Massachusetts Senate engrosses landmark transparency and press shield bill, 33-6

Sessions-Senate · Meeting of July 30, 2026

BOSTON — Massachusetts Senate passes sweeping transparency bill and enacts the state's first statutory press shield law. The chamber voted 33-6 Wednesday to engross House No. 5469, "An Act Promoting Transparency and Public Access in State Government," which applies the public records law to the Legislature and the Governor's office for the first time. Folded into the bill by unanimous roll-call vote was Amendment 17, a press shield provision authored by Senator Rebecca L.

Rausch that prohibits government bodies from compelling journalists to reveal confidential sources, covering both traditional and volunteer journalists tied to a recognized news organization. Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem called it "no greater time in this country that we need a press shield law." Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr offered six amendments to strengthen or broaden the bill, all of which failed; his sweeping Amendment 18 — which would have replaced the bill's 19-category records list with a blanket presumption that all records are public — lost 6-33.

Massachusetts had been one of only nine states without a statutory press shield, and voters will separately weigh a related public records ballot question in November 2026.

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Source: the Sessions-Senate meeting of July 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.