UPDATE: No vote was taken on the OPRA and OPMA reform legislation at the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting on Monday, June 8, but they did take testimony. NJFOG, ACLU-NJ, NJPA, and SPJ-NJ all testified in support of the amended bills. However,, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, New Jersey School Boards Association and a county organization refused to support OPRA and OPMA amendments, testifying against them. We urge you to contact the offices of your Senators and urge them to support S781 and S782 and contact Senator Weinberg’s office and urge her to continue to protect and improve transparency in New Jersey and not accede to any changes that would weaken these bills. Click here to find your legislators: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp
UPDATE (6-08-2015): Amendments to Bills S781 and S782 have been revised. Revised amendments, current as of 6-08-2015, can be viewed at the links below along with the original bills as introduced.
Bill S781 – OPMA reform bill – as introduced
S781 Amendment – 6-08-2015
Bill S782 – OPRA reform bill – as introduced
S782 Amendment – 6-08-2015
New Jersey OPMA and OPRA reform bills, S781 and S782 respectively, are on the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee agenda this coming Monday, June 8, 2015 at 2:00 PM, Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.
The bills have gone through revisions as stakeholders on both sides of the issues have weighed in. Amended versions of the bills will be posted to NJFOG’s website when/if they become available. Check https://njfog.org/legislation/ for updates.
Per discussion with a staff member in the Office of Legislative Services, the amended bills could be formally introduced and passed out of committee the same day. So things can happen quickly.
Stay tuned.