Bill would require full public comment periods at municipal, school board meetings in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. — A proposed state bill would require municipal governing bodies and boards of education to allow enough time at public meetings for all residents who wish to speak, under legislation introduced for the 2026 session.
Assembly Bill No. 2953, sponsored by Assemblyman Erik Peterson, R-Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren, seeks to amend the state’s “Senator Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act” to expand opportunities for public comment.
Under the measure, municipalities and school boards would be required to set aside a portion of each meeting sufficient to accommodate all requests for public comment. The bill specifies that each speaker be given no less than three minutes to address officials on issues they believe concern residents.
“When a New Jerseyan attends a council meeting, or when a parent attends a school board meeting, they should have the opportunity to speak for three uninterrupted minutes during public comment, regardless of how many people wish to be heard,” Peterson said.
If the public comment portion extends beyond the scheduled length of the meeting, the legislation would prohibit officials from taking a vote on the subject of those comments until the next meeting. Public comment on that topic would then resume until all interested speakers have had an opportunity to be heard.
The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren.
