Driscoll Presides Session that Extends the Hybrid Public Meeting Law

March 21, 2025

On Thursday, March 20th, Senator Bill Driscoll Jr (D-Milton) presided over a Senate session, leading the body through the orders of the day. What’s more, during the session Driscoll was able to oversee the passage of legislation that he has felt passionately about and championed over the past few sessions: the extension of hybrid public meetings.

This legislation extends hybrid public meeting options, allowing cities and towns to offer remote participation through June 2027. The extension applies to public bodies and representative town meetings. This option allows such local boards and councils to both meet and vote, remotely.

Although the COVID-19 Pandemic has subsided, that does not mean we should not carry some lessons learned or leading practices into the future. The legislation was amended and struck mentions of the extension being “due to the COVID-19 State of Emergency” from the statue, highlighting the continued relevance for remote participation as typical practice and not one that only applies during the presence of a public health emergency. Extending hybrid public meetings promotes more civic participation who otherwise might have limited access to public meetings.

Having passed both branches of the Legislature, the bill will now be sent to the Governor for her signature.

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