What’s Important to Know About NJ This Week – 12/23/2023

OPRA and OPMA Protected….For Now, Deeper Dive into Efforts on Reforming Affordable Housing, Push Back on Legislation Removing Teacher Evaluations, Bill Holding Contractors Accountable Moves Forward, New Rules Requires Home Sellers to Disclose Flood History

Open Government Advocates Appear to be Winning the First Battle on OPRA and OPMA

From The Jersey Vindicator:

New Jersey lawmakers appear to be stepping back from an effort to substantially rewrite the Open Public Records Act during the lame-duck legislative session.

“We are in no hurry. There’s no timetable to get it done,” Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) told the Jersey Vindicator. “We are talking about it and we will keep talking about it, but the calendar isn’t filled yet, and we don’t have a schedule.

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This fall, reports of a massive overhaul drew criticism from good government advocates, the legal community, and journalists. More than 40 groups signed a petition calling on elected officials to press pause on legislation, including the NJ Working Families Party, American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters, New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, and Communication Workers of America NJ.

 

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A Deeper Dive into Legislation Seeking to Overhaul Affordable Housing in NJ

From the NJ Monitor:

On one side were affordable housing advocates who cheered the bill, a 70-page document that offers a wide-ranging set of solutions to New 

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But critics complained lawmakers gave municipalities little time to digest and respond to the dense proposal and are unwisely fast-tracking it to the governor’s desk without sufficient scrutiny before the current legislative session ends Jan. 9. Read More

Legislation Eliminating Teacher Evaluations Getting Pushback

From NJ Education Report:

When Gov. Phil Murphy took office, he lowered the 15% to a mere 5%, almost completely disconnecting teacher ratings from objective measurements of how much students learn. NJEA celebrated by issuing a statement that said the Governor and the Department of Education had earned their “respect.” 

The new bill would be the death blow to an already anemic teacher evaluation law. Thankfully, people are speaking up. Read More 

 

NJ Bill Increasing Protections for Consumers Hiring Contractors Moves Forward

From NJ.Com

Robust protections could be coming for millions of New Jersey homeowners under a new bill that’s now headed to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature.

 

The measure, which would create a license for home improvement contractors in the state and establish a board to regulate the industry, passed the state Senate on Thursday with a bipartisan vote of 31-3. Read More 

 

New Rules Require Homesellers to Dislcose Flood History

From NJ Spotlight News:

Under sweeping new rules published Thursday, owners of New Jersey properties for sale or rent will soon be required to fully disclose a property’s flood history and its exposure to possible future flooding.

 

The rules, published by the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies, will require sellers and landlords to use new forms that notify potential buyers and tenants of a property’s flood risk. Read More

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