Debate over institutional records access returns to the spotlight

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If at first you don't succeed, well, maybe the governor will.

That's an unsolicited mantra we might offer to Secretary of State Bill Galvin, who a year and a half ago watched as the House took a records-access bill he backed and changed it so much that he dropped his support.

Gov. Maura Healey put the topic of state institutional records -- potentially including those at the controversial Fernald School -- back in the spotlight, tucking a measure that would make those documents public when they are at least 75 years old into a spending bill she filed this month.

Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand said the governor "has been deeply moved by the stories of those who attended Fernald or whose loved ones were there, and she proposed this change to improve their access to records."

"This proposal is in alignment with the recommendations of the Special Commission on State Institutions," she said. "Governor Healey knows there is more work to be done, and our administration will continue to review the Commission's report and work with families and advocates on additional improvements."

The idea had some buzz last year. GBH News published an in-depth piece about the struggles that some Bay Staters faced trying to access records from the Fernald School. Healey said in a radio interview soon afterward that she was open to the idea of making those documents available.

In April 2024, the House prepared to vote on a bill that Galvin supported to make "all records in the custody of the state secretary" more than 75 years old accessible to the public. But at the final hurdle, top House Democrats reshaped the measure into one that would create a special commission and study the issue, not immediately enact any changes.

Galvin spokesperson Deb O'Malley said at the time that the update "guts the entire bill as it was drafted," and no longer had the secretary's backing.

More than a year later, O'Malley said the language in Healey's bill -- which Galvin did not ask her to file -- "does achieve the goal of a similar bill that the Secretary has pushed for several years," but with caveats.

Healey's proposal would narrowly apply to records from institutions for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, while Galvin prefers to make "all records in the custody of the State Archives automatically public after 75 years," according to O'Malley.

"While we certainly recognize that restrictions on certain information in public records are an important and necessary safeguard to personal privacy, the usefulness of those restrictions is greatly diminished in the case of archaic records," O'Malley said. "Instead, those restrictions are too often an obstacle to historical, political, social, and genealogical research. Opening up these types of records will allow researchers and families to access the records that they have been seeking for some time."

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10:00 | Gov. Healey and other officials celebrate renaming of lifeguard station at Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Salisbury Beach State Reservation in honor of Robert "Boots" Chouinard, a beloved local hero, teacher, former lifeguard and World War II veteran. | 1 State Reservation Road, Parking Lot #3, Salisbury

10:30 | Mass. State Lottery Commission meets remotely. | For access, contact [email protected].

KPMG found Applegreen’s financials do not meet MassDOT’s goal to sustain or increase revenue, while Global Partners’ proposal does. Yet, MassDOT still chose Applegreen and is now rushing a secretive 35-year lease, handing critical public infrastructure to the foreign company, ignoring conflicts of interest and public records requests, risking $900M in guaranteed rent. Taxpayers deserve transparency, oversight, and accountability before this billion-dollar deal is finalized.

Republicans may have found a candidate to mount a challenge to U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. Christopher Thrasher, an attorney who chairs the Westport School Committee, this morning announced he had formed an exploratory committee to weigh a challenge for the seat. Thrasher, 40, quickly contrasted himself from the veteran Markey, who will be 80 by the time votes are cast next year. "With the Massachusetts Democratic establishment refusing to pass the torch to a new generation, it is up to the Republican Party to present candidates that represent that generational transformation," Thrasher said. Thrasher ran for state representative last year and narrowly lost to Democrat Steve Ouellette. The exploratory committee is yet another way he's targeting 2026: his press release said Thrasher has been "the chief legal architect" on six proposed ballot questions, including measures dealing with transparency, ratepayer consent, and utility affordability...

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...Auditor Diana DiZoglio managed to tap into discontent on both the right and the left with her successful -- and since stalled -- ballot question last year subjecting the Legislature to an audit by her office. Transparency advocates appear poised to do the same again heading into the next cycle. The Coalition for a Healthy Democracy, which is pursuing a measure that would subject the Legislature and governor's office to the public records law, rolled out a preliminary "slate of supporters" Monday that included Progressive Massachusetts Policy Director Jonathan Cohn, Pioneer Institute Chief Operating Officer Mary Connaughton, and DiZoglio herself. "If Massachusetts is going to tackle our very real challenges – from affordability and housing to transportation – we need a government the public can trust," DiZoglio said. "That starts with ending the culture of secrecy on Beacon Hill."...

...Radio listeners will get a healthy dose of insight into the Boston mayoral contest this week. Mayor Michelle Wu will sit for her latest regularly occurring interview on GBH News's "Boston Public Radio" at noon Tuesday, and her most prominent challenger, Josh Kraft, will do the same thing a day later. Wu is a regular on BPR -- and appearing in her capacity as mayor, not explicitly as a campaign event -- and it's also not the first time on the show for Kraft, who previously chatted with hosts on May 13...

WIND WARNING: After the Bureau of Ocean Management ordered a halt to the in-progress Revolution Wind project on Friday, ISO New England and the New England Power Generators Association said the move will have negative consequences on the region's energy reliability. — State House News Service

BROODING ABOUT BIOTECH: Policy uncertainties, shrinking employment, declining venture capital investment — a new MassBio report outlines grim realities for the Massachusetts' biotech industry. — MassLive

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KEURIG DR. PEPPER, MEET PEET'S: The Burlington coffee and beverage giant Keurig Dr. Pepper will pay $18 billion in cash to purchase the parent company of Peet's Coffee, and announced that after the transaction, it will split into two public companies. — Boston Business Journal

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UNITED WAY CRISIS RESPONSE: United Way of Central Massachusetts launched a $500,000 response fund to address pressing community needs due to economic uncertainty and policy shifts, pointing to food insecurity as the current crisis coming as a result of potential federal reductions in SNAP funding. — Telegram and Gazette

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