“Democracy Dies in Darkness.”
- Kin Gee
- May 15, 2024
- 2 min read
Urge Gov. Murphy to Veto the Flawed OPRA Bill (see link below)
New Jersey, infamously, has given us “Bridgegate”, a “gold bar” US Senator and the meltdown of our veterans’ homes among many examples.
Have you ever wondered how many of these shenanigans and corrupt practices came to light?
For over 20 years, the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) 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. This is true in Holmdel, Monmouth County and state-wide.
On Monday, May 13, 2024, under the guise of modernizing OPRA, New Jersey’s Legislature voted 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 Bill S2930/A4045 that will allow public officials to operate in secrecy and stonewall the public.
There’s no doubt 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.
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.
Public information belongs to us, the public. Let’s put New Jersey’s public interest first.
The bill is now before Governor Murphy, who has the choice to sign or veto it. If the Governor signs the bill, it will become law.
Please sign the petition urging Governor Phil Murphy to veto Bill S2930/A4045. Then share with friends, families and your network.
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