PUBLIC RECORDS

A seminar on New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act

Access to government records can be as difficult as walking a high wire across the Grand Canyon. The public’s right to know must be balanced against the government’s obligation to keep certain records confidential.

The New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA) has made releasing records easier than it once was, but the law can be confusing. The New Jersey Press Association, The Record and the Herald News are sponsoring a one-day seminar that will help people walk the OPRA tight rope.

This seminar will be a productive five hours for everyone interested in government records. Topics will include a comprehensive overview of everything you need to know about government records — how to get them, what can’t be released, what to do if you are refused them — and a discussion about how OPRA can be improved. Four discussion panels will allow ample time for questions and answers.

For everyone interested in government records:
• Editors & Reporters
• Elected & Appointed Local Officials
• Municipal Clerks*
• Attorneys
• Citizen Activists
* This seminar has been approved by the Department of Community Affairs
for 4 continuing education units (CEUs) in Records for Municipal Clerks (RMC).

Thursday, March 26, 2009
10 am sharp – 3 pm (Coffee & tea available at 9:30 am)
Ciccone Theater
Bergen Community College
400 Paramus Road, Paramus, NJ
$10 per person, includes buffet lunch

Contact Ed Mecka for details