A bill was introduced in New Jersey that would ban all commercial public record requests. New Jersey Senator James Beach proposed the same change in the 2024-2025 legislative session, but it didn’t make it past introduction.

The bill defines “commercial purpose” as “the direct or indirect use of any part of a government record for sale, resale, solicitation, rent or lease of a service, or any use by which the user expects a profit either through commission, salary, or fee.”

It specifically excludes any news media, educational, governmental or research organization from this definition. Two other legislators proposed a companion bill that died in committee.

Posted: October 5, 2026
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Secrecy Tracker