Public Records Free Directory Blog

As you well know, there are a number of candidates running for office this year with the presidential and other national races generating the most attention. Every few days there are stories or reports about candidates including campaign financing and spending.

The Seattle Times ran an article on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, entitled, “Ron Paul done spending on primaries,” by Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times. The article stated that Ron Paul had announced that he would stop spending money on the Republican party’s 11 remaining primaries, effectively ending his campaign. One day later, on Wednesday, May 16th, Ron Paul’s campaign officials clarified that he was not actually suspending his bid for president. There are many issues related to election campaigns especially campaign financing and spending.

If you’d like to conduct some online research about campaign financing including how much the presidential candidates have raised for their campaigns and how much they’ve spent, you can access that information through “The Center for Responsive Politics Open Secrets.org.” This website provides a number of categories related to the presidential election such as fundraising, President Donor lookup, Outside Spending, and more. The same type of information is available on the website for the members of Congress.

For state and local elections, you can access campaign finance reports through each of the State Election offices. Here is information about a few of the searchable State sites available. In Montana, you can search for “Candidate Financial and Contribution Reports” by name. Using Nebraska’s Accountability & Disclosure Commission website, you can search for committees, candidates or contributors by name to view financial statements filed with the State. New Hampshire’s Campaign Finance System provides searches by type of candidate, filing year, or candidate name including a link to view individual contributors.

The Board of Elections for New York offers links to a number of queries such as a list of all active local filers by County, candidates registered during a certain time frame, and other search options. Washington State Public Disclosure Commission’s website provides a database search of candidates, political committees, independent spending, and more including a view of actual reports.  The District of Columbia also offers images of campaign finance reports.

To access campaign finance reports for your state including any available county websites, click on your state and then scroll to your specific county using our “Voter Records and Elections Information” page. This page also provides links to voter registration, election results, polling locations, and other election information. Land records, laws and codes, unclaimed property, and other types of public information are available on our “Free Public Records Search Directory.”

Hopefully, the public information regarding candidates and their campaign finances will help you to make an informed decision about your favorite candidates and the upcoming elections.

In an effort to improve the business climate in the State of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie has created a permanent Red Tape Review Commission. This bi-partisan group is charged with identifying and eliminating burdensome red tape and other obstacles to help promote job creation, economic growth and investment throughout New Jersey. At the same time, they are also to make sure that their efforts to simplify and modernize regulations do not jeopardize public health and safety.

As part of this initiative, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has recently adopted a rule which allows companies to apply for waivers to specific regulatory requirements. This agency, also known as the DCA is responsible for professional and occupational licensing, consumer protection and fraud enforcement. In an article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, titled “N.J. introduces waiver that critics say could erode consumer protection,” by Seth Augenstein on April 27, 2012, consumer safety advocates and other critics voiced their concerns about this new rule. They worry that these waivers could erode consumer protection provided by the Consumer Fraud Act. There is also concern that the waiver system would allow businesses to cut corners that could endanger public safety. Several organizations have joined together to file a lawsuit against this rule. However, Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Christie, said critics are being alarmist. “This will have no impact on those (consumer) protections,” Drewniak said, adding that the DCA has a great consumer protection track record. The DCA says that the waivers would only be granted in situations where the existing rules are “unfair, burdensome or incongruous.”

The DCA is the second state agency in New Jersey to adopt a waiver rule. The Department of Environmental Protection adopted its own waiver rule in March. This rule allows the EPA to relax strict compliance with rules in certain circumstances but without compromising protections for the environment or public health. Requests for waivers will be accepted beginning August 1, 2012 and will be granted on a case-by-case basis. This rule has also been the subject of much criticism and debate. Environmental groups and others critics worry that the waivers will weaken environmental protections and will affect health and quality of life issues. Several environmental and labor groups have joined forces in attempt to block the rule from taking effect this summer. However, the DEP promises transparency in the waiver process by posting all requests and decisions on their website. DEP Commissioner Bob Martin has stated that he will personally review waiver decisions and is mindful of the obligation to use waiver authority consistent with federal and state law.

Many of us can agree that there are some regulatory requirements that can leave you scratching your head in wonderment. Few can argue the need to reform obsolete, redundant or ineffectual regulations. Some of the rules from these two agencies can be burdensome and frustrating to businesses. But, at the same time, it is important that these new waiver rules do not end up hurting consumers or the environment. Hopefully, these waiver programs can remove unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy while also upholding consumer and environmental protection.

If you would like to learn more about the New Jersey Red Tape Review Commission and when they are holding public meetings, visit their website. Visit the New Jersey Free Public Records Directory to access a number of public records and resources for the State of New Jersey, such as consumer alerts from the Division of Consumer Affairs, legislative bills, ordinances, professional and contractor licensing records, Attorney General legal opinions, public notices, and the New Jersey State Constitution. You can also access links to several databases from The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, including Brownfield development areas, childcare center facility site investigations, enforcement actions, deeds of environmental restrictions, incident complaints, hazardous waste manifest data, superfund sites, and other environmental protection records.

In an article entitled “Halt to Development in Flood Plains Sought” in The Seattle Times, dated March 28, 2012, by Phuong Le, The Associated Press, the National Wildlife Federation asked a Seattle federal judge to issue an injunction to stop the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from issuing flood-insurance for certain flood-prone areas in Washington’s Puget Sound area. An injunction would temporarily block new development in various habitat areas around the Puget Sound area.

The Federation alleges that FEMA’s flood-insurance program encourages construction in floodplains where endangered species are being harmed. However, according to FEMA, the Federation hasn’t shown that the Federal flood-insurance program causes harm to the environment.   Undoubtedly, this is an issue that will not be easily resolved and is not unique to the Puget Sound area.

According to the article, FEMA drafted new rules and regulations in 2008 covering both large and small Puget Sound area cities. Additionally, many of the cities have adopted rules and regulations to ensure that building in flood-prone areas does not endanger the habitat. In fact, many states, counties and cities have websites providing information about floodplain permits, development regulations, and floodplain maps.

The official “FloodSmart” site of FEMA provides information about the “National flood insurance program” and other flood risk links including a search by zip code for “flood maps.” The Washington State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Assistance has a website to access “environmental permitting resources” including an information center to answer questions about licenses, approvals and permits.

Hawaii’s “Flood Awareness” website offers links to building permits, elevation certificates, and more. You can view interactive maps by County on Pennsylvania’s “Mapping Status” website. There is an online search by County to check the status of “environmental permit applications” through South Carolina’s Environmental Control office. Wisconsin has a “floodplain management” website providing links to permit history, mapping, ordinances, and flood-insurance.

If you’d like to research your State’s development rules and regulations  for floodplains or flood-prone areas, our “Sustainability and Environmental Health Resources” page provides a search by state and county for “Floodplain Information” or “Floodplain Maps.”  Other public records that might be helpful can be found using our “Free Public Records Search Directory” such as building permits, GIS maps, laws, land records, and more.