Elected state officials from Western Massachusetts testifying on Beacon Hill Tuesday said they want to strike language from a state law that limits travel expense reimbursements for members of the Governor’s Council.
Pittsfield State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier said the statute "smacks of geographic inequity" and she added, it's a little inexplicable.
"A member of the Governor's Council is reimbursed for travel, meals, lodging and all of that — but only for the first four terms," Farley-Bouvier said.
Pending legislation would remove that limit, and Farley-Bouvier suggested a simple correction of striking a few sentences from Massachusetts General Laws, section 4 of chapter 6.
Governor's Councilor Tara Jacobs is in her second term and lives in North Adams. Her weekly travel