NEWS & MEDIALatest updates from Act on Mass and the fight for transparency in the State House

"If ever there were a moment for common-sense rules reforms aimed at making lawmaking more transparent, at restoring public trust in an institution mired in complacency, it is now. House members new and old forget that at their own electoral peril."

"Every session, bills that would improve the life of every Massachusetts resident are brought to committees where they languish, are cut down or indefinitely delayed behind closed doors. The issue is not a lack of will but a lack of transparency and accountability."

"Representative democracy does not look like inside baseball. It looks like thousands of constituents all across the Commonwealth organizing together, learning about how the State House operates, and meeting with their representatives to demand a more transparent state house."

"American democracy was born in Massachusetts. In our State House, it’s struggling to survive. Despite a Democratic supermajority in the State House, many progressive bills with broad public support, such as the Safe Communities Act, languish in committee rooms for years at a time."

"'To have a democratically functioning government, you want citizens to know as much as possible how their representatives are voting, and to have opportunities to provide input,' \[Pittsfield coordinator Sophie] Coyne said. 'Transparency is just generally something that everyone wants.'"

"Act on Mass’s initial goals are fairly simple – disclose how lawmakers vote in committee, make bills public 72 hours prior to a vote, and hold more roll calls. She said the use of consolidated amendments, where amendments are lumped together and voted on as a package, illustrate the Legislature’s lack of transparency. 'We know that debate happened, but it does not happen in the public eye. It happens behind closed doors,' Uyterhoeven said. 'What is on display for the public to view is strictly performative politics.'"

"A little known secret is that state legislators in Massachusetts write their own rulebook governing how bills are introduced, debated, and voted on. The rules are written every two years at the start of the legislative session in January. These rules shield legislators from public scrutiny, making them less accountable to voters and undercutting public participation in democracy."