Trenton, New Jersey.After decades of required print newspaper advertising, the New Jersey State Senate on Thursday approved a bill allowing towns to post legal advertisements and notices of public meetings online.
Senate Bill 3957 passed the Senate by a vote of 36-0, with four senators abstaining from voting. By utilizing digital channels, it seeks to give local governments a more economical means of informing the public while upholding transparency standards.
Print media legal blitzes to safeguard their profits frequently thwarted government agencies’ decades-long efforts to repeal the print newspaper advertising requirement. The legislature had to take action on the matter last year when Advance Media, the biggest newspaper firm in New Jersey, declared that it will dissolve major newspapers, including the Star-Ledger, in 2025.
The bill will let public entities to post meeting announcements, bid requests, ordinances, and other lawful advertisements in electronic formats. The bill forbids websites that host the alerts from charging fees or demanding registration in order to view them, ensuring accessibility.
The Senate Judiciary Committee stated in a statement released on December 16 in support of the amended legislation that this bill provides communities with a modern and less onerous way to adhere to public notice requirements. The changes also make it clearer how much online newspapers can charge, making sure that prices don’t go over what the law now permits for traditional print advertisements.
After a period for towns and publications to comply, the new policy will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Print forms will continue to be used until the beginning of 2025, giving communities time to adapt.
The action taken by New Jersey is indicative of the increased dependence on digital channels for public communication as conventional print newspapers deal with dwindling readership and rising operating expenses.
