Disclosure Ranking State Page
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2006 – The Center has studied personal financial disclosures of state lawmakers since 1999. The investigation showed that although state legislators often preside over areas in which they hold personal interests, many states have weak mechanisms for disclosing those ties. In fact, 24 states received failing scores in the Center's 2004 survey on making basic information about the outside interests of their legislators available to the public.
The 43-question survey measured access to information essential to monitoring whether legislators stand to gain personally from actions they take in office. It graded states on how much they disclose about legislators' employment, personal business activities, clients, investments, real property holdings and leadership positions in organizations. It also studied the accessibility of the disclosure statements, the enforcement of the disclosure laws, and the rules defining who must file disclosures and how often.
New Jersey Disclosure Ranking Report Card
Grade: C
Rank: 10th
| Total Score: | 76/100 |
| Filing Score: | 4/4 |
| Extent Score: | 63/83 |
| Public Access Score: | 6/8 |
| Enforcement Score: | 3/5 |
| Question | Answer | Points | Section | Notes | |
| 1 | Requires financial disclosure filing? | Yes | 1/1 | Filing | |
| 2 | Requires complete financial disclosure filing (no update)? | Yes | 1/1 | Filing | |
| 3 | Requires financial disclosure filing annually? | Yes | 1/1 | Filing | Revised from 1999 survey. Legislative filings required annually. |
| 4 | Requires complete financial disclosure filing for candidates? | Yes | 1/1 | Filing | |
| 5 | Employment information required? | Yes | 5/5 | Extent | |
| 6 | Employment information not narrowly defined? | Yes | 5/5 | Extent | |
| 7 | Employer/business name required? | Yes | 5/5 | Extent | |
| 8 | Employment job title required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 9 | Employer description required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 10 | Value range/income amount required? | Yes | 5/5 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report category amounts for earned income. |
| 11 | Spouse employment information required and clear? | Yes | 5/5 | Extent | |
| 12 | Officer/director information required? | Yes | 4/4 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report directorships. |
| 13 | Officer/director information not narrowly defined? | Yes | 4/4 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report all directorships. |
| 14 | Officer/director entity name required? | Yes | 4/4 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report names of directorship entities. |
| 15 | Officer/director entity description required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 16 | Spouse officer/director information required and clear? | Yes | 4/4 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report spouse directorships. |
| 17 | Investment information required? | Yes | 3/3 | Extent | |
| 18 | Investment information not narrowly defined? | Yes | 3/3 | Extent | |
| 19 | Investment entity name required? | Yes | 3/3 | Extent | |
| 20 | Investment entity description required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 21 | Investment value range/holding amount required? | Yes | 3/3 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report category amounts for unearned income. |
| 22 | Spouse investment information required and clear? | Yes | 3/3 | Extent | |
| 23 | Client information required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | No information on private clients required. However, filers required to report fees and honoraria, which does not factor into points for the question. |
| 24 | Client name required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 25 | Client value range/income amount required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 26 | Spouse client information required and clear? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 27 | Real-property information required? | Yes | 2/2 | Extent | |
| 28 | Real-property information not narrowly defined? | Yes | 2/2 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report all real property, not only income-producing real property. |
| 29 | Real-property value range/amount required? | Yes | 1/2 | Extent | Effective Jan. 2005, filers are newly required to report category amounts for income-producing real property, which would earn half points. |
| 30 | Spouse real-property information required and clear? | Yes | 2/2 | Extent | |
| 31 | Spouse name required? | No | 0/2 | Extent | |
| 32 | Dependent name required? | No | 0/1 | Extent | |
| 33 | Financial disclosure filings in central office? | Yes | 1/1 | Access | |
| 34 | Lawmakers not forwarded reviewer information? | No | 0/1 | Access | Revised from 1999 survey. Office of Legislative Services notifies filers of person viewing filing. |
| 35 | In-person appearance not required to obtain filings? | Yes | 1/1 | Access | |
| 36 | Copy fees less than 50 cents per page? | No | 0/1 | Access | |
| 37 | Blank disclosure form available on Web? | Yes | 1/1 | Access | Disclosure agency newly posted sample form on Web. |
| 38 | Disclosure filings available electronically or on the Web in any format? | Yes | 3/3 | Access | Disclosure agency newly made filings available on the Web. |
| 39 | Late-filing penalties on the books? | Yes | 1/1 | Enforcement | |
| 40 | Misfiling penalties on the books? | Yes | 1/1 | Enforcement | |
| 41 | State has auditing authority? | Yes | 1/1 | Enforcement | |
| 42 | State routinely reviews filings for accuracy and completeness either through formal audit process or informal review process? | No | 0/1 | Enforcement | |
| 43 | State published list of delinquent filers on Web or in printed document? | No | 0/1 | Enforcement |