Urge Governor Murphy to veto Bill S2930/A4045
Governor Phil Murphy
Should New Jersey Limit Public Information Access and Hurt Government Transparency?
Did you know that the most important law that exposes shenanigans and corrupt acts that occurred behind closed doors in our government is the Open Public Records Act ("OPRA")? For over 20 years, this law has allowed reporters, activists and citizens to shake free emails and other documents that exposed these corrupt acts and shine a light on our government function.
On Monday, May 13, 2024, under the guise of modernizing OPRA, New Jersey’s Legislature moved in lightning fashion to defang and gut OPRA. Despite hours of testimonies at Committee meetings by civil rights and activist groups such as ACLU-NJ, League of Women Voters, Sierra Club, the NJ Press Association and many outraged citizens, the Legislature brushed aside the comments and passed the bill that will allow public officials to operate in secrecy and stonewall the public, all in a state that gave us “Bridgegate”, a “gold bar” US Senator and the meltdown of our veterans' homes among many examples.
Specifically, here are some particularly offensive amendments to the bill:
1. Gut fee-shifting - making it difficult for New Jersey residents to obtain legal representation when wrongfully denied access to public records.
2. Put an unacceptable burden on the public, asking that the public prove a fee from an agency is unreasonable. The agency, and not the public, is in the best position to explain to courts if a fee is reasonable.
3. Allow agencies to sue requestors for unclear and vague reasons
4. Prohibit requestors from submitting requests to multiple agencies, a common practice when trying to find records.
5. Require that requests are more specific than is necessary and currently required under the law. This will result in more requests being denied.
See also the Star-Ledger/NJ.com Editorial Opinion against this bill.
There’s no doubt the OPRA needs to be modernized and updated. However, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. This should not be done against the original intent and spirit of the law.
Public information belongs to us, the public. Let’s put New Jersey’s public interest first.
Please sign this petition urging Governor Phil Murphy to veto Bill S2930/A4045. Then share with friends, families and your network.
“Democracy dies in darkness.”
Thank you.
Sponsored by
To:
Governor Phil Murphy
From:
[Your Name]
We urge you to veto Bill S2930/A4045 (“OPRA Bill”).
The bill faced hours of opposition testimony from civil rights and activist groups such as ACLU-NJ, League of Women Voters, Sierra Club, the NJ Press Association and many outraged citizens in NJ Legislature Committee meetings, revealing significant flaws that will gut New Jersey's Open Public Records Act ("OPRA").
Among other things, here are some specific offensive amendments to the Bill:
1. Gut fee-shifting - making it difficult for New Jersey residents to obtain legal representation when wrongfully denied access to public records.
2. Put an unacceptable burden on the public, asking that the public prove a fee from an agency is unreasonable. The agency, and not the public, is in the best position to explain to courts if a fee is reasonable.
3. Allow agencies to sue requestors for unclear and vague reasons
4. Prohibit requestors from submitting requests to multiple agencies, a common practice when trying to find records.
5. Require that requests are more specific than is necessary and currently required under the law. This will result in more requests being denied.
Any improvements to update OPRA cannot come at the expense of the public's ability to access vital public information and against the original intent and purpose of the law.
Please veto Bill S2930/A4045.
Thank you.