2 weeks Ago
It appears the vast majority of Massachusetts residents would like to see greater transparency exhibited by Beacon Hill and the courts, just not the ones who could make that change happen. Another recent poll reinforced that opinion. Eighty percent of the 1,000 registered voters surveyed supported eliminating the exemption to the state public records law claimed by the state Legislature, governor and Supreme Judicial Court, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pioneer Institute and conducted by Emerson College Polling.
Only 6% supported continuing to keep the contents of those records under wraps. While touting its progressive attributes, Massachusetts remains an outlier when it comes to opening its books to the public. It took more than 40 years for the Legislature to pass a public-records update that provided greater access and less red tape concerning the dealings of municipal and some aspects of state government.
However, the governor, Legislature and the state’s highest court remained off limits. “Massachusetts is the only state in which the governor’s office, the Legislature and the judiciary all claim this exemption,” said Mary Connaughton, Pioneer Institute director of Transparency. “Clearly, that doesn’t sit well with voters.
” Registered voters also supported ending the state Legislature’s exemption from audits, which might happen without lawmakers’ permission if voters pass a referendum on the November ballot tailored to do just that. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio has vigorously supported that ballot measure, which would give her office the ability to shed light on the Legislature’s inner workings. Poll respondents also weighed in on lawmakers’ annual salary and other perks.
Legislators receive nearly $75,000 in annual compensation, plus travel reimbursements and an expense allowance, while legislative committee chairs receive additional compensation. Forty-four percent of respondents deemed their compensation about right, 35% thought it’s too high, while 11% percent thought it too low, and 10% weren’t sure. Massachusetts is only one of 10 states with a year-round Legislature.
By contrast, New Hampshire lawmakers meet only from January to June. Thirty-eight percent of voters supported moving to a part-time Legislature, 30% opposed it, and 32% weren’t sure. Given our Legislature’s abysmal bill-passing track record, nothing would get done if members followed New Hampshire’s schedule.
The formal session ended July 31 without the passage of economic development, climate and other high-profile bills. Finally, when asked about the biggest reasons why residents are leaving Massachusetts, voters cited the overall cost of living, housing costs and taxes, in that order. Those results pose graver ramifications than continued resistance by some entities to public access.
The state faces about a 220,000-unit housing shortage, of which the recently passed, wide-ranging housing-bond bill addresses only about 20% of that deficit. The continued outflow of younger workers and recent college grads due to the above three factors will continue to be a drag of the state’s economy. Emerson College Polling conducted the poll Aug.
15-17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3% in 19 of 20 cases. With potentially deadly EEE cases on the rise, the state has begun to conduct widespread spraying for mosquitos in parts of Plymouth and Worcester counties, according to the Departments of Public Health (DPH) and Agricultural Resources (MDAR).
Ten communities have been raised to high or critical risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) — a “rare but serious and potentially fatal disease” spread to humans through infected mosquitos — the departments stated. The first human case this year. reported in a man in his 80s in Worcester County on Aug.
16, raised alarm throughout the region. Spraying, conducted by the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board with the assistance of MDAR, will start shortly after dusk and end in the early morning. Aerial spraying will take place in Carver, Halifax, Kingston, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester and Wareham, the departments said.
Truck spray zones will be in Douglas, Dudley, Oxford, Sutton and Uxbridge. In 2019 and 2020, during the last EEE outbreak in Massachusetts, 17 humans were infected and seven died. While parts of Plymouth and Worcester counties account for the current spraying zone, that doesn’t mean other parts of the state can let down their guard.
Recently, New Hampshire health officials identified an adult from Hampstead, just over the border from Haverhill, who tested positive for EEE. That person was hospitalized due to severe central nervous system disease, and later died. MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle said the state must take “decisive action to protect public health.
” “While these measures are crucial for reducing transmission risk, it’s vital for everyone to stay vigilant and follow personal protection guidelines to safeguard our community,” Randle said. To minimize risk, residents should apply insect repellent outdoors, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, be aware of peak mosquito hours in the evening, drain standing water where mosquitoes may breed, repair screens to keep the bugs out of your home and take other precautions. More information on the spraying and tips to minimize risk is available on the mass.
gov Mosquito Control and Spraying page. Residents can also find resources through DPH, MDAR or local health boards..
