This week, March 10 through 16, is Sunshine Week. It occurs every year in March, coinciding with James Madison’s birthday, on March 16, which is also National Freedom of Information Day. The week, and that holiday, seek to shine a light on the importance of open government. How sad it is, then, on this of all weeks, that the New Jersey Legislature is once again taking aim at our state’s Open Public Records Act, better known as OPRA.Abill, S2930/A4045, was introduced on March 4, sponsored by Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36), and was heard just one week later. This fast-moving bill would be a devastating blow to the Open Public Records Act in New Jersey. As a result, several notable organizations have denounced it, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and the League of Women Voters. The editorial boards of North Jersey and the Star-Ledger have also spoken out in opposition to the bill.Through OPRA, which was first enacted in 2002, people are able to access government records from municipal, county, and state government agencies. It permits anyone to look up information on how taxpayer funds are allocated, the pollution levels of municipal wells, and the results of so many other government functions that might otherwise stay hidden. The 22-year-old law has led to countless important stories in the Garden State; for example, emails obtained through OPRA led the infamous “Bridgegate” scandal.OPRA is an invaluable resource to the public, even to those who have never personally used it. It is an essential check on power, and without it, corrupt officials would be much better able to operate without fear of being caught. It also leads informative analysis from journalistic data crunchers, and shines a light on issues that would otherwise go unnoticed. The list of its benefits could fill this newspaper.As the League of Women Voters of New Jersey notes, “concerned members of the public, journalists, advocates, and other stakeholders from across the state have used OPRA to track government spending, examine the wisdom of decisions affecting thousands of families, and bring accountability to our criminal justice system.”But the bill being considered by the state Legislature would make critical changes to OPRA. Among many other things, it would exempt access to email and call logs; make it challenging to request emails at all; ban the sharing of metadata; and allow for unreasonable redactions and request denials by creating a vague and ...
