Local News
After a surprising victory for her push to audit the Massachusetts Legislature, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio is taking steps to “reengage with the leaders on Beacon Hill” who’ve hampered her efforts to this point.
DiZoglio sent a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka Friday afternoon, telling them her office would soon conduct a “performance audit” of the Legislature. The work would begin with an examination of “high-risk areas” similar to contracting and procurement processes, the usage of taxpayer-funded nondisclosure agreements and other budget and spending data.
Late October, DiZoglio's office released A long report with detailed results of an audit of the legislature's actions in 2021 and 2022. However, the legislature refused to participate and subsequently some vital information couldn’t be included in the ultimate report. That process highlighted the Legislature's “lack of transparency and accountability,” an accompanying news release from her office said.
Now that voters have approved Question 1, DiZoglio desires to fill in those gaps. In the letter, she told Mariano and Spilka that her office needed access to additional records and will check with State House staff. DiZoglio said her office will proceed to speak with lawmakers to prepare an “inbound conference” sometime this month.
DiZoglio ran for state auditor on the promise that she would expose the inner workings of the Legislature, which has been criticized for its opaqueness and opaqueness lack of productivity. Since then, she has clashed with Mariano and Spilka, who refused to cooperate with the audit to the extent DiZoglio requested.
This led to Question 1, a ballot measure that explicitly gives the state auditor the authority to audit the Legislature. Despite fears of over-politicizing the office and disrupting the separation of powers between branches of presidency, voters overwhelmingly sided with DiZoglio earlier this week. More than 71% of voters voted “yes” on Question 1, probably the most lopsided result among the many state’s five ballot measures.
“It was incredibly inspiring to learn that over 70% of voters across Massachusetts support our office’s work to increase transparency and accountability through an audit of the Legislature,” DiZoglio told Boston.com.
She said she was cautiously optimistic heading into election night and was encouraged by the lots of of volunteers who helped give momentum to the Yes on One campaign.
“It’s such a divisive time in this country. It was an incredibly hopeful moment that I will not soon forget,” said the state auditor.
Despite the success on election night, the best way forward is unclear. