Upcoming Hearings: Contact your Legislators on Affordable Housing, TTF, and OPRA Reform

Three major issues impacting municipalities are under consideration in Trenton.   Bills to address affordable housing, OPRA reform, and the extension of the Transportation Trust Fund all are scheduled for committee hearings in the upcoming days and could be scheduled for final votes on March 18.  

Later today at noon, the League is hosting a 90-minute Lunch & Learn briefing to discuss these three priority pieces of legislation.   

Please reach out to your Legislators on these critical issues today.  

Transportation Trust Fund. The Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee will consider A-4011 today at 10 am. This bill reauthorizes the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) for five years with an increase of 1.9 cents per gallon each year, as well as the creation of an annual $250 registration fee for zero-emission vehicles that increases an additional $10 each year for the duration of this legislation. S-2931, the Senate counterpart, is scheduled to be considered on Monday in the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The reauthorization is consistent with past League Conference Resolutions that support robust transportation funding through the TTF to ensure that transportation funding is not borne solely by local property taxpayers.

Affordable Housing Reform. The League has been working with the sponsors of the affordable housing legislation and our membership to address local government concerns. We continue working with the sponsors to address outstanding issues. Both A-4, which passed the Assembly last month and S-50 will be considered by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, March 11. Further amendments are anticipated but are not yet available. 

OPRA Reform. Update:  Assemblyman Joseph Danielson sponsors A-4045, which is scheduled for a Monday hearing for the Assembly State and Local Government Committee. In the Senate, Senate President Scutari and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo introduced S-2930. It is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, March 11.  

The League supports this legislation as it gives greater discretion to records custodians regarding duplicate and anonymous requests; encourages that documents be placed online and provides funding to facilitate that goal; prohibits records requests made by data brokers who take the information for commercial purposes; increases the membership of the Government Records Council; establishes a Police Record Access Improvement Task Force; and implements recommendations from the Privacy Study Commission to provide privacy protections for our residents. The League is supportive of these efforts to modernize a more than two-decade-old records law. 

Today’s Lunch & Learn reviewing these three pieces of legislation is free to League membership and affiliate members with advanced registration. You will receive the webinar link about one hour before the program is scheduled to begin. 

Contacts: Mike Cerra, Executive Director, mcerra@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x120. Lori Buckelew, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Government Affairs, lbuckelew@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x112.