FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                  CONTACT:
        September 18, 2007                                                      David Guarino
                                                                                Victoria Bonney

                                                                (617) 722-2500

HOUSE TV OFFERS HEARING VIDEO ON DEMAND

New web broadcast feature offers more than a dozen recent public hearings, further opening legislative process to the public

BOSTON – The House of Representatives has launched archived public hearings with a searchable database as part of its House broadcasting division, further opening the legislative process to constituents across the Commonwealth.

The new events archive already includes several public hearings from this legislative session on issues important to taxpayers, from proposals for energy and auto insurance reform to efforts aimed at better protecting children from abuse and neglect and changing the way public schools are funded.

All hearings recorded by the House broadcast division will be made available at the click of a mouse and, with the easy-to-use search engine, constituents will be able to find testimony on issues they care about when it is convenient for them. It allows direct access to testimony, presentations and fact-gathering as it happens.

“Democracy hinges on public engagement in the process and I have made opening up the House debate to the public a top priority,” said Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. “This new feature invites the public into the hearing room from their living room to provide an unfiltered look at the process of making laws and the important issues we debate in the State House every day.”

In January, the House launched live webcasting of formal House sessions to expand public access and to curb the rising costs of broadcast sessions. Hearings have been taped and later broadcast.

Thousands of unique viewers have tuned in online to watch the House debate toughened identity theft provisions, reforms to clear the way for significant savings in cities and towns on health care and pension benefits and extended tax credits to the motion picture industry.

In the coming months, the current index of hearings will continue to grow as more hearings are captured.

The hearing search feature can be accessed at: http://housetv.hou.state.ma.us/.

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David Guarino
Director of Communications
Office of Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Room 356, State House
(o) 617-722-2500
(c) 617-548-4981
(BlackBerry email) davidguarino2@yahoo.com