Press Release
Advocates’ statement in response to legislature extending remote access to public meetings
Pro-democracy, disability rights, and free press groups advocate for permanent guaranteed hybrid meeting access for all.
BOSTON – The House and Senate signaled their intentions to extend rules allowing public bodies subject to the Open Meeting Law to continue conducting meetings virtually, with a remote access option for members of the public through June of 2027.
Advocates—including the ACLU of Massachusetts, Boston Center for Independent Living, Common Cause Massachusetts, Disability Law Center, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, MASSPIRG, New England First Amendment Coalition, and New England Newspaper & Press Association—released the following joint statement in response:
“We are very glad that the legislature is stepping up to enable hybrid and remote meetings to continue. Without the ability to participate remotely, people across the Commonwealth would be shut out from important public conversations about government decisions that directly impact their lives. Now, the next step is to permanently guarantee hybrid access to open meetings so equitable access cannot be denied from town to town or meeting to meeting. We look forward to working with House and Senate leadership to get this done this session.”
The groups—including disability rights and free press organizations—support legislation (H.3299) that would permanently update the Open Meeting Law to require a hybrid meeting format so that members of the public can access and participate in public meetings remotely, in addition to the option of attending in person.
###