Father of N.J. "Sunshine Law" dies
First elected to the Assembly in 1971, Byron Baer served in the Senate from 1994
until he resigned because of declining health in September 2005. He died Sunday
at age 77.
He is best known as the father of the "Sunshine Law," which re quires
government bodies to conduct their business in public. But his activism went far
beyond that. He crusaded for the rights of racial minorities, gays, workers,
tenants, consumers and children. Among the many laws he sponsored are the Toxic
Catastrophe Prevention Act, to improve safety at chemical plants, and the
legislation creating the Office of the Child Advocate.
He was honored by SPJ and National Freedom of Information Coalition with a "Heroes of the States Award" in 2006.
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