Bill Text: NJ S4136 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Authorizes public bodies to continue using newspapers for required public notices and legal advertisements until certain specified date regardless of format; requires submission of certain subscription and other data.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-20 - Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading [S4136 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-S4136-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 4136

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 13, 2025

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  PAUL A. SARLO

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

Senator  ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

      Authorizes public bodies to continue using newspapers for required public notices and legal advertisements until certain specified date regardless of format; requires submission of certain subscription and other data.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 20, 2025, with amendments.

  

An Act allowing the publication of required public notices and legal advertisements in certain newspapers for extended period regardless of format ¹, requiring the submission of certain data,¹ and amending P.L.2024, c.106.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

      1.   Section 1 of P.L.2024, c.106 is amended to read as follows:

      1.   a.         Notwithstanding any law, rule, regulation, or municipal ordinance to the contrary, a newspaper utilized or permitted to be utilized by a person for the purpose of complying with any legal requirement, or a public body, as defined in section 3 of the "Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-8), from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 for the purpose of complying with R.S.35:1-2.2 or any other requirements for issuing or publishing a public notice or legal advertisement, including, but not limited to, for providing adequate notice of a meeting, the solicitation of bids, qualifications, or proposals, or the publication of any ordinances, synopses, or summaries of official documents, shall be deemed eligible for the same purposes from January 1, 2025 to [March 1] ¹[December 31] June 30¹, 2025 if the newspaper's publication is in print or electronic format.  The price to be paid for publishing all public notices or legal advertisements in print or electronic format as described in this section shall not exceed the rates established pursuant to R.S.35:2-1.  A fee shall not be charged, and registration shall not be required, for viewing public notices or legal advertisements published in an electronic format.

      b.   For the purposes of this section, "electronic format" means an Internet website and other technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities that is operated by or for a newspaper for publication.

(cf: P.L.2024, c.106, s.1)

 

      ¹2.  (New section) a.         Within 30 days of the effective date of P.L.    , c.    (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a newspaper or online news publication that provides public notice or legal advertising services to a public body for the purposes of the public body complying with the public notice and legal advertisement requirements of section 1 of P.L.2024, c.106, shall submit to the Governor and the Legislative Services Commission, established pursuant to P.L.1979, c.8 (C.52:11-54 et seq.), information on the newspaper's or online news publication's:

      (1)  number of paid digital subscriptions, by each public body;

      (2)  number of unpaid digital or print subscriptions, by each public body;

      (3)  number of newspapers sold each day by retailers;

      (4)  amounts billed for the publication of public notices and legal advertisements in print or electronic format from 2020-2024 by each public body; 

      (5)  average retail price of digital and print subscriptions;

      (6)  number of daily page views for the webpage on the online news publication's Internet website where public notices and legal advertisements are published from January 1, 2024 through the effective date of P.L.    , c.    (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and

      (7)  any other information as may be requested by the Legislative Services Commission, in furtherance of this section, within deadlines to be determined by the commission.

     b.    The information required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be submitted to the Office of Public Information in the Office of Legislative Services for distribution to the membership of the Legislative Services Commission.¹

 

     ¹[2.]  3.¹    This act shall take effect immediately.