NJ A4677

State agencies required to advertise bid solicitations must allocate at least 30% of total advertising spending to eligible local news organizations, or 50% of in-State spending if demonstrating need to spend less than 30% in-State.

Eligible local news organizations must meet criteria including employing at least one person 30+ hours weekly for local coverage, maintaining media liability insurance of at least $1,000,000, and operating for at least two years.

The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium will create and maintain a list of eligible local news organizations, with the Department of the Treasury publishing qualification criteria within three months of enactment.

State agencies must report advertising spending details annually to the Department of the Treasury, including total amounts by media platform and specific contracts with eligible local news organizations.

Agencies may apply for exemptions if advertising purposes are inconsistent with placement in local news publications, but cannot discriminate among eligible organizations based on editorial content.