John P. Harty Sr. had long been haunted by the death of his friend, a State Police trooper gunned down on a rural highway in Central Massachusetts in 1951. Though police suggested the likely killer died in prison decades ago, Harty was never convinced. So last year, Harty and his granddaughter asked to see the…
Tag: massachusetts open records
Massachusetts advocates push to open Legislature’s records
BOSTON — Deliberations on the $41 billion state budget are held in secret. Committee hearings and party caucuses on bills affecting millions of people are closed to the press and public. Requests for documents and information are routinely denied. Massachusetts is the only state where the Legislature, governor’s office and judiciary all claim to be…
Lawmakers studying whether public records law should apply to themselves
BOSTON — A group of lawmakers studying whether to extend the state public records law to cover themselves and their colleagues kicked off its work Tuesday, an effort they said would primarily involve listening to the public. Chaired by Rep. Jennifer Benson Lunenburg and Sen. Walter Timilty of Milton, the commission plans to meet next…
Commission to study whether Legislature should be subject to Massachusetts’ open records law
BOSTON (AP) — A special commission examining whether the Legislature should continue to enjoy an exemption from the state’s open records law is about to meet publicly for the first time. The review was required under a 2017 bill that modernized the public records law. The panel chaired by Democratic Sen. Walter Timilty of Milton…
MA: laws protecting domestic abuse victims’ privacy being used to deny access to data about enforcement
A request to cities in Massachusetts for the response times to domestic violence incidents were rejected in bulk because, according to the police departments that received the request, any and all data related to domestic violence cases is private. Although the names and addresses could be redacted to protect victims, the Boston Police appear to…
Requests for public records on teacher facing abuse charge denied by city, state
FITCHBURG — Public records requests seeking information on accusations of abuse made against a Reingold Elementary School teacher were denied by the Fitchburg School District and the state Department of Children and Families. According to separate letters dated July 7, DCF found that allegations of physical abuse against special education teacher Lori Nogueira regarding two…
Massachusetts police abuse exemption in public-records law, reform panel is told
A number of exemptions allow public agencies to keep secret routine documents that are easily accessible in most other states. Now, for the first time in more than four decades, Massachusetts lawmakers are in the midst of revamping the state’s weak public records law. As part of the overhaul, a state working group has been charged with reviewing and evaluating the way in which law enforcement agencies have used public records exemptions and will recommend changes to the Legislature by year’s end.
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Massachusetts agencies increasingly cite terrorism risk to withhold records
The state agriculture department refused to release a list of dairy farmers.
Chicopee withheld the budget for its SWAT team.
Massachusetts State Police wouldn’t say how much they spent in salaries to operate each station.
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A Victory for Transparency: Mass. Public Records Reform Bill Signed into Law
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law today legislation that will improve access to public records and provide recourse to citizens unjustly denied government information.
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Mass. lawmakers: Make it easier for residents to get records
From Lowellsun.com: BOSTON — Area lawmakers are hoping a series of proposed bills will provide better and cheaper public access to government records by moving the costly and time consuming paper chase online.
“Electronic copies should be able to download and people can take what they want,” said Rep. Dave Nangle, D-Lowell, a member of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, which met last month to consider ways to speed access to public records.
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