A bipartisan bill, AB137, sponsored by Assemblymembers Selena Torres-Fossett and Alexis Hansen, aims to modernize a 1983 law regarding the auction of belongings from self-storage units in Nevada. Currently, storage facilities are required to post legal notices of auctions in regional newspapers, costing between $175 to $225 for a 14-day publication. The bill proposes allowing storage facilities to post auction notices online, on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, in addition to traditional newspapers.
Supporters argue that moving notices online would increase transparency and reach a larger audience, as more people read online than in print newspapers. However, opponents, including the Nevada Press Association and the Nevada Open Government Coalition, argue that online postings may lead to less oversight and make it more difficult for renters to be notified when their belongings are about to be sold.
Assemblymembers Torres-Fossett and Hansen believe that the bill aligns with modern business practices and will lower the burden on consumers. Storage industry representatives also point out that auctions have already moved online, making the current requirement for newspaper advertisements outdated. However, Executive Editor Glenn Cook of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which publishes storage industry legal notices, argues that newspapers provide a crucial level of oversight and accountability in the auction process.
Despite the opposition, the bill aims to provide greater flexibility to storage facilities and align Nevada’s laws with changing business practices in the digital age.
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