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Committee debates A2799 privacy redactions for officials’ home addresses
Summary
Witnesses and members clashed over A2799’s requirement that custodians redact elected officials’ and candidates’ home addresses; advocates for open government warned it would impede election challenges under Title 19, while an assembly member said safety concerns for families justify redaction.
A State Assembly committee discussed A2799, a bill that would require custodians to redact the primary or secondary home addresses of elected officials, candidates for public office and immediate family members unless a redaction request is approved by the Office of Information Privacy in the Department of Community Affairs.
Supporters of redaction framed the measure as a safety and privacy protection. An assembly member said he supports shielding family addresses from the public because “the safety of our families is paramount over above the public's knowledge to know where you live,” while also noting constituents can reach him through his legislative office.
Opponents said the bill would limit public oversight and interfere with election processes. The vice president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (NJ FOG) testified the proposal “would essentially gut, what the public the public's right under Title 19,” arguing that municipal clerks need candidate addresses to allow members of the public to review petitions and file residency challenges. The witness also said the Office of Information Privacy has struggled implementing Daniel’s Law, leading to widespread redactions on the DCA website.
Committee members asked questions but did not take a formal vote on A2799; the chair closed the discussion after noting a submitted letter from the New Jersey League of Municipalities. The transcript records the item as discussion only, with no motion or committee action recorded at this meeting.
What happens next: The committee closed the discussion on A2799 without advancing it; any further procedural steps, amendments or votes would appear in later committee reports.
