New Jersey

Kire

(11,087 posts) Wed Dec 14, 2016, 01:06 PM Dec 2016

Christie pushing bill to pull legal ads from newspapers

TRENTON -- A bill that quietly resurfaced Monday that would dismantle a state law requiring governments, businesses, and individuals to publish legal notices in printed newspapers is being pushed by Gov. Chris Christie, an advocate for municipalities confirmed Tuesday.

The bill (S2855/A4429) is an update of a six-year-old proposal that would allow government agencies and municipalities to instead post notices on websites. The New Jersey Press Association says the bill would deliver a blow to Garden State newspapers.

With the last voting session of the year scheduled for Monday, the bill is slated for hearings on Thursday and is on a fast track.

“Government-run websites, where future notices would be posted if this bill goes through, would tempt elected officials to change, delete or delay embarrassing government notices, especially during election time,” Donovan said. “This is a measure that will not only hide government actions from the public but also kill hundreds of media jobs across the state and possibly shut down many weekly news operations.”