Press Release  Attorney General’s Office to Hold Four Regional Open Meeting Law Educational Forums This Spring

Boston — In an effort to better inform the public and governmental officials about the Open Meeting Law and its requirements, Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office will hold four regional free educational forums in March and April. The AG’s Office will also offer a live web-based training on the law.

The forums and the webinar are part of a broad effort by the AG’s Office to assist public bodies and members of the public in understanding and complying with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law. State, local, regional, and county public bodies are required to comply with the Open Meeting Law. 

The Open Meeting Law educational forums will be conducted by attorneys from AG Healey’s Division of Open Government and are open to the public. Since assuming responsibility for enforcement of the Open Meeting Law at all levels of government in July 2010, the AG’s Division of Open Government has responded to more than 10,300 telephone and email inquiries from members of public bodies, municipal counsel, and the public. The Division has also conducted 25 regional trainings on the law across the state and issued more than 560 written determinations.

In order to provide greater transparency and access to the office’s decisions, all of the AG’s Open Meeting Law determinations are available online through an interactive database, the Open Meeting Law Determination Lookup.

Spring 2015 regional educational forums will be held on the following dates:

Ware
Thursday, March 19, 2015
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Ware Junior Senior High School-Auditorium
237 West Street
Ware, MA

Sharon
Thursday, March 26, 2015
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sharon Community Center
219 Massapoag Avenue
Sharon, MA

Hanover
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Hanover Town Hall, Large Meeting Room
550 Hanover Street
Hanover, MA 

Gloucester
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Gloucester City Hall-Kyrouz Auditorium
9 Dale Avenue
Gloucester, MA

The educational forums are being offered free of charge. All members of public bodies, municipal employees, and members of the general public are encouraged to attend. Individuals interested in attending an educational forum are asked to register in advance by calling 617-963-2925 or by emailing OMLTraining@state.ma.us, and providing: 1) their first and last names; 2) town of residence; 3) the public body/organization they represent, if appropriate; and 4) the location of the educational forum they will attend.

The AG’s Office is also conducting an online webinar on Tuesday, April 14 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Attendees can participate entirely online and will be able to submit written questions during the training and receive real-time responses from Division attorneys. Those interested in registering or receiving additional information about the webinar may do so by emailing OMLTraining@state.ma.us.

For more information on the Open Meeting Law, visit the Attorney General's website at www.mass.gov/ago/openmeeting.

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