January 28, 2019/Boston, MA–The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) supports changes designed to bring greater transparency, access, and accountability to the rules that govern the Massachusetts House of Representatives. LWVMA is urging its members to contact their state representatives in support of the following package of six reforms that have been proposed:
- Provide 72 hours for legislators to read bills before floor vote; provide 30 minutes for legislators to read amendments before floor vote
- Provide 24 hours for committee members to read bill redrafts before committee vote
- Allow for the discharge of bills that have substantial legislator support from joint committees
- Require that written testimony and other documents provided to committees be made available to lawmakers and the public
- Require that all committee votes are publicly available within 48 hours of votes taken
- Create standards for staff, office, and resource allocations and make the standards publicly available
You can read about the proposed reforms and the League’s efforts in Commonwealth Magazine.