NJ-SPJ President Responds to Governor Murphy Signing OPRA Amendments

NJ-SPJ President P. Kenneth Burns issues the following statement regarding Gov. Murphy taking action on OPRA legislation:

We are disappointed that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed Bill S2930, which drastically changes the Open Public Records Act. We REFUSE to call this the reform that Sen. Paul Sarlo wants to sell this as. 
While we agree with the governor that laws must keep up with the times, this bill does the opposite. It will make it much harder to obtain public records. There will be no incentive for any agency or government to follow the law. Anyone who wants to betray the public trust will now have an easier time to do so.
The bill might have passed “with bipartisan support,” but this bill has been criticized with BROADER bipartisan disdain. Sen. Anthony Bucco might have been a prime sponsor of the bill, but he did not vote for it. We would like to know why he didn’t take a stand, but OPRA already prevents us from finding out.
Time will prove us and others correctly that this bill will be bad for New Jersey. Sadly, when this happens, the Legislature will not be as quick to implement the necessary changes.

Comment from NJ-SPJ Board Member Isaac Avilucea:

Gov. Murphy’s reasons for signing this bill read like a vapid monologue of caveats and self-congratulations. Well, congratulations, Governor. History will remember this as the day you signed OPRA’s death warrant.