TRENTON - Legislation Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora sponsored to require state reports to be filed electronically instead of being printed and manually distributed is closer to law.

The bill recently passed the Assembly and heads to the Senate for consideration.
"It's astonishing that in the age of electronic communications the state remains mired in a paper-and-ink mentality," said Lampitt (D-Camden).

"Tax dollars that should otherwise go to shore-up worthy programs are being drained by obsolete reporting requirements. With the predominance of e-mail and the Internet, it's astounding that we can't modernize the processes of state government fast enough. The savings on postage alone could make this change pay for itself."

The Lampitt/Gusciora bill (A-2642) would require all periodic reports required by law to be presented to the Governor or the Legislature to be submitted electronically. A notice of the availability of the report would similarly be transmitted electronically to the state librarian.

The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has been unable to estimate the exact savings that could be gleaned by changing the reporting requirements, but has noted that about 1,200 reports are required to be submitted annually by state offices - though as few as 400 might actually be produced.

"Mandating reports to be presented in hard-copy wastes paper and tax dollars," said Gusciora (D-Mercer). "The current reporting requirements evoke images of rotary phones, mimeographs and Studebakers.

New Jersey simply needs to get with the times."

The bill has been received in the Senate and referred to Senate State Government Committee.