1. In the selection of persons for employment in the service of the State, or of any county or municipality thereof, no appointing officer shall discriminate against any such applicant because such applicant has attained the age of at least 40 years, at the time of said application for employment. Any provisions of law, executive order, rule or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, no person other than a justice of the Supreme Court or a judge of the Superior Court pursuant to Article VI, Section VI, paragraph 3 of the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, or a judge of the Tax Court, or a judge of the Office of Administrative Law or a judge of the Division of Workers' Compensation, or a member of the Division of State Police, employed in the service of the State, or of any county or municipality thereof, or a member of a police or fire department employed in the service of the State or of any county or municipality thereof, shall be required to retire upon the attainment of a particular age unless the public employer can show that the retirement age bears a manifest relationship to the employment in question or that the person in the service of the State, or of any county or municipality thereof, is unable to adequately perform the person's duties. A contract of tenure or similar arrangement providing for tenure shall not bar a public employer from showing that a retirement age bears a manifest relationship to the employment in question or that the person in the service of the State, or of any county or municipality thereof, is unable to adequately perform the person's duties. A person in the employ of the State, or of any county or municipality thereof, who is required to retire upon the attainment of a particular age in violation of this section shall be entitled to reinstatement with back pay and interest.

L.1938,c.295,s.1; amended 1985, c.73, s.l; 1999, c.380, s.15.

10:4-6 "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act."

1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act."

L.1975,c.231,s.1; amended 2006, c.70, s.2.

10:4-7. Legislative findings and declaration
    The Legislature finds and declares that the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public bodies, and to witness in full detail all phases of the deliberation, policy formulation, and decision making of public bodies, is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process; that secrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society, and hereby declares it to be the public policy of this State to insure the right of its citizens to have adequate advance notice of and the right to attend all meetings of public bodies at which any business affecting the public is discussed or acted upon in any way except only in those circumstances where otherwise the public interest would be clearly endangered or the personal privacy or guaranteed rights of individuals would be clearly in danger of unwarranted invasion.

    The Legislature further declares it to be the public policy of this State to insure that the aforesaid rights are implemented pursuant to the provisions of this act so that no confusion, misconstructions or misinterpretations may thwart the purposes hereof.

    The Legislature, therefore, declares that it is the understanding and the intention of the Legislature that in order to be covered by the provisions of this act a public body must be organized by law and be collectively empowered as a multi-member voting body to spend public funds or affect persons' rights; that, therefore, informal or purely advisory bodies with no effective authority are not covered, nor are groupings composed of a public official with subordinates or advisors, who are not empowered to act by vote such as a mayor or the Governor meeting with department heads or cabinet members, that specific exemptions are provided for the Judiciary, parole bodies, the State Commission of Investigation, the Apportionment Commission and political party organization; that to be covered by the provisions of this act a meeting must be open to all the public body's members, and the members present must intend to discuss or act on the public body's business; and therefore, typical partisan caucus meetings and chance encounters of members of public bodies are neither covered by the provisions of this act, nor are they intended to be so covered.

     L.1975, c. 231, s. 2. Amended by L.1981, c. 176, s. 1.

Last modified: October 23, 2006