MCANJ Current Members March 2024

mcanj-members@lists.cit-e.net

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OPRA Reform & Pending Legislative Bills to Watch for the Municipal Clerk

by mcanj-members＠lists.cit-e.net

Hello members of our amazing Association!! I wanted to send an email out to the Association to recap OPRA Reform Bill S2930/A4045 and to make you aware of the multitude of additional bills pending that impact your role in the Municipal Clerks’ office. This year we have seen significant bills being moved at incredible speed from Affordable Housing to OPRA Reform and a tremendous volume of bills that impact our role as a Municipal Clerk that I have not seen in my career as a Municipal Clerk. We have Deputy Executive Director/Director of Government Affairs for the New Jersey League of Municipalities, Lori Buckelew speaking at our up coming conference next month on Legislation in Trenton-I’m sorry Lori only has an hour and half to speak. Lori probably could have used a whole day to talk about the attached bills and then some. You can find these bills on our website as well under “Legislation” and can read them in their entirety. Our MCANJ Legislation Committee Chair Michele Siegried has been doing a tremendous job keeping up with the bills and updating the Executive Board and our Website Manager, April Claudio so we are aware of the every changing movement of some of these bills. On March 14th, OPRA Reform Bill S2930/A4045 was removed from the agenda of the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration. The week prior to this meeting there were some questioning, “Where are the Municipal Clerks in all of this?” For those to question this do not understand the complexity of our Association nor do they understand our role being a 501 (c) (3) private, non-profit organization that is devoted to supporting and advancing its members’ educational, professional, and personal interests. The Municipal Clerks who make up the MCANJ membership serve with distinction on the front lines of public service as they assist residents in accessing local government services and information. As a general rule, MCANJ does not lobby or engage in partisan activities. This is intentional and reflects that Municipal Clerks are involved in activities, such as election and licensing, that require the utmost integrity and independence to ensure public confidence. Our Association fully supports the principal foundation of OPRA, including transparency in local government and the right of residents to be fully informed about municipal operations. However, the law is regularly perverted in a manner that severely diminishes the noble purpose for which it was adopted. OPRA reform is essential to save the OPRA law from itself. Our Association has worked tirelessly from one Executive Board to another in trying to get OPRA reformed because we know the law is antiquated, needs to be modernized as its twenty years old, and is abused. The Executive Board and our OPRA Liasion has spoken personally and provided factual data to Senators, Assemblypersons, and members of the League of Municipalities. We have been asked twice to assist others on Amicus Briefs pertaining to OPRA. Its been our front line experiences that other organizations have asked us to share when it comes to helping them fight OPRA as well and has brought us before the Supreme Court twice and won. It’s your personal experiences we asked you to share with your State Representatives when it comes to Bill S2930/A4045 and you have- we appreciate you taking the time in doing so. Your State Representatives acknowledged the outreach. Please continue to reach out to your State Representatives and provide them your experiences-it will help them understand what you as a Municipal Clerk experience on a day to day basis when it comes to OPRA and provide examples. Though the bill has currently been stalled, its not been tossed to the wayside either. Many of our State Representatives agree that OPRA needs to be reformed and from those I have spoken with over the last two weeks, they asked for the