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A 5343

Provides grants for schoolyards and playgrounds; appropriation

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Steven Raga

Extends 2024 public notice outlets through June 30, 2025 and requires publishers to report circulation, pricing, and usage data to state officials.

REFERRED TO EDUCATION
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Bill Summary · A 5343

Summary — Assembly Bill A5343 (2025)

Status: Introduced February 13, 2025; reported out of Assembly Appropriations Committee with amendments (2/20/25); referred to Education. Primary sponsor: Assemblyman Steven Raga. Companion: S4136 (1R), S7386.

Main purpose

A5343 temporarily extends the period during which newspapers that were used (or permitted to be used) in 2024 to publish required public notices and legal advertisements remain eligible for that purpose in 2025 regardless of whether the publication is in print or electronic format. The bill also requires publishers that provide public notice services to submit specified circulation, pricing, billing, and website metrics to the Governor and the Legislative Services Commission.

Key provisions

  • Extension of eligibility

    • Public bodies may continue to use newspapers that were utilized or permitted in 2024 for required public notices and legal advertisements through June 30, 2025, regardless of whether the newspaper publishes in print or electronic format.
    • The price charged for publishing these public notices/ads (print or electronic) may not exceed the rates established under R.S.35:2-1.
    • No fee or registration may be required to view notices or legal advertisements published in electronic format.

  • Data submission requirement (added by committee amendment)

    • Within 30 days of the bill’s effective date, any newspaper or online news publication that provides public notice or legal advertising services to a public body (for compliance with P.L.2024, c.106) must submit specified information to the Governor and the Office of Public Information in the Office of Legislative Services for distribution to the Legislative Services Commission.
    • Required data include, by public body where applicable:
    • Number of paid digital subscriptions
    • Number of unpaid digital or print subscriptions
    • Number of newspapers sold daily by retailers
    • Amounts billed for publishing public notices/legal ads (2020–2024)
    • Average retail price of digital and print subscriptions
    • Daily page views for the webpage where notices/ads are posted (Jan 1, 2024–effective date)
    • Any additional information requested by the Legislative Services Commission within specified deadlines

Who is affected

  • Public bodies (municipalities, counties, school districts, other entities subject to the Open Public Meetings Act) — retain continuity of authorized publication outlets for notices through mid‑2025.
  • Newspapers and online news publications that publish public notices — continued eligibility, limits on charges, and new reporting obligations.
  • Members of the public — continued access to legally required notices; electronic viewing must be freely accessible (no fee/registration).

Timeline, procedure, and fiscal impact

  • Effective immediately upon enactment; publishers must submit the required data within 30 days of the bill’s effective date.
  • Committee amendment changed the extension cutoff to June 30, 2025 (from earlier proposals).
  • The bill is not certified as requiring a fiscal note.

Context / Purpose

The measure preserves short-term continuity for where public notices can be published while collecting circulation, billing, and usage data to inform future policy or legislative decisions about public notice publication formats and practices.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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