New Jersey

NJ state Senate passes bill that will dismantle public access to government records, data

Published

2 years ago

May 13, 2024

NJ state Senate passes bill that will dismantle public access to government records, data

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Legislation that would gut public access to government records and data was passed by the state Senate on Monday. It was to be considered by the Assembly later Monday afternoon.

State Senate President Nick Scutari said after the Senate’s voting session that the legislation — billed as a reform of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act — was an effort to save taxpayers money.

While the bill was under discussion last week in the Senate budget committee, lawmakers said it was focused on limiting data brokering and commercial access. Provisions dealing with regulation of data brokers, however, were removed from the final version of the bill.

Scutari also said the Legislature — controlled by Democrats — has been exempt since the bill was introduced and that the legislation’s sponsors are listening to the concerns of small-town New Jersey mayors.

“This isn’t about us. This is what I heard on my first day as Senate president at the League of Municipalities when I wasn’t even sworn in yet,” he said.

There were 21 votes in favor and 10 votes against. Nine state senators did not vote, including Sens. Anthony Bucco, James Holzapfel and Shirley Turner, who were not present.

One lawmaker noted after the session that not voting is the equivalent of a no but shows respect to the effort of the sponsors.

State Sen. Andrew Zwicker voted against the bill in committee both in March and last week. He said after the voting session, “From everything I understand this will make it more difficult [to get records], and that is my concern.

“I think we made it better in the amendments, but it didn’t go far enough for me to vote for the bill,” Zwicker said.

Will government records ‘be readily available?’

The bill cleared committee in both chambers on Thursday and Friday after hours of testimony in opposition from advocates.

The proposed law initially cleared committee in the upper chamber in March but was pulled from consideration in an Assembly committee that same week just minutes before it was set to start.

There were no such delays this month, though, and while there were votes against the bill in each committee — three in the state Senate and one in the Assembly — it ultimately moved forward.

The most recent version of the bill removes the presumption of access clause at the beginning of the OPRA statute, which notes that “government records shall be readily accessible,” and the Senate Majority Office said that section “will remain intact as part of the OPRA law.”

“That section is not being removed from the OPRA law, just from the bill,” spokesperson Richard McGrath said. “It came out of the legislation because that section of the law is no longer being amended.”

While advocates from groups like the ACLU, New Jersey Working Families and New Jersey Citizen Action have been outspokenly opposed to the bill since it was first introduced in March, not everyone thinks it’s a bad bill.

Representatives from organizations including the League of Municipalities, New Jersey School Boards Association and New Jersey Association of Counties have been supported the legislation. Some spokesmen for those organizations — including the league’s executive director, Michael Cerra — said they would have liked the legislation to go even further to restrict public access to government records and data.

Since the bill was first heard in committee in March, Republicans in both chambers have joined as sponsors — state Sen. Anthony Bucco in the upper chamber and Assemblywoman Victoria Flynn in the lower chamber.

Our view: Amended OPRA bill an absolute sham. Gov. Murphy, veto this affront to democracy

What will the legislation do to gut OPRA?

The updated bill includes the renewed ability to make anonymous requests and the removal of exemptions for call and email logs and digital calendars.

It also implements stricter requirements on how to request things like texts and emails including specific accounts, times, topics and titles.

There are modifications to the provision limiting access to metadata to allow for access only to the “portion that identifies authorship, identity of editor, and time of change.”

Language restricting data brokers and commercial entities that resell information obtained through OPRA was removed.

The parts that remain mostly intact include one of the most controversial, known as the fee-shifting provision. This provision previously required public record custodians that had not, according to a judge, properly provided records to pay the requesters’ attorney fees.

The bill initially changed that to say winners of OPRA lawsuits “may” be entitled to legal fees if the public agency is found to have knowingly violated the law or unreasonably denied access. In its amended form, the bill still eliminates the attorney fee requirement but does allow for judges to decide that fees are warranted if the denial was unreasonable, if the agency “acted in bad faith, or knowingly and willfully violated” the law.

The amendments also include language that would allow for a court to “issue a protective order limiting the number and scope of requests the requester may make” if they “sought records with the intent to substantially interrupt the performance of government function.”

