Time to End MA State Legislature’s Exemption from Public Records Law
The purpose of transparency laws is to promote more effective, accountable and responsive government. Engaged citizens are essential for our form of government to thrive over the long-term. According to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “the founding fathers of our nation strove to develop an open government formed on the principles of democracy and public participation. An informed citizen is better equipped to participate in the process.” Yet, despite this paramount need for the long-term health of the Commonwealth, our transparency laws remain deeply flawed.
The Public Records Law expressly states that the law “shall not apply to the records of the general court” Meaning the state legislature “exempted” itself from a most important law. Although the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the application of the legislature’s blanket exemption, it has never ruled specifically on the constitutionality of the provisions. We at Pioneer Institute believe the legislature’s exemption to this law is unconstitutional. The legislature’s exemption from public records law undermines the rights reserved to the people in the state Constitution and makes it impossible for citizens to uphold their end of the bargain by being engaged in the democratic process.
Read our Public Testimony, delivered by Mary Connaughton, Pioneer’s Director of Government Transparency, on May 4th, 2018 before the Special Legislative Commission on Public Records.
Recent Posts:
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Football_Field.jpg
768
1024
Ciana Bonfiglioli
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Ciana Bonfiglioli2017-09-19 15:07:112021-10-29 15:37:50To Sign or Not to Sign? Considerations for University Athletics Contracts
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Interior_information_display_on_CRRC_Orange_Line_mockup_April_2017.jpg
960
1280
Ciana Bonfiglioli
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Ciana Bonfiglioli2017-08-10 12:04:592017-10-18 10:31:23Managing Growth in Malden & Somerville: A Tale of Two Cities
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Blog-3-header-graduation.jpg
640
960
Rebekah Paxton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Rebekah Paxton2017-07-28 13:18:372021-10-29 15:38:21The Crazy World of College Presidential Salaries Part 3: Comparing Presidential Salaries with State College & University Success Rates
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Blog-2-header-money.jpg
646
960
Rebekah Paxton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Rebekah Paxton2017-07-20 10:00:002017-07-19 22:56:48The Crazy World of College Presidential Salaries Part 2: A Deeper Look
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/dollar-bill-chart-1.jpg
2336
3504
Charlotte Emslie
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Charlotte Emslie2017-07-14 12:11:262020-12-11 13:04:45How Does MA Allocate Money to Its Community Colleges?
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Savings-1.jpg
494
655
Rebekah Paxton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Rebekah Paxton2017-07-13 09:30:032017-07-12 16:29:08Welcome to the Crazy World of College Presidential Salaries – Part 1
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/sign-realitycheck.jpg
428
439
Mary Connaughton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Mary Connaughton2017-06-22 11:13:142017-06-22 12:16:09Understanding the Downgrade
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Dollar-sign-with-line-graph-1.jpg
1414
2121
Charlotte Emslie
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Charlotte Emslie2017-06-14 12:02:542017-06-14 16:20:08Community College Presidential Pay Raises Not Necessarily Based on Merit
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/TeacherReading-1.jpg
416
617
Rebekah Paxton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Rebekah Paxton2017-06-13 11:06:512017-06-13 11:06:51Spending on Students: How Does Groton Compare?
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/pensions-1.jpg
424
638
Josh Beck
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Josh Beck2017-06-01 16:17:402017-06-09 10:49:05How You Can Audit Massachusetts’ Pension Boards
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Rubber-stamp-on-tax-form-1.jpg
1527
2290
Rebekah Paxton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Rebekah Paxton2017-05-30 12:37:372017-05-30 13:13:10Groton’s Tax Base Dilemma
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/woman-with-diploma-1.jpg
266
400
Charlotte Emslie
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Charlotte Emslie2017-05-24 10:00:132017-05-24 10:44:37MA Colleges Spend Tens of Thousands in Taxpayer Money on Celebrity Commencement Speakers
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/healthcare_costs_scrabble.jpg
800
743
Editorial Staff
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Editorial Staff2017-05-04 12:34:032018-10-12 14:26:52Study Applauds State Decision To Let Healthcare Spending Benchmark Decrease
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Mapensions.png
942
1206
Editorial Staff
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Editorial Staff2017-04-25 11:16:222017-04-25 11:17:39So you want to know something about pensions?
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/emergency-room-sign-1.jpg
1417
2117
Editorial Staff
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Editorial Staff2017-04-10 08:47:452018-10-12 14:26:54Follow-Up Survey Finds Hospitals Still Fall Short On Price Transparency
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Table.png
569
1097
Editorial Staff
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Editorial Staff2017-03-31 12:15:392017-03-31 12:15:39Finance Committee & Town Meeting Members: Benchmarking Tools for the FY2018 Budget Season
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Sunshine.jpg
352
800
Mary Connaughton
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Mary Connaughton2017-03-17 12:58:132017-03-17 15:00:13Sunshine Week 2017: Highlights from Pioneer’s Government Transparency Team
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/DecInd.png
339
771
Alex Carlin
https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png
Alex Carlin2017-03-17 11:34:202022-09-14 15:36:23Cursive and Historical Literacy: A Real World Example
