We Have a Long Way to Go for Massachusetts Residents to Have the Government Transparency We Deserve
As Pioneer Institute observes Sunshine Week, we are disappointed by the legislature’s attempts to deny what the vast majority of voters want: an audit of the legislature by our State Auditor. Trying to avoid an audit further exacerbates the loss of public trust. After all, what are we left to think? Do they have something to hide? That is not the government our founders intended; nor is it what 72 percent of Massachusetts voters wanted. This year, during Sunshine Week, we are entirely focused on the top three actions to bring sunlight to the state legislature. They are:
#1 -The Massachusetts Legislature should be audited by the State Auditor.
Voters overwhelmingly endorsed an audit by the State Auditor, yet the legislature continues to do its best not to comply. We deserve insight into how our lawmakers operate and into their financial practices. After all, they work for us and it is still a government of, by and for the people. It’s time to get this done.
#2 -The Massachusetts Legislature must be subject to the state’s public records and open meeting laws.
The Massachusetts Legislature continues to exempt itself from the definition of “public body” as it pertains to transparency laws. Pioneer believes that the legislature’s exemptions from public records and open meeting laws violate the state Constitution. Article V of our state’s Declaration of Rights requires that the branches of government “at all times” be accountable to the people. Restricting the public’s access to legislative meetings and records fundamentally undermines that basic right. Last August, Pioneer commissioned Emerson College to conduct a poll that found that 80 percent of respondents wanted the legislature subject to public records laws.
#3 -Lawmakers should make access to Statements of Financial Interests anonymous, easier, and available online.
Among the 49 states that require Statements of Financial Interests (SFIs), Massachusetts ranks last in making such information available to the public. SFIs are critical for boosting public confidence that legislators and other policymakers are acting in the public interest rather than their own. Massachusetts law requires that individuals seeking access to SFIs provide a photo ID and the State Ethics Commission reports their identity to the official whose SFI is being requested. Such practices amount to intimidation, serving only to keep financial information hidden from public view. It’s up to the legislature to change the laws on SFI’s.
Pioneer Transparency in the Media
“Right now people view the Legislature as a place of darkness,” said Mary Connaughton director of government transparency of Pioneer Institute. “Changing the public records law would mean light.” – The Boston Globe
Coming soon in April: US DataLabs: 50 States, 50 Laboratories
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Louis Brandeis famously described states as “laboratories of democracy.” Our goal is to give you the tools to compare the performance of the 50 states and use these insights to challenge the status quo in your own state. By exploring a range of rankings, we aim to help you ask pointed questions of public leaders and hold elected officials accountable for progress. If one state outperforms yours in key areas, you have the right—and perhaps the obligation—to demand improvement over time.
