Pioneer Commends MA Governor-elect Healey's Step Toward Greater Transparency

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on

LinkedIn

Pioneer Institute commends Governor-elect Maura Healey for choosing not to claim a public records exemption for the governor’s office. Governor-elect Healey also pledged to support legislation that would curb exemptions claimed by the legislative and judiciary branches of state government.

Massachusetts and Michigan are the only states where the governor’s office claims to be exempt from the public records law, and Massachusetts is the only state in which the judiciary, legislature and governor’s office all claim such exemptions. The Commonwealth has repeatedly been ranked among the worst states in the nation for government transparency in this area.

Past governors claimed they are exempt citing interpretations of the Supreme Judicial Court’s 1997 ruling in Lambert v. Executive Director of the Judicial Nominating Commission, a decision Secretary of State William Galvin has called “terribly abused.”

Pioneer Institute urged previous governors to extend this reform initiative to their offices. Governor Charlie Baker proposed public records reforms but continued to claim the exemption.

“There is no better way for the governor-elect to kick off her term,” said Pioneer’s Director of Government Transparency Mary Connaughton. “Hopefully, this will mark the dawn of a new era of government transparency in the Commonwealth. Ultimately, we hope it will inspire the judiciary and legislature to follow suit and become more transparent.”

Get Updates on Our Pioneer Public Initiatives!

Related Posts:

The Confounding Massachusetts Estate Tax

June 1, 2023

The estate tax has become an increasingly significant source of revenue for the Bay State in recent years. Why is this: and is it a good thing?

Pioneer Commends MA Governor-elect Healey’s Step Toward Greater Transparency

December 22, 2022

Massachusetts Needs a Comprehensive Performance Management Framework

0 Comments

August 9, 2022

Many states have made promoted government efficiency and effectiveness by setting goals and tracking their progress. Massachusetts tried making a performance structure, but in 2014 it was discontinued. Today, the state lacks a comprehensive structure to track progress.

School-Age Population Remains Steady, but Boston Struggles With Declining Enrollment

0 Comments

August 4, 2022

Hopefully, new leadership will ensure that the system makes the changes necessary to improve public education in Boston. Otherwise, enrollment declines will continue.

Is a Universal Basic Income the Future? You Decide.

0 Comments

August 3, 2022

With a rising cost of living, higher inflation, and an economy that generates fierce debates about inequality and poverty, many have called for systemic reforms and even more radical changes, including a universal basic income. What is UBI? How does it work? What do researchers think?

Massachusetts Remains One of the Least Financially Transparent States

0 Comments

August 2, 2022

In 48 states, elected officials are required to submit annual public financial disclosures. After seven years of tracking these disclosures state by state, Pioneer Institute ranks Massachusetts lowest in terms of the transparency of those financial disclosures.

Where Are Massachusetts Residents Moving To?

0 Comments

August 2, 2022

A blog published earlier this month by Pioneer shined a light on Massachusetts’ growing dilemma: More people are leaving the state than coming here. According to Pioneer’s Massachusetts IRA Data Discovery website, Middlesex and Suffolk counties are losing the most residents.