Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signs bill extending remote, hybrid meetings for local public bodies

Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald on Mar 28, 2025

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BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation Friday that allows local public bodies to continue meeting in hybrid or remote formats, an extension of COVID-era policies that Beacon Hill Democrats have routinely signed off on amid calls to make the options permanent.

The policies, which were first adopted under Gov. Charlie Baker in March 2020, were set to expire at the end of March. But with Healey’s signature, the ability to meet remotely or in a hybrid fashion was extended until June 20, 2027.

Healey said the extension grants “everyone, no matter where they are in our state, to engage in important discussions that affect their lives and makes it easier for everyone to have their voices heard in our government.”

“We don’t want anyone to be held back from attending public meetings because they don’t have a ride or child care or because they have a disability,” Healey said in a statement.

Municipal leaders have consistently pressed Beacon Hill to make the measures permanent to avoid any lapses in the ability to meet remotely. Advocates for government accessibility have also argued that remote meetings allow for greater participation in state functions.

Healey proposed making the measures permanent in a bill she filed in January that also included language allowing cities and towns to hike taxes on hotel stays and meals.

In a statement earlier this month, Senate President Karen Spilka signaled she, too, was ready to make remote and hybrid meetings permanent in Massachusetts.

“I have heard loud and clear from my colleagues, and the communities we represent, that hybrid meetings have increased access, engagement, and transparency in local government, and I look forward to the Senate passing this extension to June 2027 … and then working in our chamber to enact a permanent hybrid meeting law,” she said.

House Speaker Ron Mariano said using technology for public meetings expands access and civic participation.

“With this extension, we are removing barriers to participation, and residents will continue to be able to be active participants in governmental decisions remotely,” he said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Mariano did not immediately respond to a Herald inquiry on whether he would support making the options permanent.

Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine said remote and hybrid public meetings are “essential and effective public meeting options.”

“These allowances are critical for conducting the business of municipal government in the 21st century. Over the past five years, they have increased transparency and accountability and boosted public participation and confidence,” he said in a statement provided by Healey’s office.

State lawmakers also have varying options to participate remotely in government functions.

Senators can vote remotely on bills that are before the chamber while House lawmakers can only do so in specific circumstances like when a representative is on active reserve military duty or they are experiencing a “serious health condition,” according to the chambers’ rules.

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