Media organizations, good government groups, and transparency advocates have spent weeks urging Gov. Phil Murphy to veto the bill. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)

Elected officials from both sides of the aisle and progressive activists fumed Wednesday after Gov. Phil Murphy announced he signed the controversial bill overhauling the state’s Open Public Records Act into law.

Media organizations, good government groups, and transparency advocates have spent weeks urging Murphy to veto the bill, saying it would gut the law that governs what government documents are allowed to be released to the public.

Former state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a Bergen County Democrat who defended the old version of the Open Public Records Act, called Murphy’s move “terribly disconcerting.”

“It seems they did it just because they could!” Weinberg said on social media.

Nicole Rodriguez, president of progressive think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, called the new law “bad policy, bad politics, and bad news for anyone who believes that government should work for the people and not for special interests.”

“Public records are how we shine a spotlight on corruption and hold officials accountable when they’re not doing what’s best for their communities. New Jersey just took a big step forward with our first primary election without ‘the line’ on the ballot, and now the state is taking two even bigger steps backward. This is a dark day for transparency, accountability, and democracy in New Jersey,” Rodriguez said.

The law places limits on when public entities are forced to pay the legal fees of people who win public records disputes in court, shields certain types of documents from public view, and allows judges to ban some people from making any requests at all.

Murphy in a statement said that while he believes some of the criticism of the bill is not irrational, overall the legislation makes “relatively modest” changes to the Open Public Records Act. Those thoughts were echoed by one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Tony Bucco (R-Morris), who noted that the bill would require the Government Records Council — the state agency that adjudicates records disputes — to make decisions quicker.

“Government transparency is the bedrock of our democratic society, and this bill underscores that fundamental principle. This law will save taxpayers money and time by increasing public access to government documents online, speeding up the process to resolve cases with the GRC, and reduces the need for OPRA requests,” Bucco said.

The bill’s critics remain unconvinced. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year, criticized Murphy for waiting until after Tuesday’s primary election to sign the bill.

“The deliberate/manipulative nature of it speaks to the fact he knows it’s wrong. It’s extremely disrespectful to voters that want an honest dialog and he is basically telling voters again and again you are fools,” Fulop said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, another Democrat seeking to succeed Murphy, also opposes the bill.

“I’m disappointed. Today is a step backwards in New Jersey’s pursuit of democracy,” Baraka said.

Jesse Burns, the executive director of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, said lawmakers who supported the bill “have turned their backs on one of our essential rights.”

“This long struggle to defend democracy has proven we must restore power to the people of this state so they cannot continue to be blatantly ignored by those that are meant to serve them,” Burns said.

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