Pioneer Urges Gov. Baker to Take Bolder Action on Public Records Reform

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

Update: Pioneer Institute delivered a letter to Governor Baker on March 13, 2017, following up on its September 21, 2016 letter, requesting that he issue an executive order or memorandum ending the Governor’s exemption from public records laws.

Governor’s Office in Massachusetts is one of only a handful to claim full blanket exemption from public records laws

Pioneer Institute has sent a letter to Governor Charlie Baker’s office asking that he extend his administration’s public records reform initiative to the Governor’s Office through formal means such as an executive order or a gubernatorial memorandum.  Such a bold act would be a win-win for the Baker administration and for the residents of Massachusetts.

Pioneer recognizes that the public records reform law Governor Baker signed in June – the first revision to that law since 1973 – was a significant step forward.

Nonetheless, both the Center for Public Integrity and The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in recent years have ranked Massachusetts’ public records and open meetings laws among the weakest in the nation.  One of the reasons given was the Supreme Judicial Court’s 1997 ruling in Lambert v. Judicial Nominating Council, which has been interpreted as exempting the Governor’s Office from public records requests.

Since Lambert, every Governor has asserted that the state’s public records law does not apply to their office.  This reliance has become a bad habit that Pioneer believes Governor Baker can, and should, rehabilitate.

Pioneer argues that even though an executive action could be amended or rescinded, future Governors would come under intense pressure to stay the course.  It also believes that such a reform wouldn’t be overly burdensome since the Governor’s Office in Massachusetts is one of only a handful to claim full blanket exemption from public records laws, and about thirty other states have minimal exceptions to public records requests while managing just fine.

Pioneer Institute is an independent, non-partisan, privately funded research organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts through civic discourse and intellectually rigorous, data-driven public policy solutions based on free market principles, individual liberty and responsibility, and the ideal of effective, limited and accountable government.

Related Commentary on Government Transparency:

How Do Massachusetts’s State Pensions Compare with Their Peers?

/
For those who have kept up with Pioneer’s work on pensions,…

No Clear Correlation Between Fare Revenue and Ridership

/
In recent weeks, many MBTA riders have expressed frustration…

MassOpenBooks: A Look at the Highest Paid Private Vendors in 2018

/
In 2018, quasi-public Massachusetts agencies made a total of…

A Follow-up on Pension Systems with the Highest Growth Rates in Unfunded Liability

/
As Pioneer has previously discussed, Massachusetts continues…

MassPensions: Three Highest Growth Rates in Unfunded Pension Liability

/
It’s no secret that Massachusetts’s public pension systems…

MassPensions: Highest Reductions in Unfunded Liabilities

/
Despite the overall dismal performance of Massachusetts’s public…

MassOpenBooks: The Top Overtime Earners in 2018

/
According to state law, most Massachusetts employees are entitled…

MassOpenBooks: A Look at Departments with the Highest Average Pay

/
Ever wonder which public departments in Massachusetts pay their…

MassAnalysis: Drawing data-based comparisons between cities and towns

/
Massachusetts has 351 cities and towns—a constellation of communities…

MassPensions: The Leaders and Laggards among Massachusetts Public Pension Systems

/
As detailed in a recent study published by the Pioneer Institute,…

MassAnalysis: Understanding local debts

/
Although they must maintain balanced budgets, Massachusetts municipalities…

The Connection Between Property Taxes and Pension Funding

/
A recent study from economist Evgenia Gorina, published in the…

MassAnalysis: The scoop on Massachusetts municipal crime data

/
Preventing crime is a key concern for communities across Massachusetts.…

MassAnalysis: In search of a strong financial footing

/
You don't have to be a member of the Finance Committee to know…

Prepare for Town Budget Season with MassWatch

/
Online tools to understand your community's financial condition…

MassOpenBooks: A look inside MassPort

/
Every day, thousands of passengers pass through Logan Airport,…