Sunlight Act

About the Bill

Full title: An Act to provide sunlight to state government (S.2099)

Lead sponsor: Sen. Jamie Eldridge

The Issue

Massachusetts remains the only state in the US where both the executive and legislative branch of state government claim full exemption from public records law. When executive records like calendars, emails and texts, visitor logs, and call logs are fully kept secret, the public is left in the dark about whom the Governor is meeting and why, and what they are prioritizing.

A lack of legislative transparency stifles the democratic process. The majority of states already make committee votes electronically available, and states like Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, and Oregon make committee testimony fully available to the public. Moreover, hearings in the MA legislature can often be scheduled with only a few days’ notice, meaning that only professional lobbyists are likely able to participate.

The most moneyed interests are those who benefit from closed, hierarchical systems because they can work their way behind closed doors. Openness fosters social trust: open government should be viewed as part of the essential work of civics education.

The Solution

This bill would eliminate the Governor’s Office’s blanket exemption from public records and increase accessibility of the Legislature by requiring

At least one week of public notice for committee hearings
Committee testimony be made available to the public upon request, with appropriate redactions for sensitive personal information or information that may jeopardize the health, wellness or safety of an individual
The electronic posting of all recorded votes of each member of a legislative committee on the website within 48 hours or as soon as practicable

Contact Your Legislators

Look up your legislators’ contact info here.

MA tops the charts for many important things, but we also have some #1s to not be proud of—most notably, on government transparency.

MA is the only state where all three branches of state government claim full exemption from the public records law. The Sunlight Act (S.2099) would fix our outlier status by ending the Governor’s Office’s blanket exemption and would also promote greater transparency and inclusiveness in the legislative process by requiring committee votes and testimony to be public and committee hearings to be announced with at least two-weeks notice. Can I count on you to co-sponsor the bill?

The legislative process can often feel very complicated for people to navigate, and these reforms would strengthen our democracy by enabling people to better use their voice and see its impacts.

MA is the ONLY state where all three branches of state government claim full exemption from public records law. Let’s change that.

The #SunlightAct will make our state government more open and accountable to the public.

The public deserves to know how our legislators are voting and who is trying to sway them. Let’s pas the #SunlightAct.

I want a legislature that welcomes and encourages participation. That’s why I support the #SunlightAct.

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