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.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

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New Jersey

Ice, freezing rain alerts expand to 10 N.J. counties. Wind advisory issued for 50 mph gusts Monday.

Published

6 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

Ice, freezing rain alerts expand to 10 N.J. counties. Wind advisory issued for 50 mph gusts Monday.

Winter weather advisories have been expanded to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain that could cause a dangerous layer of ice tonight.

The National Weather Service has also issued a wind advisory for 16 counties Monday with up to 50 mph gusts possible.

The more immediate concern is freezing rain already hitting the state Sunday evening.

The National Weather Service has expanded winter weather advisories to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain creating the potential for dangerous ice Sunday night. High winds gusting to 50 mph are expected Monday.AccuWeather.com and National Weather Service

Winter weather advisories for Bergen, Essex, Hudson Passaic and Union counties expire between 10 p.m. and midnight.

Winter weather advisories for Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties take effect at 6 p.m. and run through 2 a.m.

As temperatures remain near or below freezing across northern New Jersey this evening, precipitation will fall as freezing rain, particularly in Warren and Morris counties where a glaze to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is possible.

N.J. weather: Ice storm alerts expanded to 7 counties. Wind gusts up to 50 mph Monday. — The National Weather Service has expanded winter weather advisories to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain creating the potential for dangerous ice Sunday night. High winds gusting to 50 mph are expected Monday.AccuWeather.com and National Weather Service

The National Weather Service warns that even areas outside the advisory that remain near freezing at the onset of precipitation could experience localized icing, especially on shaded surfaces that have remained below freezing for more than 36 hours.

Temperatures will rise above freezing areawide during the pre-dawn hours Monday as a warm front lifts through the region, changing any remaining freezing rain to plain rain.

A brief break in the rain is likely prior to daybreak Monday.

The warm front will be quickly followed by a strong cold front Monday afternoon, bringing another period of rain that may be moderate in intensity at times.

High temperatures Monday will reach the upper 40s along the coast before the cold front passes, bringing high winds to the area.

The wind advisory for 16 counties runs from 10 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Just Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties are not under wind advisories.

“Strong westerly winds develop Monday with wind gusts up to 50 mph and a wind advisory has been issued,” the weather service said Sunday evening. “Some tree damage and power outages possible.”

Tuesday will be markedly colder with high temperatures struggling to rise above freezing even at the Jersey Shore.

Wind chills in the teens and low 20s are expected during the day.

Skies will be partly cloudy with continued gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph.

N.J. weather: Black ice, freezing rain alerts issued for 6 N.J. counties — Freezing rain and wind gusts up to 50 mph are expected over the next 24 hours. AccuWeather

Wednesday brings slightly milder conditions with highs in the mid 30s to near 40 degrees, though it remains well below normal for late December.

The extended forecast shows below-normal temperatures continuing through the end of the week and into the New Year.

Thursday may bring a chance of snow showers as a weak cold front passes through, though accumulations are expected to be light.

Friday looks dry with highs in the low to mid 30s.

Another weather system may impact the area late next weekend, potentially bringing a mix of rain and snow, though forecast confidence remains low for that timeframe.

Current weather radar

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New Jersey

Deadly helicopter collision in New Jersey kills one, critically injures another

Published

6 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

Deadly helicopter collision in New Jersey kills one, critically injures another

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One person was killed and another critically injured when two helicopters collided and crash-landed in Hammonton, New Jersey, on Sunday morning, authorities said.

The Hammonton Police Department told Fox News Digital that it received calls of an aviation crash at approximately 11:25 a.m. involving two helicopters in the area of the 100 block of Basin Road.

Police, fire and EMS responded, extinguishing one helicopter that was engulfed in flames.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the crash, police said.

MIDAIR PLANE CRASH KILLS ONE PERSON NEAR COLORADO AIRPORT AS BOTH PLANES CATCH FIRE

Two helicopters collided Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Hammonton, N.J. (WTXF)

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way wrote on X that she has been updated on the midair collision.