bill to be tabled to make sure its right. Some State Representatives want to make sure items they are concerned with when it comes to OPRA are included as well that were not part of this initial bill. Our State Representatives have acknowledged to me that they understand OPRA has impacted the Municipal Clerks. Stakeholders are anticipated to meet next month to talk about the bill and we will be involved in that process. As Municipal Clerks we will work together with all parties involved in a dignified manner and as always we take the high road for resolution. As we move forward on Bill S2930/A4045 we will update the Association. If you wish to share with me any examples of situations you have been in when it comes to OPRA to have when speaking with all the stakeholders, please feel free to reach out to me at president(a)mcanj.us<mailto:president@mcanj.us> or our OPRA Liaison Kim-Marie White at kwhite(a)eastampton.com<mailto:kwhite@eastampton.com>. So to answer those questioning, “Where are the Municipal Clerks in all of this?” We haven’t gone anywhere-we have been working with everyone involved and many of the amendments to the OPRA reform came from State Representative listening to you, reading the headlines of the papers, reading GRC complaints, reading court case opinions, etc. These amendments come from fact driven data. The amendments are not arbitrary. The Municipal Clerks’ Association does not need to be front and center in the headlines on OPRA reform nor do we need hundreds of Municipal Clerks storming the halls of Trenton demanding ORPA reform-there is no need for that. Again, the fact driven data and personal accounts don’t lie and have been made available to the bill Sponsors and others who are involved in this reform. The proposed bill is an opportunity to see change that is long overdue. The bill is not impeding one from filing an OPRA or preventing one from getting records they are requesting. This bill delivers much needed reform to allow OPRA to continue the way it was properly intended. Two other bills to pay close attention to are: 1. Bill No. 2865/A4055 – Establishes “The Voters Convenience Act” -Introduced March 4th – Allows voters to vote at any polling location in their municipality on election day. Pending Assembly State and Local Government Committee. Came out of the Senate Committee on March 18, 2024 with Amendments. 2. Bill No. A2990/A3371- Provides for Immediate Issuance of Marriage and Civil Union Licenses. Bill was introduced on February 1, 2024. Introduced in the Senate, Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee March 18, 2024. This is a bill to watch for those with the dual title of Municipal Clerk/Registrar. And on the federal front, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two decisions when it comes to elected officials use of social media: Public officials can be held liable for blocking critics on social media - SCOTUSblog<https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/03/public-officials-can-be-held-liable-for-…> Our upcoming conference next month is a prime example of why you attend conferences and sessions regardless of needing CEU’s. Many of our speakers will be talking about the ABC liquor license changes, OPRA Reform, new election bills proposed/passed, proposed legislation pertaining to Vital Statistics, and the Affordable Housing Bill that was just passed this month. Our attendees will get the opportunity to speak one on one to many of these guest presenters during our round table discussions on Tuesday, April 23rd , listen in on the new Affordable Housing bill requirements and impacts on Wednesday, April 24th, and Legislative updates on Thursday, April 25th. By reading the attached bills introduced you can see there is a lot going on and our Conference Committee has made sure that our attendees will be listening in on the hottest topics occurring right now in our profession. For those that have registered, you will be in for a learning adventure!! Michele Michele Bobrowski, MMC, CMC, RMC, CMR, CPM President, MCANJ [cid:d60d01b8-d80d-4264-bfa5-23ea9fefbc9e]

