Too many independent state agencies are operating "in darkness" right now, according to a state lawmaker looking to improve transparency for New Jersey taxpayers.

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean said he'll likely introduce legislation in the coming weeks that will encourage better accountability at these agencies by requiring the release of detailed agendas and supporting documentation that allows for appropriate public review.

Walk to Washington 2017
Sen. Tom Kean(right) onboard the annual "Walk to Washington" train in 2017 (Gary Gellman)
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The list of agencies and authorities targeted in Kean's bill would include New Jersey Transit, the Turnpike Authority, the Motor Vehicle Commission, the Schools Construction Corporation, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, among others.

Kean said he's been trying for years to improve transparency at NJ Transit, but in the past few months, public information from the agency has become even more limited and less opaque.

"It seems to me it's going in the wrong direction," Kean told the Townsquare News Network.

Noting a recent report by WNYC, Kean said the agenda for NJ Transit's most recent board meeting on September 12 featured about half the information provided by the agency just a year prior.

"NJ Transit firmly believes in and is committed to full transparency," spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said.

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