How Much Access to Government Records Does the Public Deserve?

Less than a year ago, the governor of New Jersey, Philip D. Murphy, signed legislation that weakened the power of a watchdog agency set up to police election campaigns. Now, lawmakers are moving to limit another good-government effort, a public records law established to limit corruption by encouraging government transparency.

Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, has not addressed the proposal publicly, and his spokesman refused to comment on whether he would sign the bill if it reached his desk. But it comes at a critical time in his second term, and as his wife, Tammy Murphy, is running for U.S. Senate and relying on the support of some of the same Democratic lawmakers who are pushing the legislation.

The public records law, known as the Open Public Records Act, was adopted 21 years ago, well before the explosion of digital communications magnified the volume of information covered by the act — and expanded the universe of people seeking to obtain the data.

For-profit companies now use government records laws to obtain data central to their business models, at times burdening taxpayer-funded agencies, and there has been a bipartisan push across the country to evaluate public records laws.

States including Arkansas, Colorado and Kentucky are considering restricting records access, while California is moving in the opposite direction, with activists pressing for a November ballot question to win more disclosure.

The New Jersey legislation, if signed by Mr. Murphy, would represent the most significant change ever to the Open Public Records Act.