Legslative committees approve new OPRA law – New Jersey Globe

Legislation that could weaken the state’s Open Public Records Act and make it tougher for the public to obtain government documents won easy approval today by Senate and Assembly committees.

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee approved the bill by a vote of 9-4

Yes votes were cast by Democrats Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge), Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), Renee Burgess (D-Irvington), John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro), Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-Barrington), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), Linda Greenstein (D-Hamilton) and John McKeon (D-West Orange), and Republican Carmen Amato (R-Berkeley).  The no votes came from Democrat Andrew Zwicker (D-South Brunswick) and Republicans Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver), Doug Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong) and Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland).

Former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said Johnson “was on his way to Trenton and told him he was being replaced on the committee.”   McKeon was his replacement.

“Senator Johnson represents one of the premier Democratic, most diverse districts in the state of New Jersey,” said Weinberg.  “This is an affront to Bergen, and to the legislative district I once represented.”

Among the senators present for the entire hearing, four voted no, and three voted yes.

The Assembly State and Local Government Committee voted 5-2 in support of the measure.  All five Democrats voted yes: Robert Karabinchak (D-Edison), Lisa Swain (D-Fair Lawn),  John Allen (D-Hoboken), Barbara McCann Stamato (D-Jersey City), and Garnet Hall (D-Maplewood).  The two Republicans on the committee, Claire Swift (R-Margate) and Erik Simonsen (D-Lower), voted no.

McCann Stamato’s vote came despite opposition to the bill by her political ally, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.

“I’ve said my feelings before that it’s a mistake to weaken OPRA, and I’ll further express that the weakening of OPRA, on the heels of ‘the Election Transparency bill,’ all happening in conjunction with a statewide conversation on ‘the lines’ — will only further disenfranchise the party base of activists that is essential to policy and elections,” Fulop said today on social media.

Sarlo sponsored the bill in the Senate and Joe Danielsen (D-Franklin) in the Assembly.