Bill Text: NJ S2993 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Open Public Records Act Study Commission.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-09-22 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [S2993 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S2993-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Open Public Records Act Study Commission.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a study commission to evaluate the open public records act.
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. The State of New Jersey believes in an open and transparent government;
b. The open public records act, commonly referred to as OPRA, was adopted in 2001 to provide citizens with the ability to examine the records of their government;
c. Since 2001, administrative decisions and court rulings have been made to interpret how OPRA applies in day-to-day situations;
d. OPRA, at times, is challenging for the public to understand and for the records custodians to follow, such as when balancing the release of a document against a citizen's right to privacy;
e. OPRA has had a positive impact, yet there are issues with harassment of records custodians and frequent requests by commercial entities;
f. The public demands efficient and cost effective access to government records;
g. The actual, day-to-day effect of OPRA should be reviewed to ensure that the intent of OPRA is being achieved and is as fair as possible to all interested parties; and
h. The establishment of a study commission is appropriate to examine how OPRA is being implemented and utilized.
2. There is established a commission, to be known as the Open Public Records Act Study Commission, to consist of 11 members. The Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs and the Executive Director of the Government Records Council, or their designees, shall serve as ex-officio members. The Senate President shall appoint three members, no more than two of whom shall be a member of the same political party, one of whom shall be a member of the news media, one of whom shall be a municipal clerk, and one of whom shall be a member of the general public with an interest in an open and transparent government. The Speaker of the General Assembly shall appoint three members, no more than two of whom shall be a member of the same political party, one of whom shall be a Chief of Police, one of whom shall be a mayor, and one of whom shall be a member of the general public with experience as a privacy expert. Three members shall be appointed by the Governor, no more than two of whom shall be a member of the same political party, one of who shall be a municipal manager, and two of whom shall be attorneys licensed in the State of New Jersey with knowledge and experience with the open public records act, one of whom shall have experience as an attorney on the local government level and one of whom shall have experience as an attorney on the State government level.
A vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
3. The members of the commission shall be appointed and shall hold their initial organizational meeting within 45 days after the effective date of this act. The members shall elect one of the members to serve as chair and one of the members to serve as vice-chair. The chair may appoint a secretary, who need not be a member of the commission. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission.
4. The commission shall meet at the call of the chair. The commission shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the chair shall designate. A meeting of the commission shall be called at the request of six of the commission's members and six members of the commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof.
5. It shall be the duty of the commission to, at a minimum:
a. review OPRA and examine how the statute compares with actual operation and use;
b. evaluate how advancements in technology, administrative decisions, and court rulings have impacted OPRA;
c. analyze how OPRA requests are balanced with the public's right to privacy;
d. examine how OPRA has been used for commercial, marketing, business, and research purposes;
e. research public records statutes and their operation and use, both positive and negative, of other states;
f. consider such other matters relating to OPRA as the members of the commission may deem appropriate; and
g. make recommendations for legislation or such other action as it deems appropriate with regard to improving, expanding, and facilitating OPRA.
6. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency, as it may require and as may be available for its purposes, and to employ stenographic and clerical assistance and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses as may be necessary in order to perform its duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission.
7. The commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and the Governor within one year of its initial organizational meeting.
8. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the commission submits its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes an 11 member commission, to be known as the Open Public Records Act Study Commission. The study commission will examine how the open public records act, OPRA, is implemented and utilized in actual day-to-day situations.
At a minimum, the commission will:
review OPRA and examine how the statute compares with actual operation and use;
evaluate how advancements in technology, administrative decisions, and court rulings have impacted OPRA;
analyze how OPRA requests are balanced with the public's right to privacy;
examine how OPRA has been used for commercial, marketing, business, and research purposes;
research public records statutes and their operation and use, both positive and negative, of other states;
consider such other matters relating to OPRA as the members of the commission may deem appropriate; and
make recommendations for legislation or such other action as it deems appropriate with regard to improving, expanding, and facilitating OPRA.
The commission will report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor within one year of its initial organizational meeting. The commission will expire 30 days after submission of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor.
This bill is a recommendation of the League of Municipalities 2018 Conference.
