SJC says legislative stipend ballot question has problems; public records passes muster

On May 4, Massachusetts REALTORS® unite as one powerful voice at the annual Margaret C. Carlson REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill. This year, REALTORS® are fighting to increase housing access by advancing zoning reform, housing production, fair housing education, funding for crumbling concrete foundations, and pre-service board & commission training—and opposing real estate transfer taxes and rent control.

Beacon Hill legislators felt like they finally notched a win in the 2026 ballot question war, thanks to the Supreme Judicial Court.

Lawmakers have been unhappily grappling with the proposed ballot questions, as proponents take them to task for lack of action on a variety of hot-button issues – ranging from rent control to an income tax cut – and go over their heads to voters.

Two initiatives take direct aim at the Legislature: One placing lawmakers and the governor under the state public records law, and the other looking to reform legislative stipends.

The public records question seems to have a clearer path to the ballot, while the stipend reform effort ran into a SJC buzzsaw on Monday, when justices handed lawmakers a win through an advisory opinion finding the proposal appears to overstep the bounds of the state constitution. It was an in-person delivery: A court clerk walked over the opinion, complete with gold seal, over to the Senate.

Legislative pay falls under the ballot question process, the justices wrote, but the proposal from reform advocates “goes beyond adjusting legislative pay by using compensation as a means of regulating internal legislative procedures,” and directly links compensation to “performance” rather than just a title.

That is essentially why the public records proposal is viewed differently by the justices – because it does not propose to “regulate the internal proceedings or operations” of the House and Senate, but provides a “new right of access to the records” of lawmakers and the governor’s office.

Stipend reform advocates, under the banner of Legislative Effectiveness and Accountability Partnership (LEAP), include several former lawmakers-turned-critics who say the payments are used by Beacon Hill leaders to wield control over individual legislators. They vowed to press ahead despite the SJC advisory opinion, saying it’s non-binding and noting that 95,000 Bay State voters signed a petition in support of the reform.

"There is more information needed as to how this affects our initiative, but I can promise we will continue to push for a legislature that is accountable to the people, and not just leadership,” said Jonathan Hecht, a LEAP member and a former Watertown lawmaker who has donated $110,000 toward the effort.

The office of Bill Galvin, the state elections chief, said the advisory opinion doesn’t technically have an effect on the ballot process. A Galvin spokesperson acknowledged the proponents could choose to proceed, and the office would need to provide them with petitions for another round of signature gathering, unless someone seeks a court order to block them.

In its victory lap over the stipend reform opinion, the Senate also sought solace in the decision on public records. The SJC “clearly acknowledges the legitimate constitutional concerns around the Senate’s authority to set its own rules, potential separation‑of‑powers issues, and the protection of legislative speech and debate, privilege and immunity,” said a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka.

But proponents of the public records expansion were pleased. “The Senate was looking for a quick win and SJC resoundingly rejected that challenge,” said Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is advising the ballot question’s proponents.

She’ll also be representing Auditor Diana DiZoglio in her ongoing quest for a legislative audit before the SJC on May 6.

“I think they’re both pretty clear cut,” Liss-Riordan said of the legislative audit and the public records question.

Next week is shaping up to be a banner week at the Adams Courthouse, where the Supreme Judicial Court sits. Which cases are you closely tracking and why? Drop me a line here: [email protected].

Senators Michael J. Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and Paul R. Feeney, Assistant Vice Chair and Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, join REALTORS® from across Massachusetts at the annual Margaret C. Carlson REALTOR® Day on Beacon Hill to advocate for policies that increase access to homeownership and protect private property rights.

9:00 | The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets. It will be the first meeting Education Secretary Stephen Zrike attends. Zrike will discuss Gov. Maura Healey's social media bill and guidance on deepfake photos and videos. The agenda includes a discussion on Massachusetts 9/11 education resources, an update on the safe schools program for LGBTQ students and the education budget. The board will discuss and possibly vote on proposed regulatory changes to educator licensure. | 135 Santilli Highway, Everett | Livestream

10:00 | U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware hold a press conference to call on the Supreme Court to protect Temporary Protected Status, a day before oral arguments start about the Trump administration's action to end TPS for Haiti, Venezuela, Syria and other countries. | House Triangle, U.S. Capitol Complex, Washington, D.C. 

10:30 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu offers remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction for the second building in the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment. | Corey Street Basketball Court, 12 Corey Street, Charlestown

11:00 | Gov. Maura Healey joins GBH News' Boston Public Radio for her regular "Ask the Governor" segment. | GBH 89.7 FM

12:00 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins GBH News' Boston Public Radio for her regular "Ask the Mayor" segment. | GBH 89.7 FM

12:30 | The Advisory Board to the Comptroller holds a virtual meeting. The board is expected to review a draft annual Comprehensive Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2025 and discuss an ongoing review of its regulations. | More Info and Access

1:15 | Gov. Maura Healey hosts a press conference to announce that more Massachusetts residents are now eligible for $25,000 in interest-free downpayment and homebuyer assistance. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Secretary Juana Matias and MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay participate. | Room 157, State House, Boston 

3:15 | Gov. Maura Healey hosts Chief Medical Corpsman Vlad Link, a Chelsea native who led Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman’s recovery mission earlier this month. | Governor’s Ceremonial Office, State House, Boston

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

HOUSE BUDGET, DAY ONE: House lawmakers added $21.5 million to their fiscal 2027 budget proposal in the first day of deliberations. Democrats turned back tax cut amendments from Republicans before approving amendments chock full of local earmarks and boosts to state programs. – State House News Service (gift link)

VINEYARD WIND: The Healey administration touted the activation of Vineyard Wind contracts, saying it puts Massachusetts on a path to lower energy prices while strengthening an offshore wind industry that has weathered attacks from a hostile Trump administration. – Herald News

Mass General Brigham’s commitment to improving community health beyond hospital walls continues as we address food insecurity. Through our partnership with the Greater Boston Food Bank, we’re expanding access to nutritious food across the communities we serve.

BOSTON CLIMATE PLAN: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s new climate plan includes a plan to study parking fees and congestion pricing as part of an effort to disincentivize driving into the city. – Boston Globe

TAILGATING ALLOWED: Local World Cup organizers have reversed course and now plan to allow tailgating at Gillette Stadium before the soccer matches get underway. – CBS Boston

STRIKE RUMORS: As they approach 300 days without a contract, Holyoke teachers are batting down rumors of a planned strike. – MassLive

DEBT SECTOR: A new report takes aim at “placeholder” attorneys who help the debt-buying industry secure a judgment against people in small claims court. – GBH News

DEATH TO RATS: It’s a bad week for Somerville rats. The city has launched “DeRATification Week,” with rat czar Alicia Privett showing residents how to use a tool that poisons rats with carbon monoxide. – NBC10 Boston

SUFFOLK DEPUTY: Prosecutors have charged a deputy in the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department with child sex abuse charges and trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty to the various charges. – Boston Herald

CONSENT DECREE: The feds and the city of Springfield moved to terminate  a consent decree that called for oversight of the police department, which has weathered repeated controversies. – Western Mass. Politics and Insight

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