The site of a deadly helicopter collision in Hammonton, N.J., on Dec. 28, 2025. (WTXF)

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“The Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, Hammonton Police Department, and @NJSP personnel are on the scene,” she said.

This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.

Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.

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New Jersey

New Jersey Celebrities Who Died in 2025

Published

7 days ago

December 28, 2025

Press Room

These actors and musicians all called the Garden State home at some point in their lives. Though they have passed, their work and spirits endure.

Peter Greene

1965-December 12, 2025

Born and raised in Montclair. Greene attended Montclair High School but dropped out before graduating, according to his IMDB biography, and ran away from home as a teenager, he revealed in a 1996 magazine interview. He struggled with homelessness and drug addiction before pursuing acting and became best known for his villainous roles in the films Pulp Fiction and The Mask. Greene was slated to begin production on an indie thriller this January, the New York Post reported. He was 60.

Eddie Palmieri

1936-August 6, 2025

Photo: Shutterstock/lev radin

The Grammy-winning musician was a New York City native but was living in Hackensack when he died at home at the age of 88. Palmieri’s decades-long career was “marked by his groundbreaking fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and jazz harmonies,” wrote Manahil Ahmad in an obituary for NorthJersey.com. “His orchestra La Perfecta, formed in the early 1960s, set a new standard for Latin music….showcasing his explosive piano style—a blend of precision, power and improvisational grit.”

Palmieri performed at the Montclair Jazz Festival in 2019. Earlier this month, on what would have been his 89th birthday, the festival posted a tribute on their Instagram account. “We are so thankful to Eddie for his music and his friendship!” it concluded. “Long may his legacy continue!”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

1970-July 20, 2025

The Jersey City-born actor, beloved for his role as Theodore “Theo” Huxtable on NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, died in an accidental drowning off the coast of Costa Rica, ABC News reported. He was 54. Warner played Huxtable from 1984 to 1992, and was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 1986. More recently, he starred as a surgeon on Fox medical drama The Resident until the show ended in 2023.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Jersey City native Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Governor Phil Murphy posted on social media. “[…] Malcom-Jamal brought joy and hope to millions of Americans. We are praying for the Warner family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Connie Francis

1937-July 16, 2025

The Newark-born pop singer, best known for ’50s and ’60s hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Where the Boys Are,” passed away at the age of 87 this summer. Dubbed “the girl with the million-dollar cry” by Dick Clark, she was the first solo female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Francis spent her early years in Brooklyn before her family moved back to New Jersey, where they lived in Newark’s Ironbound section and later Belleville. Francis attended Newark Arts High School for a few years before transferring to Belleville High School, where she graduated in 1955. She was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 at a 2017 ceremony held at Asbury Park’s Convention Hall.

Just two months before her death, Francis had responded to news that her deep cut “Pretty Little Baby” had gone viral on TikTo, six decades after its original release. “My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording,” she wrote in a Facebook post. Her publicist and record-label president, Rob Roberts, had informed her of her “viral hit”—a term she didn’t understand. “Clearly out of touch with present day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What’s that?’” she continued. “Thank you everyone!”

Lenny Welch

1938-April 8, 2025

Though born in New York City, the pop singer was raised in Asbury Park, where he was shaped by the vibrant Black music scene on the city’s West Side. He attended Asbury Park High School and joined a local vocal group called the Mar-Keys, which, according to the Asbury Park Press, opened for Little Richard at city’s Savoy Theatre in the 1950s. He later became best known for his cover of “Since I Fell for You,” which hit number 4 on the Billboard chart in 1963.

During a 2011 panel about the history of race and music, Bruce Springsteen referred to Welch as “Mr. Asbury Park,” according to NJ.com. Later that year, Welch returned to his hometown to perform at the Soul of Asbury Park concert held at the Paramount Theatre. In 2012, he was inducted into Asbury Park High School’s Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. A few years before his death, in 2021, Welch told the Asbury Park Press that he thought about the city “every day” and hoped to return “before I leave this earth.” He said he wanted to “walk around, go up Springwood Avenue because that’s where I grew up….just walk up the street, look around, visit relatives’ gravesites […].” Welch died in Florida at the age of 86.