The Sunlight Foundation just released its legislative transparency report card as part of “Sunshine” week, a week dedicated to calling attention to the need for greater transparency in government. The Massachusetts Legislature received a failing grade for transparency and accessibility on its website. There were many flaws that warranted the “F” grade. Committee and floor roll call votes are not posted on-line in a searchable format. The site is difficult to navigate. And historical information is often unavailable. The Legislature should enact rules changes this legislative session to make their proceedings more open to the public.
Even worse, our public records law is broken. Journalists, concerned citizens, and others with a need – and right – to know how our government is working often can’t get information. Government records are supposed to be public unless specifically exempt, but they have become functionally inaccessible due to excessive cost, technological barriers, and administrative obstruction or delay. We need to reform our open records and open meetings laws to ensure that all of the government’s business is conducted in public, and that public records requests do not cost more than a nominal amount. The law hasn’t been substantially updated since 1973. It’s time to bring our public records law into the 21st century.
Efficient access to public records and on-line information is critical to holding our government accountable. We need to push legislative leaders to pass needed reforms so that next time, Massachusetts can join our neighbors in Connecticut and New Hampshire in receiving an “A” grade.
Sign this petition telling the Legislature to improve its website and update our public records law for the 21st Century.
When Governor Patrick came to office, US PORG gave Mass an F for budget transparency in 2007. Last year that had become an A-. But why can’t the legislature follow suit.
that when they get pushed on ethics or openness, they take it out on municipalities. I can’t tell you how many local officials don’t know the open meeting law (or find it ungainly on three-person boards) or understand the ethics stuff.
I know a lot about Massachusetts politics in general, but I often look at transparency as an issue that falls under the domain of the Secretary of State.
Is this something that requires a legislative solution, or can we simply press William Galvin to do a better job with ensuring most public information is easily and freely available online?
…but the legislature needs to make it available to him. I suspect given separation of powers he can’t force anything out of the legislature, which would have to amend its own rules regarding open meetings, roll call votes, accessibility of documents, etc.
I’d have my suspicions about what he can or can’t do too, but nothing more than that. Presumably, we have a few wonks on this board who have a pretty strong understanding of the SoS’s office and would know more about it than both of us combined 🙂
(Like, say, a member of his staff.)
There’s a lot of information that exists not being posted, or not being posted in ways that people can find… and it would be great to know whether we need a legislative solution to get them online, or if a few hundred phone calls over a sustained period of time to Secretary Galvin’s office could do the trick.
Perhaps the problem could be as simple as the legislature thinks it’s the Secretary of State’s responsibility, and the Secretary of State thinks it’s the House’s responsibility. If either source could go a long way to solving the problem on its own, I’d prefer to go the route that only involves convincing 1 person of what’s needed to be done.
AFAIK, the Secretary of State has very little, if any, ability to force anyone to do anything in this area beyond the public records law. Which, as we know, doesn’t apply to the legislature. This is squarely on the legislature, unless I’m seriously misunderstanding the situation.
we should all be having conversations about this issue with our local reps, then. A lot of them are probably on board with it already, it’s just about making it a priority and getting a critical mass of people to support it in case there’s a few guys in leadership positions who like the status quo…
The legislature mandates very strict open meeting laws at the local level and then exempts itself.
The individual computer privacy laws that apply to private business should also apply at the state and local level.
BTW – this won’t happen unless you get a statewide ballot question.
We definitely need a much better website where it is easy to get roll all info and track where representatives are and what they are voting on. Also to get up to date schedules on whats going on. I’d also start televising the proceedings, particularly committees and floor debates where most of the decisions get made. When IL has a more transparent website thats not a good sign.