Inspired by C-SPAN and other public broadcasting tools, the Office of Legislative Services recently unveiled an upgraded live stream player on the New Jersey Legislature’s website, called “NJ Now in Session: Legislature Live.”
Cameras were installed in two large committee rooms in the State House used by the Senate and Assembly for legislative hearings and committee meetings. A planned expansion of NJ Now includes the addition of two more committee rooms before the end of the year.
Sessions taking place in those rooms will now be live streamed on the Legislature’s website and archived for users to watch at their convenience. Viewers will see the NJ Now logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
Before the launch of NJ Now, only the audio of public proceedings was available to stream online.
NJ Now is the result of legislation sponsored by Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who sought to improve public access to the legislative process.
“It’s no secret that news outlets across the State and the country have needed to make drastic cutbacks in recent years, which has limited live press coverage of legislative hearings,” said Burzichelli (D-Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem). “The average New Jersey resident likely doesn’t have time to come to Trenton regularly, and with news coverage dwindling, it may be difficult to keep up with State issues. NJ Now fills this void by giving people a modern, convenient way to engage in the process at the touch of a button.”
To stream NJ Now, visit www.njleg.state.nj.us and click “Live Proceedings” to view live hearings or “Archived Proceedings” for past legislative activity.