file photo by Boyd Loving Councilmen Jeff Voigt has his OPRA troubles
By Donald Scarinci • 08/15/17 2:22pm
On the heels of several important decisions in the New Jersey courts, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee has advanced long awaited legislation to amend state’s Open Public Records Act. The bill (S1046) aims to improve and modernize the statute, while also boosting transparency.
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) has been calling for reform for several years, but has seen prior attempts stall in committee. “There is no issue that overrides the public’s right to know what we in the Legislature and what our municipalities are doing on their behalf,” Weinberg said prior to the budget committee vote.
The OPRA statute has undergone few significant changes since it was enacted in 2002. Since then, the nature of government records has changed, largely due to the proliferation of the Internet, email and cell phones. One provision of S1046 would extend public record obligations to quasi-governmental organizations engaged in service to the public, such as the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey School Boards Association. Another would allow residents to send records requests via email.
https://observer.com/2017/08/nj-transparency-law-poised-for-21st-century-makeover/
