86 Percent Said Open the Legislature's Records. Beacon Hill Is Already Writing Its Own Version

Massachusetts voted 86 percent yes on Question 1, ending the Legislature's and the governor's exemption from the public records law, Boston.com reported. Boston went 87.61 percent yes. We were the only state where both were exempt, WBUR reported.

Now the catch. WBUR reported lawmakers are working on their own version that would supersede the voter-approved law. It puts the governor under the records law but narrows access to the Legislature's records and gives lawmakers more control over what they release. House and Senate negotiators are working on it behind closed doors.

Behind closed doors. On a records bill. You can't make this up.

My opinion: if 86 percent of voters tell you to open the books, the only acceptable bill is one that opens them wider, not one that cracks the door and calls it a compromise.

What we still don't know: when that conference bill surfaces, what it actually says, and whether it moves before the voter-approved law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.