Massachusetts Panel Hears Testimony on Public Records Ballot Initiative for Legislature

BOSTON — March 3, 2026 — Massachusetts legislative committee hears competing testimony on ballot initiative to subject legislature and governor to public records law. The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions convened March 3 on H-5004, An Act to Improve Access to Public Records, which would extend Massachusetts public records requirements to the General Court and the Office of the Governor. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, the initiative's leading proponent, told the panel she donated $150,000 from her campaign committee to the ballot effort and argued the measure targets basic administrative and procurement documents, citing approximately $1.95 million in Senate management-consultant expenditures with no vendors publicly listed. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth reported public records appeals hit a record 4,051 cases in 2025, up more than 120 percent since 2017, and projected the figure would exceed 5,000 within five years even without the initiative's passage. Political scientist Dr. Gerald Duquette testified in opposition, calling the measure constitutionally defective and arguing that granting the Secretary of the Commonwealth supervisory authority over the legislature requires a constitutional amendment, not a ballot initiative. If the legislature does not enact the measure before a May deadline, proponents must collect an additional 12,429 signatures to place the question on the November 2026 ballot.