New Jersey
What’s next for OPRA? NJ Legislature has not resurfaced ‘reform’ bill on public records
3-minute read
Teaneck resident has filed hundreds of OPRA requests
Elie Jones has won a legal battle against Teaneck over hundreds of OPRA requests he filed.
Michael Karas, NorthJersey
After being fast-tracked two months ago, a bill that would gut access to public records hasn’t returned to the calendar in either chamber of the New Jersey Legislature.
Introduced in early March, the bill — sponsored by state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, — cleared his budget committee one week later, but not before dozens of advocates spoke out against the bill and what it would do.
It was then pulled from the agenda for the Assembly Appropriations Committee just minutes before it was set to start.
Where is the bill now?
Many expected the bill to turn back up, especially after state Senate President Nicholas Scutari said in March he thought that by mid-April the Legislature will take up the bill, with “mostly clarification amendments.”
The state Senate president also said the Legislature is “going to try” to make the amendments available for viewing before they are heard in committee.
“Those amendments are being worked on as we speak, and they’re bicameral and bipartisan, so both sides of the aisle and both houses are coming up with things that are going to satisfy both, and I think you’re going to see the bill overwhelmingly pass,” Scutari said.
That bipartisan support shows in the addition of Republican sponsors in both chambers — state Sen. Anthony Bucco in the upper chamber and Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn in the lower chamber.
Sarlo had said in an interview at the end of March that he’s “made it clear. If we don’t get this done by the first week of April, I gave it a great shot and we’ll probably table it for another 20 years.”
The proposed legislation didn’t show up in either chamber in April — but attention hasn’t waned for advocates. OPRA was at the forefront of an event at Rider University on Tuesday and was a topic at a Garden State Initiative forum on Wednesday. Neither Sarlo nor lower chamber sponsor Assemblyman Joe Danielsen appeared at either event.
Organizers of the Rider event said that Sarlo had been invited but declined due to scheduling conflicts on Tuesday.
Bucco and Flynn were present during the Garden State Initiative event in New Brunswick Wednesday.
Requests for comment about the status of the bill and possible amendments to Sarlo and Danielsen went unanswered.
Bucco said in a statement he joined as a sponsor on the bill because he believes “our state’s current OPRA law allows New Jerseyans to play a significant role in our democratic process and that government transparency is of the utmost importance” but that “there have been bad actors who aim to benefit financially from bad-faith OPRA requests that exploit the system.”
He went on to say that there are there are people posting videos of young women on social media and “private businesses attempting to gain potential consumer information” which leads to an “unnecessary burden on municipal and state staff” and that it’s his “goal to prevent such exploitation without limiting legitimate access to public records by the press or others.”
Bucco also said that he wants to “ensure requestors who win OPRA lawsuits get reasonably compensated when government agencies unreasonably deny legitimate access to documents.”
NJ open records law could be gutted: Here’s what NorthJersey.com has unearthed using OPRA
What would the bill do?
In its current form the bill, creates exemptions for access to email and call logs, dog license information, email addresses and even digital calendars. Requests for email would need to include a “specific subject matter” and “discrete and limited time period” as well as a specific person, instead of a title or government department.
The bill would also ban the release of metadata, which is the information about when an electronic file was created and who created it.
Requests that an agency thinks could lead to “harassment” could be denied, and an official OPRA request form would need to be used. One of the most noted changes would be to the policy regarding attorney’s fees in the event of a lawsuit.
Requesters who win OPRA lawsuits “may” be entitled to legal fees if the public agency is found to have knowingly violated the law or unreasonably denied access.
The legislation was first enacted in 2002 and requires local, county and state government entities to provide the public with access to government records in New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy would not comment on the specifics of pending legislation during a regular “Ask Governor Murphy” segment on WNYC in March but did say he thought OPRA needed to be tweaked, given the way that technology has changed in the years since it was implemented, and that he’s heard anecdotally about concerns regarding commercial use of the process.
“We are all in on transparency,” he said. “I would think if you get something that would address some of the things I just mentioned in a fair way that doesn’t undermine transparency, that’s something that I’m open-minded to … I haven’t seen anyone with nefarious behavior here. I think there are people who are legitimately trying to address some issues with the system, but we are all in on transparency most importantly. Period. Full stop.”
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
The 2026 New Jersey high school softball season has come to an end. Now is the time to answer the question: Who should be the New Jersey Softball Player of the Year?
Here are High School on SI’s New Jersey Softball Players of the Year for 2026. Scroll down to read about the list and cast your vote below.
Voting ends Sunday, July 5th, at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Madison McDougall, St. John Vianney
McDougall was named Gatorade New Jersey Softball Player of the Year after leading St. John Vianney to a perfect season and the Non-Public A state championship. The senior and Monmouth commit went 29-0 with a 0.30 ERA and 312 strikeouts in the circle, along with a .626 batting average and 17 home runs at the plate.
Gabby Gonzalez, St. John Vianney
Gonzalez also helped the Lancers go undefeated in softball. The senior and FIU commit batted .500 with 51 hits, 43 RBIs, 12 home runs, 13 doubles, and 35 runs.
Brooke Douglas, Ocean City
Douglas led Douglas to the South Jersey Group 3 championship. The senior and Rhode Island commit batted .543 with 51 hits, 42 RBIs, 12 home runs, seven doubles, two triples, and 25 runs.
Mackenna Savage, Red Bank Catholic
Savage put up impressive numbers for Red Bank Catholic in 2026. The sophomore notched 15 wins in the circle with a 1.43 ERA and 286 strikeouts in 176.2 innings pitched.
