FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
SEPT. 4 LETTER
The New England First Amendment Coalition is asking the Massachusetts Attorney General to order the disclosure of certain motor vehicle records that were once public but are now kept secret due to a misconstrued law.
The Work Family Mobility Act and related regulations pose an impassable barrier for journalists seeking a variety of Registry of Motor Vehicles records that were previously public and contain no immigration information — the primary focus of the WFMA.
In a Sept. 4 letter to Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, NEFAC explained that the law is being used to justify the withholding of individual driving records and Commercial Driver’s License records. Regulations need to be amended to make clear that these records should be accessible under the public records law.
Individual driving records were previously available to journalists who needed them to report, for example, on Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara who crashed into a house in Jamaica Plain while driving with a revoked license. Records for police officers who are charged with or fired for drunk driving are also being withheld. It is now impossible to determine through the public records law if these officers faced other violations in their jurisdiction or another following a transfer.
Records related to CDLs are also no longer available to journalists. Public safety reporting — such as coverage of the recent preferential treatment given by State Police troopers to CDL applicants — has been drastically limited as a result.
“The WMFA never intended to burden journalists and other members of the public with such secrecy,” NEFAC wrote. “We are hopeful the regulations can be amended to make clear to the RMV that records previously public should continue to be released — especially as many of the rejected requests have no relation to the immigration status of Massachusetts residents.”
NEFAC is the region’s leading advocate for the First Amendment and the public’s right to know about government. You can read all the coalition’s briefs and advocacy letters here. Want to learn more about the Massachusetts public records law? Start with our FOI Guide.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
NEFAC is supported by the Estate of Gloria Negri. Additional funding is provided by Leadership Circle donors including the Rhode Island Foundation, The Boston Globe, Paul and Ann Sagan, and the Robertson Foundation. Major Supporters of NEFAC’s work are Hearst Connecticut Media Group, Boston University, the Academy of New England Journalists, Connecticut Public, WCVB-Boston and WBUR-Boston.