Assembly Speaker Emeritus Albio Sires

SIRES APPLAUDS REPORT RANKING NEW JERSEY DISCLOSURE LAWS AMONG 10 BEST IN THE NATION
New Report Lauds Online Access to Legislative Disclosures

(TRENTON) - Nearly two years after the New Jersey Legislature passed some of the most sweeping ethics and disclosure laws in the nation, a recent independent report has ranked New Jersey among the top ten states for public access to government records, prompting praise from Assembly Speaker Emeritus Albio Sires, one of the prime architects of the 2004 legislation.ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS
NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE:
April 21, 2006

CONTACT:
Assemblyman Sires
(201) 854-0900
James Sverapa IV
(609) 292-7065

SIRES APPLAUDS REPORT RANKING NEW JERSEY DISCLOSURE LAWS AMONG 10 BEST IN THE NATION
New Report Lauds Online Access to Legislative Disclosures

(TRENTON) - Nearly two years after the New Jersey Legislature passed some of the most sweeping ethics and disclosure laws in the nation, a recent independent report has ranked New Jersey among the top ten states for public access to government records, prompting praise from Assembly Speaker Emeritus Albio Sires, one of the prime architects of the 2004 legislation.

"New Jersey's top ten ranking for disclosing information about state public officials is solid proof that the Democrats are on the right track when it comes to restoring the public's trust in government," said Sires (D-Hudson). "Our reforms are becoming a model and benchmark for what transparent government should be."

The independent Center for Public Integrity, in Washington D.C., began studying personal financial disclosures of lawmakers in 1999. In 2000, the center ranked New Jersey's disclosure laws 41st in the nation.

In 2004, led by Assembly Democrats, the Legislature enacted a sweeping 25-point government ethics reform package that included a measure strengthening New Jersey's financial disclosure laws.

That law (SCR-3/ACR-13), sponsored by Sires, requires legislators to file annual financial disclosure reports detailing legislators' amounts and sources of income, information on personal liabilities, and real estate holdings among other financial disclosures.

In addition, the law also requires that these filings be made available to the public online, allowing easier, faster access to legislators' financial information. According to the center, by providing electronic access to legislative disclosure reports and for providing access to blank forms via the Internet, New Jersey's disclosure laws now rank 10th in the nation.

"Clearly, as the center's report shows, we have come a long way from where we were just a few short years ago," said Sires. "Although we have reached the top 10, we must avoid the temptation to rest on our laurels. Now more than ever, we must continue our commitment to improving our state legislative financial disclosures and ensure that New Jersey remains a national leader on this issue."

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