News 12’s Walt Kane participates in panel discussion about bill to restrict public records
The bill would allow the government to sue citizens for requesting records by claiming harassment.
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In the fight over government secrecy, a panel of experts, including News 12 senior investigative reporter Walt Kane, met at Rider University on Tuesday. The panel discussed a bill in the state Legislature that seeks to restrict access to public records in New Jersey.
The bill would allow the government to sue citizens for requesting records by claiming harassment. It would also make it difficult to access emails and other records that are now legally available to the public.
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Supporters of the bill say local governments are receiving thousands of requests each year that they don't have the resources to fill. Transparency advocates say these proposals go too far.
"Municipalities, state agencies, have attorneys on staff. And forget a media organization like mine - the average citizen who wants to use [the Open Public Record Act] is not going to pay an attorney by the hour. They would just give up,” Kane said.
A recent Fairleigh Dickinson poll found that 81% of registered voters in New Jersey oppose any tightening of public record laws.
