Editorial: N.J. legislature should support updates to opengov laws

From NJ.com:  With the recent revelations about the National Security Agency’s widespread monitoring of U.S. citizens, a pair of bills that give New Jersey residents a clearer picture of government goings on could not be timelier.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg expects to post two measures that would fine-tune laws protecting the public’s right to know this week for a full Senate vote.

The first offers amendments to the Open Public Records Act in three areas, while the second updates provisions in the Open Public Meetings Law.

Among the changes is one to prevent government workers with black markers from blotting out information that should be available to the public. It calls for redacted materials to be accompanied by an affidavit with details about the document — including the specific and lawful basis for each redaction.