Media organizations, good government groups and transparency advocates have urged Governor Phil Murphy for weeks to veto the bill. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)
Elected officials from both sides of the aisle and progressive activists were outraged Wednesday after Governor Phil Murphy announced he had signed the controversial bill that signed the state’s Open Public Records Act into law.
Media organizations, good government groups and transparency advocates have urged Murphy for weeks to veto the bill, saying it would undermine the law that determines which government documents can be released to the public.
Former Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a Bergen County Democrat who defended the old version of the Open Public Records Act, called Murphy’s move “terribly disturbing.”
“It looks like they did it just because they could!” Weinberg said on social media.
Nicole Rodriguez, president of the progressive think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, called the new law “bad policy, bad politics and bad news for anyone who believes government should work for the people and not special interests.”
“Public records are how we shine a spotlight on corruption and hold public officials accountable when they don’t do what’s best for their communities. New Jersey just took a big step forward with our first primary without “the line” on the ballot, and now the state is taking two even bigger steps back. This is a dark day for transparency, accountability and democracy in New Jersey,” Rodriguez said.
The law sets limits on when public entities are forced to pay the legal fees of people who win public records disputes in court, protects certain types of documents from public opinion and allows judges to ban some people from filing requests at all. to serve.
Murphy said in a statement that while he believes some of the criticism of the bill is not irrational, overall the legislation makes “relatively modest” changes to the Open Public Records Act. These thoughts were echoed by one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Tony Bucco (R-Morris), who noted that the bill would require the Government Records Council (the government agency that adjudicates records disputes) to make decisions more quickly.
“Government transparency is the foundation of our democratic society, and this bill underlines that fundamental principle. This law will save taxpayers money and time by increasing public access to government documents online, accelerating the process of resolving cases with the GRC and reducing the need for OPRA requests,” Bucco said.
The bill’s critics remain unconvinced. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year, criticized Murphy for waiting until after Tuesday’s primary to sign the bill.
“The deliberate/manipulative nature of it indicates that he knows it is wrong. It is extremely disrespectful to voters who want an honest dialogue, and essentially tells voters over and over again that you are fools,” Fulop said.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, another Democrat running to succeed Murphy, also opposes the bill.
“I am disappointed. Today is a step backward in New Jersey’s quest for democracy,” Baraka said.
Jesse Burns, executive director of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, said lawmakers who supported the bill “have turned their backs on one of our essential rights.”
“This long fight to defend democracy has proven that we must restore power to the people of this state so that they can no longer be blatantly ignored by those who are meant to serve them,” Burns said.
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The post Critics Criticize Governor Murphy for Signing Public Records Act first appeared on New Jersey Monitor.
