An Act extending the public records law to the Governor and the Legislature
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2/9/2026 | Senate | Accompanied S2099↗ |
| 12/24/2025 | Senate | Reporting date extended to Saturday January 31, 2026 |
| 6/18/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 06/24/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-1 |
| 2/27/2025 | House | House concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Referred to the committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight |
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J25 | Accompanied | 1 entries |
Section 7 of chapter 4 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 168, after the words “chapter 32” the following words:- , or by the general court, or by the office of the governor of the commonwealth.
Said section 7 of chapter 4, as so appearing, is hereby further amended in paragraph twenty-sixth by inserting the following new subparagraphs: (v) communications between a member of the general court, or such member’s employee, agent, or representative, and any constituent of such member; provided, however, that the communications reasonably relate to a constituent’s request for assistance in obtaining government-provided benefits or services or otherwise interacting with a state or federal agency; or (w) communications, memoranda, drafts or other documents relating to developing policy positions of members of the general court or the governor of the commonwealth.
Section 1A of chapter 66 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agencies and municipalities”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agencies, municipalities, the general court, and the governor.
Said section 1A of chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality” in lines 5-6 and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor.
Section 6A of said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agency and municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, and the governor.
Section 10 of said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor.
Said section 10 of chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor.
Said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out section 18 and inserting in place thereof the following section:
Declarations, affidavits and other papers filed by claimants in the office of the secretary of veterans' services, or records kept by him for reference by the officials of his office, shall not be public records.
This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026.
SECTION 1. Section 7 of chapter 4 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 168, after the words “chapter 32” the following words:- , or by the general court, or by the office of the governor of the commonwealth. SECTION 2. Said section 7 of chapter 4, as so appearing, is hereby further amended in paragraph twenty-sixth by inserting the following new subparagraphs: (v) communications between a member of the general court, or such member’s employee, agent, or representative, and any constituent of such member; provided, however, that the communications reasonably relate to a constituent’s request for assistance in obtaining government-provided benefits or services or otherwise interacting with a state or federal agency; or (w) communications, memoranda, drafts or other documents relating to developing policy positions of members of the general court or the governor of the commonwealth. SECTION 3. Section 1A of chapter 66 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agencies and municipalities”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agencies, municipalities, the general court, and the governor. SECTION 4. Said section 1A of chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality” in lines 5-6 and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor. SECTION 5. Section 6A of said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agency and municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, and the governor. SECTION 6. Section 10 of said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor. SECTION 7. Said section 10 of chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the words “agency or municipality”, in each instance, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- agency, municipality, the general court, or the governor. SECTION 8. Said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out section 18 and inserting in place thereof the following section: Section 18. Declarations, affidavits and other papers filed by claimants in the office of the secretary of veterans' services, or records kept by him for reference by the officials of his office, shall not be public records. SECTION 9. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026.