“This is a very important piece of legislation,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. Two of the eight bills filed addressing the issue of modernizing access to public meetings also address the need to allow for public participation in meetings. “Public participation in meetings is key,” Silverman said.
The bill is backed by the ACLU of Massachusetts, Boston Center for Independent Living, Common Cause Massachusetts, Disability Law Center, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, MASSPIRG, New England First Amendment Coalition and New England Newspaper & Press Association.
Silverman said the First Amendment organization saw the handwriting on the wall pre-pandemic. “We knew it was in the future, saw the technology was there.” The pandemic just propelled government bodies into the future. “In the past, people had to attend governmental meetings in person,” Silverman said, noting that it was not an equitable arrangement. [...]
