On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider S-4136 and the Assembly Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider A-5343, which extends current public notice and legal advertising guidance through the end of the year. The temporary measure, enacted in December, passed late last year expires on March 1.
As a reminder, the law that was enacted in December permits any newspaper used by a public body as the official newspaper from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, to still meet the definition of a newspaper under the law regardless of physical or digital format of the newspaper’s publication from January 1, 2025, to March 1, 2025. The publication can be in print or electronic format. This temporary fix applies to all public notices, including but not limited to meeting notices, solicitation of bids, and publication of ordinances. The fee for publishing public notices cannot exceed the existing statutory rates. If electronic, newspapers cannot charge a fee or require registration to view the public or legal advertisements.
The League joins the New Jersey Association of Counties and New Jersey School Boards Association in supporting this temporary measure to allow time for permanent solutions where local governments, county governments, school boards, and state government can post public notices and legal advertisements on their public agency websites that fulfill their responsibilities under the Open Public Meetings Act.
Please consider adopting the League’s sample resolution permitting local governments to post meeting and legal notices on their websites.
We anticipate that both bills will be before the full Assembly and Senate next week during their respective voting sessions.
Contact: Paul Penna, Director of Government Affairs, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.