Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateMissouriIntroduced
HB 1940: Changes the law regarding advertisements and orders of publication in newspapers
Peggy McGaugh
HB 1940 status: Introduced — Delivered to Secretary of State (G) (updated Jul 13, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
50OUT OF 100
Score:50/100 civic fit — mixed
Risk:Low Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 40/100
Constitutionality85%
Bipartisan50%
Public opinion50%
Bill summary
What changes
The bill updates state law governing how local governments, courts, and other entities publish official legal notices and orders in newspapers.
Who is affected
Local governments, county and municipal agencies, courts, and local newspaper publications.
Requirements and enforcement
Entities subject to legal publication requirements must adhere to new, pending standards for advertisements and orders of publication.
Costs and funding
Not stated; potentially impacts local government procurement costs and newspaper advertising revenue.
When it takes effect
Introduced and currently under review in the House of Representatives as of late 2025/2026.
Potential benefits
Potential for increased administrative efficiency and modernized public notice dissemination strategies.
Risks and tradeoffs
Risk to the financial health of local journalism and potential reduction in public awareness of critical legal orders.
What is still unknown
The specific regulatory criteria for what constitutes a valid publication under the proposed changes are not provided in the abstract.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Potential cost savings for local government entities
- Streamlined procurement of legal notice services
- Modernization of outdated publication requirements
Risks
- Potential loss of revenue for local newspaper industry
- Increased compliance uncertainty during transition
- Risk of decreased reach for critical public notices
Society
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Updated framework for official notice publication
- Clearer expectations for government transparency
- Potential to standardize public announcement dissemination
Risks
- Risk of reduced public visibility for legal orders
- Possible reduction in public oversight mechanisms
- Ambiguity regarding accessibility of notice alternatives
Public Health & Safety
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.
Analysis scope
Source material is limited to a brief bill summary.
04
Where it stands
Official record- IntroducedCurrent
- CommitteeUpcoming
- Chamber votesUpcoming
- Final agreementUpcoming
- GovernorUpcoming
- EnactedUpcoming
05
How it affects your district
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06
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