This bill amends existing legislation to allow online news publications to meet municipal, county, or state-wide circulation requirements for publishing legal notices. Specifically, it introduces a provision that states a legal notice published in an online news publication will be considered compliant with geographic and circulation requirements if the publisher demonstrates a good faith effort to use a compliant publication. Additionally, the bill clarifies that online news publications meeting county-wide or state-wide circulation requirements will also satisfy municipal-wide requirements, thereby broadening the eligibility criteria for online news publications.

Furthermore, the bill extends the grace period for newspapers to qualify for publishing legal notices from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026. It also stipulates that the price for publishing public notices in online news publications cannot exceed established rates and that no fees or registration will be required for viewing these notices in electronic format. Overall, the bill aims to modernize the legal notice publication process by incorporating online platforms while ensuring compliance with existing legal standards.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 35:3-3