Trenton, N.J. – Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, together with government transparency advocates, opposes the majority party’s move to dismantle New Jersey’s open public records act. The fast-tracked legislation, initially introduced in March, has been amended and released from legislative Appropriations committees this week, with a scheduled vote on Monday.
Advocates argue that the current law places a burden on records custodians, diverting them from daily operations to handle or deny OPRA requests, especially affecting municipal governments and law enforcement agencies. Critics of the bill’s amendments believe they will hinder public access to government records.
Notably, the revised bill requires specific identification of the staff members, relevant information, and timestamps for email requests, making it challenging for most requesters to provide necessary details.
The updated legislation allows agencies to take legal action against individuals whose requests disrupt operations, empowering judges to restrict access to public records. This bill also permits custodians to increase record fees and transfer the responsibility of proving production costs to the public.
Requesters taken to court will no longer receive attorney’s fees, while those making anonymous requests must waive their appeal rights.