Bill > H3290

This bill modifies Section 21 of Chapter 30A of Massachusetts General Laws to provide clearer guidelines for how public bodies can conduct executive sessions during job candidate interviews. Specifically, the bill allows public bodies (such as school committees, city councils, town councils, select boards, or boards of aldermen) to hold closed-door, executive session meetings when initially screening job applicants, but only if the chair of the body declares that an open meeting would negatively impact their ability to attract qualified candidates. Importantly, the bill clarifies that this executive session privilege only applies to preliminary screening stages and does not extend to meetings where candidates have already passed an initial screening. The bill ensures that all members of the public body can participate in these preliminary screening executive sessions, which provides more flexibility in the hiring process while maintaining some transparency in governmental employment practices.

Government Affairs

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3290