To: The Massachusetts State House and The Massachusetts State Senate
Let "public bodies" hold "Public Internet Discussions"
Please support Massachusetts House Bill 2908 to amend the Open Meeting Law to allow public bodies to hold “Public Internet Discussions” so that they can operate more efficiently while enhancing the openness and transparency of their activities.
Why is this important?
The Massachusetts Open Meeting Law requires that public business be conducted in public view (i.e. in the open). But it is written so that members of public bodies aren't allowed to discuss issues within their jurisdiction with the public or with each other over the internet - even when the public is notified of the discussions and given information so that the public at large can monitor a “Public Internet Discussion” as completely as the members of the public body themselves.
House Bill 2908 would amend the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25), to permit members of a public body to communicate with each other and the public via “Public Internet Discussions”, and maintain and enhance the openness and transparency of activities of public bodies, by:
1. Defining a “Public Internet Discussion” (as distinct from a meeting)
2. Requiring that notice of a “Public Internet Discussion” be publicly posted, in the same way as a notice of a meeting must be
3. Requiring that the posted notice include instructions for free access (via the Internet) to the “Public Internet Discussion”
4. Requiring that the public at large be able to monitor the “Public Internet Discussion” as completely as the members of the public body themselves
5. Requiring that every statement in the “Public Internet Discussion” have an indication of the date and time it was made and who made it
6. Requiring that a transcript of the “Public Internet Discussion” be kept
7. Requiring that the transcript be freely accessible via the Internet
There is a document containing an executive summary of House Bill 2908, a description of the thinking behind it, and an FAQ about it. That PDF file can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/site/townmeetingtechnology/home/files/HB%202908%20Description.pdf or viewed online at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0b3dubWVldGluZ3RlY2hub2xvZ3l8Z3g6NjhlYTFlNTZiMjg5MjNkMw
House Bill 2908 itself is available at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/188/House/H2908/Text . . . House Bill 2908 consists of editing instructions for changes to the Open Meeting Law - so it is only meaningful if it is read in conjunction with the current Open Meeting Law, a version of which with line numbers can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/site/townmeetingtechnology/home/files/OML_with_line_numbers.pdf or viewed online at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0b3dubWVldGluZ3RlY2hub2xvZ3l8Z3g6MTQ3ZjA0OTcyNTYyYmVlNA
The current Open Meeting Law (without line numbers) is also available from the Massachusetts Attorney General's office at http://www.mass.gov/ago/government-resources/open-meeting-law/open-meeting-law-mgl-c-30a-18-25.html and from the Massachusetts legislature by going to http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIII/Chapter30A and following the links to Sections 18 through 25.
House Bill 2908 would amend the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25), to permit members of a public body to communicate with each other and the public via “Public Internet Discussions”, and maintain and enhance the openness and transparency of activities of public bodies, by:
1. Defining a “Public Internet Discussion” (as distinct from a meeting)
2. Requiring that notice of a “Public Internet Discussion” be publicly posted, in the same way as a notice of a meeting must be
3. Requiring that the posted notice include instructions for free access (via the Internet) to the “Public Internet Discussion”
4. Requiring that the public at large be able to monitor the “Public Internet Discussion” as completely as the members of the public body themselves
5. Requiring that every statement in the “Public Internet Discussion” have an indication of the date and time it was made and who made it
6. Requiring that a transcript of the “Public Internet Discussion” be kept
7. Requiring that the transcript be freely accessible via the Internet
There is a document containing an executive summary of House Bill 2908, a description of the thinking behind it, and an FAQ about it. That PDF file can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/site/townmeetingtechnology/home/files/HB%202908%20Description.pdf or viewed online at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0b3dubWVldGluZ3RlY2hub2xvZ3l8Z3g6NjhlYTFlNTZiMjg5MjNkMw
House Bill 2908 itself is available at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/188/House/H2908/Text . . . House Bill 2908 consists of editing instructions for changes to the Open Meeting Law - so it is only meaningful if it is read in conjunction with the current Open Meeting Law, a version of which with line numbers can be downloaded from https://sites.google.com/site/townmeetingtechnology/home/files/OML_with_line_numbers.pdf or viewed online at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0b3dubWVldGluZ3RlY2hub2xvZ3l8Z3g6MTQ3ZjA0OTcyNTYyYmVlNA
The current Open Meeting Law (without line numbers) is also available from the Massachusetts Attorney General's office at http://www.mass.gov/ago/government-resources/open-meeting-law/open-meeting-law-mgl-c-30a-18-25.html and from the Massachusetts legislature by going to http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIII/Chapter30A and following the links to Sections 18 through 25.