NJ S3744

State agencies must allocate at least 30% of total advertising spending to eligible local news organizations; agencies spending less than 30% in-state must direct at least 50% of their in-state advertising to these organizations.

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

The New Jersey Civic Information Consortium will create and maintain an official list of qualifying local news organizations, with the Department of Treasury publishing eligibility criteria within three months of enactment.

State agencies may apply for exemptions from the Department of Treasury if advertising purposes are inconsistent with placement in local news publications, and agencies cannot discriminate among eligible organizations based on editorial content.

Advertising agencies contracting with the state must report spending quarterly, and the Department of Treasury must publish annual cumulative reports detailing advertising spending by media type and specific recipients.