1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to publication of official notices; authorizing an alternative to newspaper 
1.3 	publication; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 331A.03, subdivision 3.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 331A.03, subdivision 3, is amended to 
1.6 	read:
1.7 		Subd. 3.Alternative dissemination ~~of bids and requests~~. (a) In addition to 
1.8 	or as an alternative to the statutory requirements for newspaper publication, a political 
1.9 	subdivision may disseminate ~~solicitations of bids, requests for~~ information~~, and requests~~ 
1.10 	~~for proposals~~ otherwise required to be published in a newspaper by a means authorized 
1.11 	in paragraph (b)~~, if the political subdivision simultaneously publishes, either as part of~~ 
1.12 	~~the minutes of a regular meeting of the governing body or in a separate notice published~~ 
1.13 	~~in the official newspaper, a description of all solicitations or requests so disseminated,~~ 
1.14 	~~along with the means by which the dissemination occurred~~.
1.15 	(b) A political subdivision may use its Web site ~~or~~, recognized industry trade 
1.16 	journals, or a public access television channel serving the area as an alternative means of 
1.17 	dissemination. Before using an alternative means as the exclusive means of dissemination, 
1.18 	the political subdivision must publish a notice in the official newspaper once a week for 
1.19 	two consecutive weeks that all official notices that are currently required to be published in 
1.20 	the official newspaper will, after the time period provided in paragraph (c), be exclusively 
1.21 	disseminated by the designated alternative means. A dissemination by alternative means 
1.22 	must be in substantially the same format and for the same period of time as a publication 
1.23 	required by this chapter.
2.1 	(c) For the first ~~six~~ two months after a political subdivision designates an alternative 
2.2 	means of dissemination, it must continue to publish ~~solicitation of bids, requests for~~ 
2.3 	~~information, and requests for proposals~~the information in the official newspaper in 
2.4 	addition to the alternative method. The publication in the official newspaper must indicate 
2.5 	where to find the designated alternative method. After the expiration of the ~~six-month~~
2.6 	two-month period, an alternative means of dissemination satisfies the publication 
2.7 	requirements of ~~law for solicitation of bids, requests for~~ the information~~, and requests~~ 
2.8 	~~for proposals~~.