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S 2195

Grants court officers in the town of Shelter Island in Suffolk county peace officer status

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Tony Palumbo

Allows preliminary screening committees to interview and prepare questions in executive session when a chair finds openness would harm hiring, with limits.

REFERRED TO CODES
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Bill Summary · S 2195

Summary — S. 2195 (Senate Docket No. 1063) — "An Act relative to the executive session interview process"

Status: Introduced (filed 01/15/2025). Primary sponsor: Sen. Jacob R. Oliveira. Referred to committee (records show referral to Codes and to State Administration and Regulatory Oversight; a hearing date of 07/22/2025 is also listed in available actions).

Purpose

To clarify and expand the circumstances under Massachusetts’ Open Meeting Law (Chapter 30A, Section 21) in which a preliminary screening committee may meet in executive session to consider or interview applicants for public employment or appointment — including permitting preparation of interview questions — while preserving certain limits on that exception.

Key provisions

  • Amends Section 21(a), paragraph 8 of Chapter 30A (the Open Meeting Law) to allow preliminary screening committees to:
    • Consider or interview applicants for employment or appointment in executive session; and
    • Prepare interview questions while in executive session.
  • Adds a condition that the chair must determine that holding an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on obtaining qualified applicants in order for the executive-session exception to apply.
  • Specifies that this executive-session exception does NOT apply to meetings (including preliminary screening committee meetings) to consider and interview applicants who have already passed a prior preliminary screening.
  • Clarifies that nothing in the section prevents all members of a local governing body (school committee, city council, town council, select board, or board of aldermen) from participating, as members of a preliminary screening committee, in an executive session for these purposes.

Who is affected

  • Local and state public bodies that use preliminary screening committees to evaluate applicants (e.g., school committees, city/town councils, select boards, boards of aldermen).
  • Applicants for public employment or appointment who may be interviewed in executive (closed) session.
  • Municipal executives and committee chairs, who must make the factual determination that an open meeting would be detrimental to recruiting qualified applicants to trigger the exception.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Filed January 15, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 1063 / Senate No. 2195).
  • Primary sponsor: Jacob R. Oliveira (petitioning legislator).
  • Committee referrals appear in available records to both Codes and State Administration and Regulatory Oversight; a hearing was scheduled (listed) for July 22, 2025. (Legislative action records provided are partially inconsistent; readers should consult the official legislative docket for up-to-date status.)

Potential effects and considerations

  • Administrative: Grants greater flexibility for preliminary screening committees to conduct confidential interviews and prepare questions, potentially protecting applicant privacy and recruitment efforts.
  • Transparency: Expands an executive-session exception to the Open Meeting Law, which may raise concerns about reduced public visibility into early stages of hiring/appointment processes. The bill limits the exception where a prior preliminary screening has already occurred and requires a chair’s finding that openness would be detrimental.
  • Implementation: Local bodies will need to document the chair’s determination and ensure compliance with other statutory requirements for executive sessions under Chapter 30A.

For the most current status and full legislative text, consult the official Massachusetts legislative docket for Senate No. 2195 / Senate Docket No. 1063.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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