AG Takes Over Open Meeting Law Enforcement

Effective July 1, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley's office will be exclusively responsible for enforcing the state's open meeting law. Formerly, the AG enforced the law with regard to state-government entities and district attorneys enforced it with regard to local-government entities.

Coakley and Robert Nasdor, the newly appointed chief of the AG's new Division of Open Government, published a post yesterday at the New England First Amendment Center offering a preview of things to come. They say they will focus on providing training and educational resources to government officials to enhance their understanding of the law. They also say they are developing a comprehensive Web site devoted to the new law.

The new law authorizes the AG's office to issue binding interpretations of its application to specific sets of facts, they note. They say they also plan to issue procedural and substantive regulations to fill in any gaps in the statute.

Finally, they invite anyone with questions or suggestions about the new law to contact them at openmeeting@state.ma.us.