it's called the elections transparency act but critics of the bill that's just past the state senate Say it'll do anything but make elections in New Jersey more transparent the bill allowing campaign contribution limits to double would also give Governor Murphy a one-time shot at appointing Commissioners to elac the election law enforcement commission while the head of ELEC Jeff brindle says that timing is no coincidence and a senior political correspondent David Cruz tells us is part of what brindle calls a conspiracy to oust him and give Murphy control over ELEC it's almost a Jihad on ELEC and the tiny little pieces that are disassembling have the potential for rendering ELEC um but um in ineffective election law enforcement commissioner Stephen Holden was plain about what he thinks of the so-called election transparency act Administration sources are sticking to their story that this all started with an alleged complaint about a comment election law enforcement commissioner executive director Jeff brindle made in an email what it has morphed into say critics is a bill that mocks its very name it is ironic that they're calling this the election transparency Bill and this is anything but transparent the main point of contention for many is that the bill not only shrinks the statute of limitations from 10 years to two years for complaints but gives Governor Phil Murphy a 90-day window to appoint new Commissioners to the body without advice and consent from the senate senate president Nix guitari who's ushered the bill through his caucus says critics are going to criticize but he did acknowledge that the appointment leeway given the governor and the bill will rely on Murphy keeping his word there's people that are always criticizing courtesy and what we're doing for this one limited time is getting rid of courtesy and we're allowing the governor to put people that are highly qualified on the election board and and we've got to get that under control because we just saw this week someone got fined thirty two thousand dollars for a 2016 campaign there is no deterrent effect in doing that we should be looking at filings that are happening in real time and not wasting our time and stuff that happened in 2016. when you say that they're qualified individuals if you guys don't have the opportunity to vet that who says that they're qualified and not just partisans handling the governor's business yeah well we we're ensured that the folks that they're looking at that replace the current Commissioners are of the highest quality additionally there's three that are in hold over and there's one vacant right now so those could have been replaced already you're insured that these people are of high quality by whom by the my conversations with the governor's office and the individual names that they've indicated to me Republicans have blasted the measure but even from the majority caucus there was trepidation expressed on the floor today the changes in the appointment process will remove the selection of elect commissioners from a public independent and bipartisan process to one that eliminates all checks and balances between the commission and the executive branch for every person in this room who votes yes on this bill today just remember in next two years if you speak out on something we will have an elac that is solely appointed by one person and they'll have to prioritize in the two-year statute of limitations who they go after I would not be surprised if it's people who speak out or don't toe the line elec has a meeting tomorrow and the alleged complaint against brindle could be a topic of conversation the bill itself is now headed to the assembly it's unclear right now if it'll stay on the same Fast Track it's been on or if critics will have the opportunity to slow down the march to transparency I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight news [Music]