New bill would make remote meetings a permanent option

Date: 8/7/2023

State Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) has presented a bill to modernize municipal meetings, Town Meetings and local elections by allowing a permanent option for fully remote or hybrid meetings to take place.

“Its about good government. Allowing the public to participate, allowing members to participate in a much more efficient fashion is definitely modernized. The flexibility that we give in this bill is important for our communities to implement a hybrid, remote or in-person meeting that works for their own particular community. ” Oliveira said.

The idea of remote meetings was first introduced in different communities during coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions that discouraged or disallowed the congregation of people.

“The functions of government still needed to operate. In Massachusetts there are a lot of functions that are done at the local level through our 351 cities and towns, through a lot of volunteers, so the emergency provision that were passed by the legislators and extended since then have allowed our municipalities to function and prevent the spread of the virus,” Oliveira added.

The state Legislature’s decision allowing remote access and participation to municipal meetings has been extended several times since 2020, but the latest extension would keep remote access in place until March 31, 2025.

Bill S.2043 is looking to make remote access at meetings and elections a permanent option.

Oliveira said, “We gave the flexibility to the municipalities to conduct these meetings either virtually, starting first and then as restrictions were lifted, into a hybrid and it seems to work out pretty well. What my bill does, is allow that flexibility to allow cities and towns and the boards and members that participate in those meetings the flexibility to continue and make permanent either in-person, hybrid or full remote participation.”

Oliveira added he has been working with the Massachusetts Municipal Association, an association that represents most municipal boards, and they are in full support of the bill.

MMA Legislative Analyst Ally DiMatteo was at the public hearing for this bill to testify in favor.

She said, “A finalized permanent option would allow these benefits to continue and provide communities with the ability to implement best practices, following a schedule and format that works for them. We respectfully urge a favorable report for S.2043, H.3025 and S.2011.”

H.3025 and S.2011 is an act relative to remote access for public bodies and Town Meetings.

Not only would these provisions make it easier for committee and board members to conduct meetings, but it would also make it easier for citizen participation, according to the senator.

Oliveira said, “The flexibility to make these provisions permanent is something that we are hearing from all of our cities and towns that they want to have because it is also helpful for the public to participate. We in the legislature ourselves have made committee hearings, the ability for the public remotely and in hybrid option for our committee hearings really allows people from around the state to participate in our meetings and see the work we are doing.”

If the bill is approved in the state Legislature, it would not be required for everyone to follow.

“It’s not required,” Oliveira said. “It would give the communities the flexibility to actually do that. Each community has their own flavor and their own ability and it would give them the ability to decided which works best for them. We don’t want to give an unfunded mandate that requires communities to use certain technology.”

The bill would also help out regional bodies as well, according to Oliveira.

He said, “For instance, in Hampshire County there is something called the Collaborative for Education Services, which is an education collaborative that is a public body that includes districts from Western Massachusetts and in order for them to meet quorum, each community or each school district sends a School Committee member to participate. People can be in a car up to an hour, hour and a half to get to these meetings. Allowing for remote and hybrid participation really is a better way for them to participate and get their quorum to actually do the business there are charged with.”

Oliveira also thinks the bill could allow towns to get innovative with their Town Meetings to increase their participation.

A public hearing was hosted with the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight on July 26 and Oliveira was happy with the turnout in support of it.

Oliveira added, “I testified in favor of bill because every bill gets a public hearing in the state of Massachusetts. Town Administrator Marc Strange from Ludlow testified representing the Massachusetts Municipal Association including other town administrator, select board members from across Massachusetts testified in support of my bill. It was great to have that level of support.”

Strange said at the public hearing that the meeting spaces in Ludlow for all the different boards and committees is limited so a remote or hybrid option has been helpful.

Strange added, “It’s incredibly useful to be able to use all these formats and we asked that the committee to favorably report out the bills to make these options permanent. Allowing a permanent remote and hybrid meeting option would allow us to invest time and money in other resources necessary to ensure that the most people will have the most access to our public body meetings.”

After a public hearing, all committees are required under the joint rules to report out in the late winter/early spring next year these bills.

Oliveira said, “The progress during a two year session can be varied but the committee is still accepting testimony on the bill right now so it’s a little fluid with the timeline. Working with my colleagues in the Legislature that represent these 351 cities and towns, they are definitely hearing from these elected officials that sit on these boards in support of this bill.”