Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The sweeping public records law signed by the governor on June 3 will take effect on Jan. 1, less than half a year from now.
The law, Chapter 121 of the Acts of 2016, 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 could 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 high-stakes rules will require cities and towns to review and update local practices for responding to records requests.
The MMA and the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association are working to sponsor a conference later this year on the requirements of the law and best practices that cities and towns can adopt to ease compliance with the new rules when they take effect.