Massachusetts is the only state in the country where all three branches of government are exempted from public records laws. This debate will explore the tension between legislative efficiency and providing the public with information and accountability mechanisms. Legislative committee votes will be specifically addressed but the panelists will also discuss public testimony, exemptions to public records laws, and COVID-19.

This event is part of the Greater Boston Debate Series hosted by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard Kennedy School. Co-sponsored by the Good Governance Project at Boston College Law School.

Moderator:

Shira Shoenberg, Reporter, CommonWealth Magazine

Panelists:

Raymond J. La Raja, Associate Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Sen. Becca Rausch, Massachusetts State Senate (Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex District)

Hosted Online Only 

Register: bit.ly/GBDS-Nov18