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:

Coastal Towns Charge the Most Permit Fees Per Capita in Massachusetts

0 Comments

/

March 15, 2019

One of the ways local governments raise revenue is by requiring…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-03-15-at-11.55.23-AM.png 342 600 Alex Muresianu https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Alex Muresianu2019-03-15 11:59:132019-03-15 11:59:13Coastal Towns Charge the Most Permit Fees Per Capita in Massachusetts

Pioneer Institute Celebrates Sunshine Week 2019

0 Comments

/

March 14, 2019

Sunshine Week is dedicated to bringing greater awareness to the…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/StateHouse.png 368 652 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2019-03-14 12:11:352019-03-15 03:14:13Pioneer Institute Celebrates Sunshine Week 2019

Study Finds Massachusetts Lagging on Transparency of Public Official Statements of Financial Interest

March 12, 2019

A few simple changes would update system, improve transparency Read…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/SFIs.jpg 606 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2019-03-12 09:00:262019-03-12 09:00:26Study Finds Massachusetts Lagging on Transparency of Public Official Statements of Financial Interest

Study Finds Patient Cost for MRI Largely Unrelated to Overall Price or Insurer Contribution at 14 MA Hospitals

February 26, 2019

Read coverage of this report in WCVB-TV, Boston Herald, the Boston…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/MRI.jpg 1718 2416 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2019-02-26 01:00:082019-03-05 11:19:42Study Finds Patient Cost for MRI Largely Unrelated to Overall Price or Insurer Contribution at 14 MA Hospitals

Guess What Massachusetts Public Employee Earns Over $1 Million

0 Comments

/

February 14, 2019

The State Comptroller’s Office makes available annual salary…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-02-14-at-11.27.44-AM.png 872 1384 Alex Muresianu https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Alex Muresianu2019-02-14 11:36:142019-02-14 11:36:14Guess What Massachusetts Public Employee Earns Over $1 Million

Our Government Transparency Resolutions for 2019

0 Comments

/

January 30, 2019

Government transparency…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Sunshine.jpg 352 800 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2019-01-30 11:36:452019-01-30 11:36:45Our Government Transparency Resolutions for 2019

How Much Does Your Local Government Raise from Fines and Forfeitures?

0 Comments

/

January 25, 2019

One of the ways local governments raise revenue to fund public…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2019-01-25-at-12.55.13-PM.png 770 1158 Alex Muresianu https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Alex Muresianu2019-01-25 12:56:502021-10-29 15:24:37How Much Does Your Local Government Raise from Fines and Forfeitures?

Saluting a Fine Public Servant

0 Comments

/

January 22, 2019

State comptroller isn’t a job that’s very familiar to the…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Shack.jpg 477 700 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2019-01-22 09:00:092019-01-24 11:07:57Saluting a Fine Public Servant

Overtime Pay Tally Reveals Large Disparities

0 Comments

/

December 21, 2018

The top 50 overtime earners among state employees averaged $99,114…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/boston-skyline-of-money-II-e1529348364361.png 1790 4000 Jay Anderson https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Jay Anderson2018-12-21 12:11:042018-12-21 12:34:42Overtime Pay Tally Reveals Large Disparities

$40 or Freedom: Uncounted Cash in the Legal System

0 Comments

/

August 22, 2018

Forty dollars isn’t chump change. It’s about three lunches…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/money-lock.jpg 3240 4320 Kaila Webb https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Kaila Webb2018-08-22 16:32:202018-08-22 16:32:20$40 or Freedom: Uncounted Cash in the Legal System

Stonewalled at City Hall

0 Comments

/

August 2, 2018

Pioneer Institute interns often visit government offices to obtain…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/city-hall-recrods-and-secrets.png 2667 4000 Amy Tournas https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Amy Tournas2018-08-02 12:13:082018-08-02 12:13:08Stonewalled at City Hall

Making Troopers Transparent: At What Cost?

0 Comments

/

July 30, 2018

In May 2018, The Boston Globe reported on its effort to gain…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/police-line-on-the-beach-e1532978707564.jpg 2590 2568 Amy Tournas https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Amy Tournas2018-07-30 15:26:082021-10-29 15:21:27Making Troopers Transparent: At What Cost?

Got Milk? The Answer Might Soon Be No in Massachusetts

0 Comments

/

July 30, 2018

It’s not a good time to be a dairy farmer in Massachusetts,…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/milky-money.jpg 4000 2667 Kaila Webb https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Kaila Webb2018-07-30 15:12:022018-08-03 22:48:16Got Milk? The Answer Might Soon Be No in Massachusetts

Falsified Records & Shady Human Resources Policies: The Latest Scandal in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

0 Comments

/

July 24, 2018

The Office of the Medical Examiner for Massachusetts is a taxpayer-funded…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/researcher-holding-beeker.jpg 1415 2122 Jay Anderson https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Jay Anderson2018-07-24 16:05:222018-07-24 16:07:18Falsified Records & Shady Human Resources Policies: The Latest Scandal in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Not signed, sealed, delivered

0 Comments

/

July 18, 2018

Even the casual observer has probably heard that Massachusetts…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/stack_of_legal_documents-1.jpg 424 283 Helen Chin https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Helen Chin2018-07-18 09:19:092018-07-18 09:24:45Not signed, sealed, delivered

Survey Shows Wide Variation in Both Overall Cost of Medical Procedure and Amount Paid by Consumers

July 18, 2018

Making all-payer claims data public could put downward pressure…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/MapInfographic.png 550 800 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2018-07-18 08:00:552018-10-12 14:26:15Survey Shows Wide Variation in Both Overall Cost of Medical Procedure and Amount Paid by Consumers

Should Boston want to be the home of Amazon’s second headquarters?

0 Comments

/

July 17, 2018

Amazon is the kind of company whose mere presence is enough to…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Amzn.jpg 350 541 Andrew Mikula https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Andrew Mikula2018-07-17 17:04:402018-07-17 17:04:40Should Boston want to be the home of Amazon’s second headquarters?

Is local government in Massachusetts too pervasive?

0 Comments

/

July 17, 2018

In a country as culturally and politically diverse as the United…

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Framingham.jpg 521 1501 Andrew Mikula https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Andrew Mikula2018-07-17 16:59:422021-01-28 14:06:06Is local government in Massachusetts too pervasive?