Establishes digital democracy online portal for submission of legislative proposals by public.

A5197

ASSEMBLY, No. 5197

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED JUNE 4, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� KENYATTA STEWART

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes digital democracy online portal for
submission of legislative proposals by public.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing an online portal for the submission of
legislative proposals by the public and amending and supplementing P.L.1995,
c.319.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.1995,
c.319 (C.52:11-78) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1. a. The Office of
Legislative Services shall make available to the public and maintain in
electronic form the following information:

���� (1)�� the most current
available compilation of the official text of the statutes of New Jersey;

���� (2)�� the text of all bills
introduced during the current two-year session of the Legislature, including
amended versions, as well as sponsor statements, committee statements, and
fiscal notes;

���� (3)�� all bills currently
pending in the Legislature, listed by subject and sponsor;

���� (4)�� bill-tracking data on
all bills pending in the Legislature, including the history of actions, current
status, a complete voting record, including individual votes by members of the
Legislature recorded during committee meetings, updated on a daily basis and
made available and maintained for the two-year legislative term in progress and
the immediately preceding term, and, where appropriate, by citation of the
section of law to be amended by a bill;

���� (5)�� a current calendar of
legislative events, including the schedule of legislative committee meetings,
and a list of bills scheduled for legislative action;

���� (6)�� a current directory of
the members of the Legislature, including complete committee membership
information;

���� (7)�� the text of all chapter
laws beginning with laws passed by the Legislature after 12:00 noon, January 9,
1996;
[
and
]

���� (8)��
a portal designated
as the �digital democracy online portal� to facilitate the submission and
tracking of legislative proposals made by the public pursuant to section 2 of
P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill); and

����
(9)
�� such other
information as the Legislative Services Commission shall direct.

���� b.��� The information
specified in subsection a. of this section shall be made available to the
public through the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network.

���� c.���� The Office of
Legislative Services shall not impose a fee or usage charge as a condition of
accessing the information specified in subsection a. of this section through
the network described in subsection b. of this section.

���� d.��� The Office of
Legislative Services may offer a fee-based electronic legislative information
service which may include, in addition to the information specified in
subsection a. of this section, the following information and capabilities:

���� (1)�� the ability for users to
automatically maintain updated private databases and receive notification of
scheduled action on specific bills or subject matter;

���� (2)�� the ability for users to
retrieve information by various means of searching full text; and

���� (3)�� archives of bill texts
and related information from prior sessions of the Legislature.

���� e.���� Nothing contained in
this section shall be construed as prohibiting a private individual or entity
from using the information specified in subsection a. of this section to
provide, either commercially or on a voluntary basis, services similar to those
provided by the Office of Legislative Services pursuant to subsection d. of
this section.

���� f.���� The Office of
Legislative Services shall consult with the appropriate office within the
executive branch of the State government responsible for computer security and
guidelines in order to provide the information specified in subsection a. of
this section on the largest nonproprietary cooperative public computer network,
and both offices shall take all appropriate security measures, subject to the
approval of the Legislative Services Commission or the designee thereof, to
protect the computer systems that provide access to and store the information
specified in subsection a. of this section.

���� g.��� No fee shall be charged
to the Office of Legislative Services by the appropriate office within the
executive branch of the State government responsible for computer security and
guidelines for services rendered related to this act.

(cf: P.L.2007, c.160, s.1)

���� 2. �(New section)� a.� There
shall be established and maintained in the Legislative Branch of State
Government, on a prominent and publicly accessible location on the State
Legislature�s official Internet website, a centralized portal designated as the
�digital democracy online portal.�� The purpose of the portal shall be for
members of the public to submit and track legislative proposals.

���� b.� The portal shall include,
at a minimum, the following for each proposal:

���� (1) the proposal number;

���� (2) the subject;

���� (3) the date of receipt;

���� (4) the option for the individual
who submits a proposal to provide contact information;

���� (5) the current status; and

���� (6) the bill number of the
legislation that addresses the proposal and a link to the bill�s tracking data
required pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection a. of section 1 of P.L.1995,
c.319 (C.52:11-78), if applicable.

���� c.� A member of the
Legislature may request for a proposal to be drafted into legislation.� When a
member submits to the Office of Legislative Services a request for legislation based
on a proposal in the portal, the office shall designate the proposal as
reserved.� All information in connection with such request shall be regarded as
confidential and no information with respect thereto shall be provided to the
public pursuant to section 17 of P.L.1979, c.8 (C.52:11-70).� If the member�s
request is introduced as legislation, the office shall enter the information
required pursuant to paragraph (6) of subsection b. of this section in the
portal for that proposal.

���� 3.� This act shall take effect
on the 365th day after the date of enactment.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes an
online portal for the submission of legislative proposals by the public.

���� The bill requires the Office
of Legislative Services to establish, make available to the public, and
maintain in electronic form a �digital democracy online portal� for the
submission and tracking of legislative proposals by the public.� The portal will
include for each proposal, at a minimum, the proposal number, the subject, the date
of receipt, the option for the individual who submits a proposal to provide
contact information, the current status, and the bill number of the legislation
that addresses the proposal and a link to the bill�s tracking data, if
applicable.

���� A member of the Legislature
may request for a proposal to be drafted into legislation.� When a member
submits to the Office of Legislative Services a request for legislation based
on a proposal in the portal, the office will designate the proposal as
reserved.� All information in connection with such request will be regarded as
confidential and no information with respect thereto will be provided to the
public.� If the member�s request is introduced as legislation, the office will
enter the information required pursuant to the bill in the portal for that
proposal.