• by Ray Schultz , December 22, 2024

With the Star-Ledger and other New Jersey newspapers killing their print editions in favor of digital, the New Jersey Legislature has passed a bill that would allow public notices to appear on digital platforms. 

The Assembly bill (A-5151) and identical Senate version (S-3957) state that public notices and legal advertisements can appear in certain newspapers “without regard to format.”

The measure passed in the Assembly by a vote of 49-19-1 and unanimously in the Senate. 

Some locales throughout the country now publish public notices exclusively on government websites, whereas the New Jersey bill ensures a revenue stream, however slight.

But the Jersey bill is considered a stopgap measure and is good only through March 2025. 

“Everybody has a different idea of what we should do, so we’re going to meld those ideas together and come up with a good solution,” says State Senator Nicholas P. Scutari (D0), according to northjersey.com. “A lot of folks came from local government, so they have a different perspective than someone that didn’t.”

The Star-Ledger, which has served readers since 1832, is switching to all-digital and closing its print facility in Montville, New Jersey. The last print issue is February 2, 2025. 

Also reverting to digital at that time are other titles in the NJ Advance Media network, including the Times of Trenton, South Jersey Times and the weekly Hunterdon County Democrat. And the Jersey Journal is going out of business entirely.