TRENTON -- In a stunning defeat for Gov. Chris Christie, state lawmakers on Monday blocked a pair of controversial bills the Republican governor was pushing for, stalling a measure that would end a requirement for legal ads to be published in New Jersey's newspapers and killing legislation that would have allowed Christie to profit from a book deal while in office.

Both bills were introduced only a week ago with bipartisan support and were being fast-tracked through the Democratic-controlled state Legislature despite fierce opposition. The state Senate and Assembly each scheduled final votes on the measures Monday, the last voting day of the year.

But Assembly members from both parties spent hours behind closed doors Monday debating the measures. Democratic leaders of the Senate said they would not even discuss the bills until it was clear how the Assembly would vote.

In the end, lawmakers said, there was not enough support in the Assembly for either to pass Monday. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson) announced he was postponing a vote on the newspaper bill and that the book measure would not be reconsidered.

Such a failure is rare for Christie, who has often cut deals with Democratic leaders and party bosses to usher through legislation over the last seven years. But Monday's developments come as Christie's record-low approval ratings have plummeted into the teens as he enters the last year of his second and final term.

The newspaper measure inspired a week of debate in the press and on social media. The bill (S2855/A4429) would end the state's requirement that businesses and local governments place legal ads in newspapers and allow them to post the notices online.

Christie penned an opinion piece this weekend saying the legislation would save taxpayers millions.

Critics argue it might actually cost towns money and lead to hundreds of job losses in the newspaper industry. Some have dubbed it Christie's "revenge bill" against a state press corps with which he's frequently clashed.

Prieto, a co-sponsor, said in a statement that his Democratic caucus "engaged in a robust discussion" about the measure Monday and that "opinions varied as to how best we can maintain transparency in this ever-evolving digital age."

But he told reporters the legislation was a "work in progress" and that compromises could be made when lawmakers reconvene in the new year.

Jeremy Rosen, a spokesman for Christie's office, released a statement saying: "If the Assembly wants more time to consider the legal notices bill, that is acceptable to the governor."

"However, this will be a top priority when we return from the holidays," Rosen added.

George White, executive director of the New Jersey Press Association, expressed relief and gratitude that legislators will take more time to weigh it.

"We're pleased that time will be given to engage with the legislators on the proper fashion to address such an important government transparency issue," said White, who camped out at the Statehouse for nearly eight hours with newspaper publishers and other lobbyists Monday. "We look forward to connecting with them after the holidays in January and continuing the conversation about how to effectively modernize the public notification process for the digital age."

Christie's office says New Jersey taxpayers and private businesses pay more than $80 million a year to publish legal notices -- a figure it claims is based on "an internal tally of a sampling for daily newspapers."

But the press association argues that legal ads are a $20 million revenue source for the struggling industry, with almost 80 percent of ads coming from private sources such as banks doing foreclosures.

Rosen repeated the $80 million figure in his statement, calling it an "annual tax by billionaire newspaper owners on the people of New Jersey."

Meanwhile, Prieto made it clear the other bill -- which would have permitted Christie to cash in on a book deal and allow for millions of dollars in raises for hundreds of high-ranking government employees -- was dead.

Christie has not announced he is writing a book. But sponsors admitted the measure (S2851/A4430) was the result of a deal Democrats brokered with the governor, agreeing to the book provision in exchange for his support on raises for legislative staff members, cabinet members, judges, and county prosecutors that proponents say are long overdue.

A current state ethics law says any New Jersey governor cannot receive compensation outside of his or her $175,000 salary. The legislation, however, would have loosened that law to allow the governor and cabinet members to make money from a published work.

Opponents decried the "back-room" nature of the agreement and said the financial burden is too much for New Jersey to handle.

Though the book provision appears to carry no cost to taxpayers, the nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services estimated the raises would cost the state and county governments $7.45 million in 2017 and at least $10.6 million in 2018 and beyond.

"You pick a member, and every different member had different issues," Prieto said of the bill. "Some of them, it was the book deal. Some of them, it was in reference to raises and the cost of it."

Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) said Republicans were also worried about cost.

"Raising salaries should be a concern of the public," he said.

Bramnick, a longtime Christie ally, declined to say whether he would have voted for the legislation.

"That bill's not going anywhere, so I don't have to worry about it," he said.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) left the Statehouse after the voting session without taking questions from reporters. When asked whether the book bill was dead in the Senate, as it is in the Assembly, spokesman Luke Margolis said there would be no comment at this time.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.