47° and Partly Cloudy
Image
Thursday, the Massachusetts Legislature passed legislation to extend the hybrid public meeting option, allowing cities and towns to offer remote participation through June 2027. The extension applies to public bodies and representative town meetings.
Hybrid meetings enable more civic participation by residents who otherwise might have limited access to public meetings.
“I have heard loud and clear from my colleagues, and the communities we represent, that hybrid meetings have increased access, engagement, and transparency in local government,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland), who also represents Medway. “There is no reason that a family obligation, a car breakdown, a disability, or any other life circumstance should get in the way of making your voice heard on an issue you care about in your community. I’m glad that we took action today to keep this tool in our civic engagement toolkit, and thankful to our partners in the House for their collaboration.”
“One of the lessons we learned from the pandemic was that using technology for public meetings expands access and civic participation across government,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “With this extension, we are removing barriers to participation and residents will continue to be able to be active participants in governmental decisions remotely. I thank my colleagues in the House and our partners in the Senate for their collaboration.”
The Massachusetts Municipal Association estimates that there are over 10,000 boards, committees, and commissions across Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns. Most officials serving on the panels do so on a volunteer basis.
Having passed both branches of the Legislature, the bill will now be sent to the Governor for her signature.