Jordyn Ambrosius, West Deptford
Ambrosius stepped up for West Deptford this past season. The junior went 15-7 with a 1.75 ERA and 247 strikeouts in 143.2 innings pitched.
Audrey Amoruso, Indian Hills
Amoruso led Indian Hills to its second straight state sectional title. In the circle, the senior and Fordham commit went 20-5 with a 1.01 ERA, 248 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 159.2 innings pitched. At the plate, she batted .476 with 26 RBIs and four home runs.
Gemma DeJoseph, Delran
DeJoseph was very impressive for Delran in 2026. The sophomore led the state with 62 hits, while batting .620 with 48 RBIs, three home runs, 14 doubles, and 37 runs.
Jillian Cianfrocca, Mount St. Dominic
Cianfrocca led Mount St. Dominic to the Non-Public A state finals. The senior and Villanova commit hit .534 with 47 hits, 54 RBIs, 16 home runs, 15 doubles, and 54 runs.
Ava Kelshaw, Mount St. Dominic
Kelshaw also played a major role for a strong Lions team. The junior and Michigan commit notched an impressive 26 wins in the circle with a 0.63 ERA and 257 strikeouts. Additionally, she batted .388 with 33 RBIs.
Chloe Jacobson, Summit
Jacobson played a pivotal role on a strong Summit team in 2026. The sophomore hit .553 with 52 hits, 54 RBIs, 15 home runs, 10 doubles, and 39 runs.
Gylian Hixenbaugh, Donovan Catholic
Hixenbaugh was very solid for Donovan Catholic this past season. The junior and Dartmouth commit went 17-3 with a 1.86 ERA, 161 strikeouts, and 21 walks in 128 innings pitched.
Ella Redheffer, Clearview
Redheffer led Clearview to the South Jersey Group 3 finals. The sophomore stepped up by batting .583 with 56 hits, 40 RBIs, six home runs, 17 doubles, 48 runs, and 26 stolen bases.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
Follow
Yellowcard played the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Friday June 12th. It was an astounding set. The band performed nineteen tracks from every era and iteration of the band. It was a special night for anyone who is a fan.
Openers Plain White T’s and New Found Glory also deserve special credit for fitting the bill flawlessly. It was the perfect way to set the stage for the show to come. Both bands have a strong stage presence and were able to captures the crowd’s full attention.
Yellowcard opened with a video of the Paramount stars. They continued their set by playing interlude snippets of other major movies such as “Back To The Future,” “Top Gun,” “The Goonies,” and the “Ghostbusters.” It really felt like we were watching a cinematic experience as well as a concert. The production was second to none. There was even pyro during certain moments of the show.
The band played six tracks off their new album Better Days. This was a huge highlight of the show. Better Days is not only the best Yellowcard album since Ocean Avenue, it’s one of the best pop-punk releases of the decade. The band worked tightly with Travis Barker, Avril Lavigne, and Alkaline Trio to enhance all aspects of the genre. The new tracks warranted even more of a reception than older tracks. We were truly watching a band in their prime.
Overall, Yellowcard are showing us the new heights bands can reach within the pop-punk genre. Their breakup and triumphant return displays to us that anything is possible. Please enjoy our gallery below from photographer Anthony Vito Cosentino.
Plain White T’s
New Found Glory
Yellowcard
All Photos by Anthony Vito Cosentino
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
The borough of Lawnside in Camden County will be honored with a historical marker from the New Jersey Historical Commission as part of the state’s Black Heritage Trail.
A ceremony unveiling the marker will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at Lawnside Borough Hall on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Road.
Marsharee Wright, aide to Lawnside Mayor Mary Ann Wardlow and long-time resident, said everyone is thrilled about the marker unveiling.
“We’ve invited the entire community and neighboring towns to come share the celebration with us,” Wright said.
Linda Shockley, president of the Lawnside Historical Society, said it’s “an extreme honor” for the borough to be included in the state’s program, especially as Lawnside is amid a year-long celebration of its centennial.
“It really lifts our profile and hopefully more people will understand and know what Lawnside is about and what it means in the nation,” Shockley said.
Lawnside was one of six sites selected in Camden County in 2024, including “The Point,” a historic Black neighborhood in Haddonfield. Its marker was unveiled last June.
During the ceremony, the borough’s history will be showcased, along with the original documents signed by Gov. A. Harry Moore in 1926, which made way for the borough’s creation.
Though there are many Black enclaves in South Jersey, the borough is the state’s only incorporated antebellum Black community. First known as Free Haven, and later Snow Hill, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Peter Mott built a three-floor dwelling in 1844 that was once part of sprawling farmland where he helped slaves escape.
Mott’s house, now owned by the Lawnside Historical Society, serves as an Underground Railroad museum.
-
Los Angeles, Ca51 minutes agoWoman, man found shot to death in Pomona, suspect leads officers on erratic chase
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoToday in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSan Francisco hotels see steady World Cup business, but fall short of Super Bowl surge
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas International Piano Competition brings finalists June 23
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoWhere to watch San Francisco Giants vs Miami Marlins: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 20
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoDuck parades, outdoor drinking, and Gronk in a kilt. Here’s how Friday’s World Cup festivities unfolded. – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoRockies ride Kyle Freeland’s gem, Braxton Fulford’s double to 4-3 win over Pirates
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoSuarez’s no-hit try ends on Naylor double in seventh, but Boston still tops Seattle
