Much of what the State legislates affects Teaneck residents. But Teaneck Voices usually keeps its focus on what our own municipal governing and school boards do.
But last week, the State Senate passed a bill and is sending it to the state Assembly that directly intersects with priority issues that are being decided here by our Council. It is entitled the Election Transparency Act although its use of the word “transparency” could be considered an oxymoron.
Teaneck is in the process of deciding whether to try to resurrect its own local ethics board or to follow the majority of NJ municipalities in having the state ethics board enforce the ethics obligations of its various public officials. In addition to tracking complaints related to official conflicts of interest, there are two other sets of public official disclosures that are paramount in good ethics enforcement. First, all public officials are required to make annual financial disclosure declarations so that we know where their income comes from. Second, when running for elective office, all candidates are required to stay within limits and report sources and expenditures of their election campaigns. Most of the specifics of what is to be disclosed and how sources and expenses should be limited are state rules, irrespective of where enforcement takes place. Hence, Teaneck Voices believes that its residents deserve to know what ethics-related statutes the legislature is currently considering. The following summary is drawn in content primarily from the a 3/27/2023 NorthJersey.com story with information every Teaneck resident should have.
(Voices readers desiring to see the entire NorthJersey.com story itself should click here
NJ Senate passes money-in-politics overhaul that would give Phil Murphy sway over election watchdog
Ashley Balcerzak
NorthJersey.com
Three weeks after having withdrawn a huge money-in-politics overhaul bill, the New Jersey state Senate on Monday March 2 suddenly popped up and approved a slightly altered version of that same bill that critics say continues to gut pay-to-play laws, weakens the Election Law Enforcement Commission (the watchdog agency overseeing all elections in the state and contains a another way to give Governor Murphy the sole unchecked power to choose who leads the ELEC agency.
The 68-page Elections Transparency Act (A4372), which passed 24 to 12, is packed with substantial changes to how money flows in NJ elections, including increasing the amounts that contributors (individual and corporations) can donate to politicians and political parties; requiring some different information about certain “dark money” donors; and cutting down the time within which regulators can investigate violations.
“We must have reform based on the foundation of public transparency, reform that secures our elections from improper influence and expands access. This legislation, however, does not provide that,” said Sen. Nia Gill, the sole Democrat who voted against the bill. “This legislation, in fact, provides the opposite”
The legislation would now require a full Assembly vote which could come as early as Thursday 3/30 when the Assembly next meets and then, of course, would need Governor Murphy’s signature before becoming law.
The new bill with many late amendments had originally been fast-tracked through committees late last month until running into sharp criticism from open government advocates and others. In response, legislative leaders had pulled back from originally-scheduled votes in both houses. Their claims to take another look, however, have now resulted in bill very little changed in its effects even as it changed certain elements related, for example, whether covered officials could omit disclosure of home addresses as part of a claimed effort to protect the safety of public officials.
Again, Voices readers desiring to see the entire NorthJersey.com story should click here
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