Public Law Newsletter
January 2012
For your information
New Open Meeting Law regulations; New legislation; Land Court dockets now available
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New Open Meeting Law Regulations
The attorney general has issued
amendments to the regulations governing the Open Meeting Law, 940
CMR 29.00 that allow members of public bodies to participate
remotely in meetings in certain circumstances. These regulations
went into effect on Nov. 11, 2011. Under the regulations, public
bodies may not participate remotely in meetings until remote
participation has been adopted by the public body; or in the case
of local public bodies, by the chief executive officer, as defined
in M.G.L. c. 4, § 7. See 940 CMR 29.10(2) at amendments to Open Meeting Law.
In addition, the attorney general is
holding a public hearing and seeking comments on another amendment
to those regulations. The proposed amendment to 940 CMR 29.10(2)
would define the term "knowing or knowingly" in order to clarify
the standard for a finding by the Office of the Attorney General of
intentional violation of the Open Meeting Law. The proposed
amendment and further information can be found here.
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New Legislation
By now, everyone has heard of the
legislation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick shortly before
Thanksgiving on:
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Land Court dockets now
available
- Land Court dockets are now available online. Click here to
access.