3. a. Any New Jersey public entity that maintains a written or automated record or file of emergency period nonpayment court records shall take appropriate actions to ensure that these records are kept confidential and unavailable to the public.

b. This act shall not prohibit the courts or other New Jersey public entities from retaining or distributing demographic information from emergency period nonpayment court records for the purpose of understanding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on evictions, or for other public purposes, so long as personally-identifiable information on persons who are the subject of emergency period nonpayment court records remains confidential.

c. The Supreme Court of New Jersey may adopt rules, and the Administrative Director of the Courts may issue directives and guidelines, to implement the purposes of this act.

L.2021, c.189, s.3.