AG launches website with open meeting law rulings

The attorney general’s office has launched a new website featuring its determinations related to the state’s open meeting law.

The determinations are the office’s response to allegations of open meeting law violations. They include the facts of each case, a decision as to whether there was a violation, and the basis for the determination.

The determinations may be sorted by date, city or town, public body name, or public body type (state or local). By visiting the site (www.oml.ago.state.ma.us), members of the public, press, municipal officials, and public bodies may access determinations by searching for key terms or phrases or by actions ordered.

The Open Meeting Law Advisory Commission, meanwhile, continues to meet with the attorney general’s Division of Open Government to discuss practical issues in relation to the law.

The commission’s role is to advise the attorney general on the law and its regulations. The commission’s five members are an MMA representative, a representative from the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, a representative from the attorney general’s office, and the co-chairs of the Joint Legislative Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

At its Sept. 8 meeting, the commission heard a report from the Division of Open Government on decisions issued over the summer, discussed pending regulations governing remote participation in meetings, and had a discussion with Rep. Peter Kocot, a commission member, regarding how to advise the Legislature about what is and isn’t working with the statute.

Peter Hechenbleikner, the MMA’s appointee on the commission, said a lot has been done in the past year and there’s still more to do.

“The Open Meeting Law Advisory Commission has provided valuable input to the Division of Open Government on a variety of important issues, including allowable means of posting meetings, proposed regulations, and most recently on remote participation,” Hechenbleikner said. “The commission has, in my opinion, had a positive impact for cities and towns on the regulations and advisory opinions that have been issued. There is much more work to be done to make this new law as complete and effective as it can be, and the commission will continue to be a part of that process.”