Senator Hoylman Hails Passage of New Jersey Bill to Shine Light on Port Authority Records

New York, NY— Today, State Senator Brad Hoylman (D – Manhattan), ranking member of the New York State Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee, hailed the New Jersey State House’s passage of legislation to close the loophole that exempts the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from the New York’s and New Jersey’s freedom of information laws.

The New York State legislature passed identical legislation in June of this year. Pursuant to the interstate compact that created the Port Authority, any new laws affecting the agency must be enacted by both New York and New Jersey.

Senator Hoylman said: “In an exemplary act of bipartisanship in both New York and New Jersey, identical bills to increase transparency and accountability at the Port Authority are now headed to the desks of Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie. We have the opportunity to head off future “Bridgegate” scandals and help restore the public’s trust in the Port Authority by requiring this massive agency to honor legitimate requests for government records by the public and the press. I hope that Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie will both act quickly to sign this important legislation into law.”

Senator Hoylman represents New York’s 27th Senate District which encompasses the Port Authority Bus Terminal, five PATH stations, and the entrances to the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. He has been an outspoken advocate on increasing transparency at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which has a major impact on the daily lives of New York and New Jersey residents and manages an $8.2 billion annual operating budget. Senator Hoylman first called for increased transparency of Port Authority records when he introduced the Port Authority Open Government Act (S. 6593) in February and co-authored an op-ed on the issue. 

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