New Jersey Open Public Records Act

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Contents

State sunshine
State laws
How to ask for records
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal


The Open Public Records Act, or OPRA, is the name of the New Jersey law guaranteeing access to public records in the state. OPRA became the state's sunshine law on January 8, 2002, when Donald DiFrancesco signed it. It replaced, and significantly improved, a pre-existing right-to-know law.

New Jersey's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked New Jersey #1 in the nation with an overall percentage of 65.40%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave New Jersey 87 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "B", and a ranking of 2 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked New Jersey's law as the 2nd best in the country, giving it a letter grade of "B".[3]

Who May Request New Jersey Records?

Citizens of New Jersey may request public documents of the state. Government "records shall be readily accessible for inspection, copying, or examination by the citizens of this State". [4]

For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.

Enforcement

The New Jersey Government Records Council is charged with enforcing the provisions of OPRA. The GRC:

  • Responds to inquiries and complaints about the law from the public and public agency records custodians;
  • Issues public information about the law and services provided by the Council;
  • Maintains a toll-free help-line and Web site to assist the public and records custodians;
  • Issues advisory opinions on the accessibility of government records;
  • Delivers training on OPRA;
  • Provides mediation of disputes about access to government records;
  • Resolves disputes regarding access to government records.

See Also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
  2. ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
  3. ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
  4. ↑ NJ Open Public Records Act, C.47:1A-1
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