1 year, 1 month

Last Day for Early Conference Registration!

by mcanj-members＠lists.cit-e.net

Good morning everyone! Today is the last day for early registration price for the 2024 MCANJ Conference. Please visit www.njclerks.org<http://www.njclerks.org> to register. Remember to log in with your 4 digit member ID and password. If you don't remember your password, simply click, Forgot Password and follow the instructions to reset it. Below is the breakdown of rates/days of conference being offered. Early Registrations Before March 20, 2024 Registrations After March 20, 2024 Member Non-Member Member Non-Member Full Conference * $425 $555 $475 $605 2 Days - Tuesday and Wednesday $365 $500 $415 $565 2 Days - Wednesday and Thursday $380 $515 $430 $550 *Tuesday Evening, Wednesday Thursday, and Friday Last Day to Register is April 7, 2024! Payments must be received on or before March 22, 2024. [HOTEL INFORMATION Deadline for Hotel Reservations: April 7, 2024 Booking Website: https://book.passkey.com/go/GCLR24Z] We have a great conference planned and hope to see you all there! MCANJ Website Manager WebsiteManager(a)MCANJ.US

1 year, 1 month

Support for OPRA Reform Bill S-2930/A-4045

by mcanj-members＠lists.cit-e.net

Dear Members of the Municipal Clerks’ Association of New Jersey: As you are aware the last few weeks have been very busy as the OPRA Reform Bill has been moving forward. Senator Sarlo and Assemblyman Danielson have been working tirelessly on S-2930<https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/S3000/2930_R1.PDF>/A-4045<https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/A4500/4045_R1.PDF>. On Monday, the Assembly State and Local Government Committee and the Senate Budget Appropriations Committee moved the bill forward with amendments. The bill is scheduled for consideration by the Assembly Appropriations Committee this Thursday, March 14th with the hope that it will be considered by the full State and Assembly on Monday, March 18th. Please reach out to your Senator and Assembly Representatives<https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster> to tell them how your office has been impacted by OPRA, any OPRA requests you received that were cumbersome, resulted in a lawsuit to your municipality, staff you may have needed to handle your OPRA requests, fines you as the Municipal Clerk were imposed because of an OPRA you handled, or to offer your support to the proposed changes. Any and all support for this monumental bill is going to be appreciated by the sponsors who have taken the time to listen. As Municipal Clerks, we are on the front lines dealing with OPRA on a day to day basis, who else is better than lending our experiences to our Senator and Assembly Representatives<https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster>. As Municipal Clerks, we all know how OPRA impacts our offices, there is no doubt about it. With this bill, we have the opportunity before us to see the change that has been needed for years. The bill is not impeding one from filing an OPRA or preventing one from getting the records they are requesting. The bill delivers much needed reform to allow OPRA to continue the way it was properly intended. If you have any questions on this bill, please reach out to any of us on the Executive Board. Thank you for taking the time out of your day today to reach out to your Senator and Assembly Representatives<https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-roster> on this important matter before them. Michele Bobrowski, MMC, CMC, RMC, CMR, CPM President, MCANJ [cid:30ff2183-58a0-496d-bd65-1feabab0ea22]

1 year, 1 month

Conference Hotel Booking Update!

by mcanj-members＠lists.cit-e.net

Good afternoon, A reminder, if you are attending the MCANJ Conference, please book your hotel rooms as soon as possible. Purchase orders for hotel rooms must be sent to Hard Rock by no later than March 22nd. See attached PO instructions. Last Day to Book - April 7, 2024 at the special rate of $131 per night. Call 609-449-6860 to reserve and use Group Code: GCLR24Z Or Book Online https://book.passkey.com/go/GCLR24Z<https://book.passkey.com/event/50677573/owner/49899473/home> Rates are subject to a 15% Tax. If you are paying by purchase order, you will not pay taxes, but you must pay additional fees, which are as follows: Room rate $99/night Resort fee $25/night Tourism Fee $7/night TOTAL TO PAY BY PURCHASE ORDER: $131/night We hope to see you at the conference! MCANJ Website Manager WebsiteManager(a)MCANJ.US

1 year, 1 month

Important Update on OPRA Reform - NJLM Lunch & Learn TODAY!!

by mcanj-members＠lists.cit-e.net

Hi All, this OPRA bill is moving fast, and we are encouraging you to join the NJLM lunch and learn so you can hear about OPRA and the changes that are coming. We highly doubt there will be amendments to the bill. Attached is a full copy of the bill. Below is the information on the NJLM Lunch & Learn: NJLM Thursday Lunch & Learn Webinar: OPRA Reform, TTF Reauthorization, and Affordable Housing On Thursday, March 7 at noon, the League is hosting a 90-minute Lunch & Learn briefing to discuss priority League legislation: reauthorization of the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), affordable housing reform, and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) reform. All are scheduled for consideration in the next two weeks. Register here https://www.njlm.org/FormCenter/Legislative-Briefing<https://www.njlm.org/FormCenter/Legislative-Briefings-20/Lunch-Learn-Major-…> OPRA Reform. Senate President Scutari and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo introduced S-2930<https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/S3000/2930_I1.PDF>. 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 Assembly counterpart, A-4045, has been introduced and referred to the Assembly State and Local Government Committee. The League is supportive of these efforts to modernize a more than two-decade-old records law. MCANJ Website Manager WebsiteManager(a)MCANJ.US

1 year, 1 month

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MCANJ Current Members March 2024