On June 5, a bill (A2893) was introduced which would bar public entities and employees from entering into confidential settlements, including settlements of employment disputes. The bill provides that such settlements are public records under the Open Public Records laws. The law would not apply in matters involving issues of national security, and does not change the requirements of the law relating to the name and other identifying information for victims of sex crimes or child abuse. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate last month (S1262).
Note: This article was published in the July 2008 issue of the New Jersey eAuthority.