New Jersey § 10:4-7

§ 10:4-7.

The Legislature finds and declares that the right of the public to be present at all

meetings of public bodies, and to witness in full detail all phases of the deliberation,

policy formulation, and decision making of public bodies, is vital to the enhancement

and proper functioning of the democratic process; that secrecy in public affairs

undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in

fulfilling its role in a democratic society, and hereby declares it to be the public

policy of this State to insure the right of its citizens to have adequate advance

notice of and the right to attend all meetings of public bodies at which any business

affecting the public is discussed or acted upon in any way except only in those circumstances

where otherwise the public interest would be clearly endangered or the personal privacy

or guaranteed rights of individuals would be clearly in danger of unwarranted invasion. The Legislature further declares it to be the public policy of this State to insure

that the aforesaid rights are implemented pursuant to the provisions of this act so

that no confusion, misconstructions or misinterpretations may thwart the purposes

hereof. The Legislature, therefore, declares that it is the understanding and the intention

of the Legislature that in order to be covered by the provisions of this act a public

body must be organized by law and be collectively empowered as a multi-member voting

body to spend public funds or affect persons' rights; that, therefore, informal or

purely advisory bodies with no effective authority are not covered, nor are groupings

composed of a public official with subordinates or advisors, who are not empowered

to act by vote such as a mayor or the Governor meeting with department heads or cabinet

members, that specific exemptions are provided for the Judiciary, parole bodies, the

State Commission of Investigation, the Apportionment Commission and political party

organization; that to be covered by the provisions of this act a meeting must be

open to all the public body's members, and the members present must intend to discuss

or act on the public body's business; and therefore, typical partisan caucus meetings

and chance encounters of members of public bodies are neither covered by the provisions

of this act, nor are they intended to be so covered.