At a time when the need for transparency at all levels of government has never been greater, a few Kansas legislators are working instead to cloud the picture.

Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, has introduced bills that would let local governments publish public notices on the Internet instead of in local newspapers. The first, House Bill 2237, would let local government start publishing on the Internet immediately. The second, House Bill 2412, would limit newspaper publication to one time and eliminate public notice advertising in newspapers by 2018.

Neither bill is in the public’s best interest.

Full disclosure: The Lawrence Journal-World, like most newspapers in the state, receives public notice advertising. It has been that way for more than a century because Kansas lawmakers long ago realized that newspapers were the best way to make the general public aware of government activity from meeting notices to construction bids to proposed budgets.

Advocates of the legislation argue free publication on the Internet will save local governments money. Saline County officials, including Rep. J.R. Claeys, said during a hearing Monday that the proposed public notice legislation could save the county and the city of Salina $150,000 per year. What they didn’t say is that’s less than one half of one percent of their combined budgets.

If Peck’s legislation passes, governments would have free rein to publish public notices on obscure websites with no other announcement to the public. Local governments would, in effect, be in charge of policing their own compliance with public notice law. Who would ensure that notices are posted in a timely manner and that notices are not altered post-publication? How would members of the public who do not access the Internet — still a sizable segment of the population — gain access to the notices?

Internet-only publication is an invitation for secrecy. It opens the door to waste, fraud and abuse. By contrast, requiring public notices in newspapers creates a permanent record of government activity, provides valuable oversight of government notices by a traditional government watchdog and ensures everyone has access to read such notices.

Any modifications to existing public notice law should enhance access to government information and ensure greater government transparency. The bills introduced this session do the opposite and should not become law.