Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires BPU public meetings held in State-owned building to be broadcast live on Internet provided necessary technology is available in building.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning public meetings held by the Board of Public Utilities and amending R.S.48:2-3.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.48:2-3 is amended to read as follows:
R.S.48:2-3. a. The board shall have a principal office and such other offices in such place and places as the Governor in writing may designate, and shall be provided with all necessary furniture, stationery, maps, supplies, and office appliances. The board shall appoint a director of office management to serve such office and offices and fix [his] the director’s duties and terms of service. It shall fix the compensation of the director of office management at not less than range code A-32 under the State of New Jersey Compensation Plan, effective June 23, 1973.
b. The board shall meet at such times and places within this State as it may provide. A public meeting of the board held in a building owned by the State shall be broadcast live on the board’s Internet website as an audio or video transmission, provided that: (1) the building where the board is meeting is equipped with the necessary technology to broadcast the meeting live on the Internet as an audio or video transmission; and (2) the State entity responsible for audio or video transmission at the building where the board is meeting shall provide the board with access to the necessary equipment and technology to broadcast that meeting live on the board’s Internet website. The board shall maintain an electronic archive of the audio recordings of all public meetings of the board held in a building owned by the State where the building is equipped with the necessary technology to make an audio recording of the meeting, and the board shall make those archived audio recordings available to the public through the board’s Internet website.
(cf: P.L.1974, c.82, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that a public meeting held by the Board of Public Utilities (board) in a building owned by the State is to be broadcast live on the board’s Internet website as an audio or video transmission, provided that: (1) the building where the board is meeting is equipped with the necessary technology to broadcast the meeting live on the Internet as an audio or video transmission; and (2) the State entity responsible for audio or video transmission at the building where the board is meeting is to provide the board with access to the necessary equipment and technology to broadcast that meeting live on the board’s Internet website. The board is to maintain an electronic archive of the audio recordings of all public meetings of the board held in a building owned by the State where the building is equipped with the necessary technology to make an audio recording of the meeting, and the board is to make those archived audio recordings available to the public through the board’s Internet website.