Current:Home > InvestNew Jersey lawmakers pause open records bill overhaul to consider amendments -CapitalTrack
New Jersey lawmakers pause open records bill overhaul to consider amendments
View
Date:2025-04-14 11:56:40
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey legislative leaders hit the brakes Thursday on a fast-moving bill that would have overhauled the state’s open records law, following an outpouring of opposition from civil rights groups, unions and others.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, both Democrats, said they will work on amending the proposed legislation that came before committees earlier this week.
While advocates who opposed the measure cheered the news, the legislation isn’t dead and just what the amendments are is not yet clear.
“Understanding how important it is to maintain transparency and the right of the public to know what their government is doing, I appreciate the concerns raised about (the bill),” Coughlin said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.
The bill, which lawmakers approved out of committee on Monday, was up for a second, different committee vote Thursday. But then Coughlin said such consideration wouldn’t happen while changes to the bill are being considered.
New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act, which hasn’t been updated in more than two decades, provides the public, including news reporters and commercial interests, the ability to obtain government documents at the state and local levels. The measure under consideration was necessary, the sponsors said, to update the bill but also to block commercial businesses seeking records from towns across the state, clogging clerk’s workloads and costing taxpayers.
The sponsors disputed suggestions that the measure would curtail the public or journalists’ ability to obtain records.
Opponents of the bill queued up for hours’ worth of testimony on Monday, arguing the measure would make government less transparent. One key way that could happen under the measure, they argued was by eliminating a requirement for agencies that lose legal battles over records in court to pay for attorneys’ fees. Without that dynamic, it could be difficult for ordinary citizens to afford attorneys to press their claims for public records, according to CJ Griffin, a prominent records attorney in the state.
Other changes in the bill included a requirement that records custodians redact identifying information they believe could result in “harassment,” a requirement that critics say could lead to unnecessary redactions.
It explicitly relieves agencies of any obligation to convert records to an electronic medium and removes immediate access to records if they’re older than one year. Under current law custodians “must ordinarily” grant immediate access to budgets, contracts and payment vouchers showing how public funds were used.
The bill called for requesters to use a form created by the agency they’re seeking documents from, compared with the current practice of agencies routinely acknowledging emailed requests for documents. It also seeks to limit the disclosure of public officials’ emails and correspondence unless a specific subject and time frame are delineated.
Sarlo said he hopes to get stakeholders involved in recasting the bill before the state budget process supersedes lawmakers’ agendas in April.
He said the amendments would not only foster greater transparency but effectively modernize the 20-year-old law wile both protecting the information of private citizens and reducing what he called “profiteering” at the expense of municipalities and taxpayers.
Critics of the initial legislation praised the pause.
“Taking the time needed to consult with stakeholders and experts is the right approach,” said Amol Sinha, the executive director of the state’s American Civil Liberties Union, in a post on X.
veryGood! (64125)
Related
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is live to stream on Disney+ with bonus 'Acoustic Collection'
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Ohio’s presidential and state primaries
- Men's pro teams have been getting subsidies for years. Time for women to get them, too.
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Nevada Patagonia location first store in company's history to vote for union representation
- Massive crowd greets Shohei Ohtani, his wife and Dodgers upon arrival in South Korea
- TikTok could draw a range of bidders, but deal would face major hurdles
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Cardinals land QB Desmond Ridder, send WR Rondale Moore to Falcons in trade, per reports
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- March Madness bubble winners and losers: Big East teams pick up massive victories
- U.K. high court rules Australian computer scientist is not bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto
- Millions blocked from porn sites as free speech, child safety debate rages across US
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Home sellers are cutting list prices as spring buying season starts with higher mortgage rates
- 'Significant injuries' reported in Indiana amid tornado outbreak, police can't confirm deaths
- Monica Sementilli and Robert Baker jail love affair reveals evidence of murder conspiracy, say prosecutors
Recommendation
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
‘Civil War,’ an election-year provocation, premieres at SXSW film festival
Outdoor Voices closing its stores. Activewear retailer reportedly plans online move
Outdoor Voices closing its stores. Activewear retailer reportedly plans online move
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
Petco CEO Ron Coughlin steps down, ex-BestBuy exec named as replacement
Reneé Rapp Details Most Rewarding Experience of Her Coming Out Journey
Bees swarm Indian Wells tennis tournament, prompting almost two-hour delay