Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §3013 is enacted to read:

§3013.__Publication policy

Notwithstanding Title 1, section 601, municipal legal notices may be published in a newspaper media distributed as 3rd class postal matter in the United States mails, rather than a newspaper of general circulation, as long as the municipal officers have adopted a publication policy regarding legal notices that meets the following requirements.

1.__General circulation.__The newspaper of general circulation must have a subscription rate of less than 25% of the residents in the municipality.

2.__Distribution.__The alternative newspaper media must be distributed to all households in the municipality.

3.__Cost.__The alternative newspaper media is distributed at no greater cost to the consumer than the newspaper of general circulation.

SUMMARY

This bill allows municipalities to publish legal notices in a newspaper media distributed by 3rd class mail as long as the municipal officers adopt a publication policy. The policy must meet 3 requirements. The newspaper of general circulation must have a subscription rate of less than 25% of the residents in the municipality, all households in the municipality must receive the alternative newspaper and the alternative newspaper must cost less than the newspaper of general circulation.