Emergency notice bill gets hearing in Senate, local governments offer input

HB 1540, requiring public notices in languages other than English, received a hearing in the Senate Local Government Committee on Thursday, March 9. The bill requires local governments to provide emergency notices in languages understood by large population segments while also requiring local jurisdictions to develop communications plan for contacting these populations. AWC and other local government representatives testified with concerns about the construction of the bill, practical problems with implementation, and cost. We will continue to offer changes to make this bill workable.