By: (AP) Gov. James McGreevey signed an executive order Tuesday that reduces the number of exemptions to the state's open records law from 400 to less than 80.
Controversial exemptions regarding the location of farms and endangered species were removed, administration officials said.
Representatives from the New Jersey Press Association and various advocacy groups praised the compromise. "The system works," said John O'Brien, executive director of the New Jersey Press Association.
Last month, a state law took effect that revised a 38-year-old statute considered the most restrictive in the nation. The new law presumes all government records are public records unless otherwise exempted.
A day after the law took effect, McGreevey announced he had signed an executive order enforcing more than 400 state department exemptions to the law, citing safety and security concerns.
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