September 13, 2016

The Secretary of State’s Office has issued draft regulations for the public records law overhaul that was signed into law in June.
 
• Download the draft public records law regulations (66K PDF)
 
On Oct. 6, the office will be holding a public hearing on the proposed changes to 950 C.M.R. 32.00, which reflect the provisions of Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2016. The hearing will be held at 11 a.m. in the 17th floor conference room at One Ashburton Place in Boston.
 
Written comments will be accepted until 1 p.m. on Oct. 6, and should be delivered to Shawn A. Williams, Supervisor of Public Records, Public Records Division, Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108.
  
The MMA is working with the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association to develop testimony for the Oct. 6 hearing and would like to hear from local officials. To offer input, contact Legislative Director John Robertson at jrobertson@mma.org.
 
The revised public records law, which will take effect on Jan. 1, imposes strict new rules on cities, towns and state agencies governing timelines to respond to requests for records, how much can be charged to cover costs, and what penalties can be imposed on state and local government agencies.
 
The supervisor of records in the secretary of state’s office has until Jan. 1 to finalize regulations to implement the law. The new rules will require cities and towns to review and update local practices for responding to records requests.
 
For more information, visit the Public Records Division website at www.sec.state.ma.us/pre.


from MMA website, posted here by Jeff Bennett