Bill Text: NJ S3508 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires governing boards of certain institutions of higher education to post full texts of resolutions on website five business days prior to vote and to begin public meetings with period of public comment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-11-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee [S3508 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S3508-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires governing boards of certain institutions of higher education to post full texts of resolutions on website five business days prior to vote and to begin public meetings with period of public comment.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning meetings of the governing boards of certain institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.) or any other section of law to the contrary:
a. The full text of a resolution to be voted on by a governing board of a public research university or a State college or university shall be posted on the institution's Internet website at least five business days prior to the public meeting at which the vote on the resolution is scheduled to occur.
b. A public meeting of the governing board of a public research university or a State college or university shall begin with a public comment period. The public comment period may be limited to one hour or a period of time which gives each member of the public who wishes to speak an opportunity to do so, whichever time period is shorter. A person may address the governing board during the public comment period without prior arrangement and without reference to any agenda item.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill concerns the conduct of public meetings by the governing boards of the public research universities and the State colleges and universities. The bill enhances the requirements under the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.) regarding public notice and public comments to require that:
· the full text of a resolution to be voted on by the governing board be posted on the institution's Internet website at least five business days prior to the public meeting at which the vote on the resolution is scheduled to occur; and
· each public meeting of the governing board begin with a public comment period. The public comment period may be limited to one hour or a period of time which gives each member of the public who wishes to speak an opportunity to do so, whichever time period is shorter. During the public comment period a person may address the governing board without prior arrangement and without reference to any agenda item.
