February 21, 2020 •
New Jersey Governor Proposes Ethics and Transparency Reforms
On February 19, Gov. Murphy released a legislative package of Ethics and Transparency Reforms. The legislative package contains five bills with the aim to strengthen restrictions on lobbying, enhance financial disclosures, and increase public access. The lobbying bill requires lobbying […]
On February 19, Gov. Murphy released a legislative package of Ethics and Transparency Reforms.
The legislative package contains five bills with the aim to strengthen restrictions on lobbying, enhance financial disclosures, and increase public access.
The lobbying bill requires lobbying firms and companies to disclose when a person or firm is hired to provide professional services other than lobbying.
Additionally, the bill reduces the registration threshold from 20 hours of lobbying to one hour per calendar year.
The bill will prohibit legislators and their staff from accepting any gift related to their public duties.
Furthermore, the bill aligns the gift rules to the same standard currently governing executive branch employees.
The legislative package also extends the one-year cooling off period for the governor, cabinet, and legislators to two years before being able to register as lobbyists.
Gov. Murphy also introduced a bill to increase transparency and requires bills or resolutions not to be voted on unless their final form has been publicly available for 72 hours on the Legislature’s website.
The governor is also expected to issue other executive actions regarding requirements for those that do business with the state.
The bill proposals were sent to Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Coughlin for review.
June 27, 2019 •
New Jersey Dark Money Bill Signed, Challenged
Last week, New jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring dark money groups spending money to influence elections in New Jersey to disclose their large donors. Senate Bill 1500, carried over from last year’s session, requires certain groups, like 501(c)(4) […]
Last week, New jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring dark money groups spending money to influence elections in New Jersey to disclose their large donors.
Senate Bill 1500, carried over from last year’s session, requires certain groups, like 501(c)(4) political nonprofits to disclose the identities of donors who give more than $10,000.
Additionally, the groups are required to report expenditures in excess of $3,000.
Gov. Murphy previously conditionally vetoed the bill.
However, the Governor signed an identical version when faced with a veto override because the bill’s sponsors agreed to tweak the legislation before it takes effect.
Since signed, the bill has faced opposition from citizen-based organizations and advocacy groups.
Those groups are arguing the new disclosure requirements will prevent people from donating to them.
On Tuesday, a federal lawsuit challenging the legislation was filed by Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian advocacy nonprofit founded by the Koch brothers.
Americans for Prosperity asked for the new law not to be enforced until the suit challenging the constitutionality of the law is decided.
New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission and Attorney General Lee Moore declined to comment on the pending legislation.
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