TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s legislative leaders have decided to pause a rapidly advancing bill aimed at reforming the state’s open records law. The decision came after receiving considerable backlash from civil rights organizations, unions, and various groups.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, both members of the Democratic Party, have committed to revising the proposed legislation. This legislation, which had initially passed through a committee early in the week, has sparked widespread controversy among its critics.
Despite the pause, the bill is not off the table, and the exact nature of the proposed amendments remains undisclosed. Coughlin emphasized the importance of transparency and public access to government activities while acknowledging the feedback received on the bill.
Originally designed to update the Open Public Records Act, which has not seen revisions in over two decades, the bill aimed to address the challenges posed by commercial entities requesting records from local governments. Such requests have reportedly overwhelmed municipal clerks and incurred additional costs for taxpayers.