least two of the means of legal notice publication set forth in Section 2.

 C. The Select Board and School Committee may revisit their means of publication votes at their discretion and elect different means of publication from the options afforded under Section 2 by majority vote.

 SECTION 4. Nothing set forth in this Act shall be construed to alter or amend the time or timing of publication of legal notices set forth in the General Laws.

 SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon passage.