Massachusetts residents overwhelmingly want transparency in state government, a new Pioneer Institute poll conducted by Emerson College found.
The poll found that 80 percent of registered voters favor eliminating the exemption from the state public records law currently claimed by the Massachusetts Legislature, governor, and state Supreme Judicial Court, advocating for these records to be made public. Just 6 percent of voters support maintaining the exemption.
“Massachusetts is the only state in which the governor’s office, the legislature, and the judiciary all claim this exemption,” Pioneer Institute Director of Transparency Mary Connaughton stated. “Clearly, that doesn’t sit well with voters.”
Bay State voters also overwhelmingly support ending the state legislature’s exemption from audits conducted by the Office of the State Auditor on state agencies, with an 80 percent to 6 percent margin in favor. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is actively pursuing the authority to audit the legislature via a November ballot question, as NewBostonPost has reported.
“This is a nonpartisan issue, it impacts all families in Massachusetts, regardless of bank balance or political background … It’s about us as the people of Massachusetts, regardless of where we stand, about getting information. It’s about how our tax dollars are being spent on Beacon Hill,” DiZoglio told MassLive in October 2023. “So we can get a seat at the table.”
State lawmakers in Massachusetts receive an annual base salary of nearly $75,000, plus travel reimbursements and an expense allowance. Legislative committee chairmen earn additional compensation. When asked, 44 percent of Bay State voters felt that this compensation is appropriate, while 35 percent considered it too high, 11 percent thought it was too low, and 10 percent were unsure.
However, when informed about a 2023 analysis by Fiscal Note — a company that specializes in policy tracking software— t hat ranked Massachusetts as having the least efficient state legislature in the nation, opinions shifted. After receiving this information, 46 percent of respondents felt that legislative compensation is too high, while 34 percent still considered it appropriate.
The report found that the Massachusetts legislature proposed 10,508 bills in 2023. However, just 21 of those (0.20 percent) became law. The state introduced the third-highest number of bills but enacted the fewest. The second-least effective state at enacting legislation, according to the rankings, was Minnesota. There, 1.39 percent of bills became law — a rate nearly seven times higher than Massachusetts.
Additionally, Massachusetts is one of only 10 states with a full-time legislature. When asked about shifting to a part-time legislature, 38 percent of voters expressed support, 30 percent were opposed, and 32 percent were undecided.
“The responses come in the wake of a state legislative session that ended without the passage of economic development, climate, and other high-profile bills,” the Pioneer Institute said in its press release.
Emerson College Polling surveyed 1,000 registered voters on behalf of the Pioneer Institute between August 15-17. The poll has a 3.0 percent margin of error.
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