Bill
Bill > A3583
NJ A3583
NJ A3583Authorizes Government Records Council to use annual appropriations to employ staff attorneys exclusively to assist council in handling complaints.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
The Government Records Council (GRC) adjudicates certain complaints under the law commonly referred to as the open public records act. Concerns have been raised that the GRC does not process complaints in a timely manner. Additional staff attorneys could assist in the handling of complaints, helping to alleviate the GRC's backlog. Under current law, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) oversees the staffing and budget for the GRC. Requests by the GRC for additional funds to hire staff attorneys have gone unanswered. This bill expressly authorizes the GRC to employ additional staff attorneys exclusively to assist the council in handling complaints. The staff attorneys will receive, hear, review, and adjudicate complaints filed concerning a denial of access to a government record by a records custodian. The bill also requires the GRC to take into consideration whether it has sufficient resources to conduct its proceedings as expeditiously as possible when it prepares its recommended budget request for a State fiscal year. This bill is in response to a report by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) regarding the GRC and its review and adjudication of public records complaints. The OSC report expressed concern that the GRC does not process public records complaints in a timely manner, as well as concerns regarding the requirement that the GRC must go through the DCA to hire additional attorneys. This bill attempts to address those concerns and should help alleviate the backlog of GRC public records complaints.
AI Summary
This bill authorizes the Government Records Council (GRC), which handles complaints about access to government records under the open public records act, to use its annual funding to hire staff attorneys specifically to help manage the increasing number of complaints. These attorneys will be responsible for receiving, reviewing, and making decisions on these complaints, aiming to speed up the process and reduce the backlog. Additionally, the bill requires the GRC to consider its resource capacity when requesting its budget to ensure it can handle proceedings efficiently. This legislation is a response to concerns raised by the Office of the State Comptroller about delays in processing public records complaints and the GRC's previous reliance on the Department of Community Affairs for hiring additional legal staff.
Committee Categories
Government Affairs
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/A3583 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/A4000/3583_I1.HTM |
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