The Legislature, judicary and Governor's office are still expemt from public records law.

From the Globe: A Massachusetts legislative panel has been disbanded after failing for two years to reach an agreement on whether to expand the public records law to cover the Legislature, judiciary, and governor’s office.

The Special Legislative Commission on Public Records missed its final deadline last month to file a report making recommendations, disappointing some lawmakers and advocates for open government.

“The inability of the commission to find common ground is an epic failure that weakens our democracy,” said Mary Connaughton, director of government transparency for the Pioneer Institute, a Boston think tank. “The Legislature has kicked the can down the road again, and with it the public trust.”

Massachusetts is the only state in the nation where the Legislature, judiciary, or governor’s office all claim to be completely exempt from state public records laws. And even when agencies are covered, the law is laden with exemptions that state agencies routinely cite to deny a wide variety of records, ranging from police reports of officers caught driving drunk to résumés for new hires.

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The Legislature overhauled key aspects of the public records law in 2016, including requiring state agencies and municipalities to designate someone to field requests, setting new limits on fees, and giving people the opportunity to potentially recoup legal fees if they are forced to sue to obtain public records.