Tumultuous, Terrible Tuesdays

In 2021, there were a total of 322 joint committee hearings held in the Massachusetts state legislature. Committee hearings are considered by many the most critical step in the legislative process for interest groups, non-profits, and coalitions, because it’s where they can voice their views on pending legislation. In fact, the committee hearing stage is the one time the public can interact with legislators face to face.

Despite this, the scheduling of these hearings does little to promote public participation.

A review of the committee hearing calendar this session showed that nearly half of all committee hearings (44.3%) occur on Tuesdays of each week. Sometimes there are as many as 6 hearings occurring simultaneously! Hence, the nickname “Terrible Tuesdays”.

The result? Legislators hopping from meeting to meeting, advocates being torn about where to focus their attention and many Beacon Hill participants being unclear on the arguments, issues and stances.

The graphs above show the stark contrast between the number of hearings held on Tuesdays versus other days of the week. The overscheduling of hearings on Tuesday becomes even more evident during the busier months of June, July, September, and October.

The mean number of hearings in these four months is 51 per month, with an average number of over 5 hearings each Tuesday. In comparison, in the other eight months of the year there was on average between one and two hearings each Tuesday.

This inconsistency means that on these “tumultuous” and “terrible” Tuesdays, testimony might receive less attention, and participants have a harder time choosing which hearings to focus on.

While the switch to virtual hearings as of March 2020 has allowed for some increased flexibility, the over-scheduling of hearings still presents a significant barrier to participating in state government.

Need assistance with this very complicated process? InstaTrac can help! We make notice of hearings available well in advance, and we provide several ways (including transcripts and video) for you to review what was said when you couldn’t attend. Even on jam-packed, terrible Tuesdays!

If you aren’t currently an InstaTrac subscriber, please reach out to info@instatrac.com! We are happy to give you a tour and a free trial.