State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) introduced a bill Monday that would strengthen the requirements for registering as a government affairs agent, which he says is meant to increase transparency around the state’s pardon process.
The bill, S4216, would require individuals to register as a governmental affairs agent if they receive any compensation to attempt to influence the governor, legislators, or their staffs.
“The system favors those with money or political influence,” said Gopal. “There needs to be a legitimate process, including outreach to victims and their families.”
Gopal says it is the third in a series of bills inspired by his frustration with the state’s pardoning process. The state senator criticized some of former Gov. Phil Murphy’s last-minute pardons, particularly a commutation granted to a Monmouth County woman who a jury convicted of murdering her two young children; the commutation did not set her free, but she is now eligible to seek parole. The woman, Maria Montalvo, has maintained her innocence.
The pardon of Harris Jacobs, the son of a politically connected Atlantic County attorney, has drawn further scrutiny; Jacobs had been convicted of a fatal hit-and-run in the final hours of Murphy’s term, and he was set free via pardon just minutes later.
And the hiring of attorneys and lobbyists to seek clemency has burgeoned on the federal level, where access to President Donald Trump can go a long way toward receiving a pardon. Gopal said he is concerned about the use of paid consultants or lobbyists attempting to influence the pardon process in New Jersey.
Another of Gopal’s bills would require people to sign a registration form if they approach the governor’s office with a request for a pardon or commutation for someone else. A third bill would require the governor, upon granting someone a pardon or commutation, to notify the victim of the crime or their family.
“I don’t like the fact that any governor or any leader can do a bunch of pardons and leave and nobody can ask questions,” Gopal told Politico NJ in March. “I think that’s wild. He has no accountability on why he did those pardons.”