'Our job is not to chase social media clicks,' House Rep. says
The House is looking to make significant changes to the structure of committees–bi-partisan and bi-cameral groups of lawmakers who determine the fate of bills. Under the new House rule, lawmakers would need to report bills out of committee on a 60-day deadline in an effort to prevent future logjams of major bills at the end of the session.
Coalition for Homeless Individuals calls for budget funding
The House said it also looks to publish bill summaries, submitted testimony, and committee votes, rising to calls for more transparency from the public.
'Taken as a whole, I really do believe that these changes are historic, transformative,' said Brighton Representative Michael Moran.
House Republicans pushed for a rule that would force the House's compliance with an audit by the state auditor, a power newly granted to her via a November ballot question. The ballot question passed with nearly 70% voter approval, but opponents to the rule, arguing separation of powers concerns with an audit, said the voters cannot be trusted to follow the constitution.
'Our job is not to chase social media clicks. Our job is to uphold the constitution,' said Stoneham Representative Michael Day.
The amendment to the rules package failed to pass, and the battle between the legislature and the auditor is continuing its trajectory towards the courts.
The House and Senate will need to reach a compromise on joint rules before they take effect, with several disagreements to iron out.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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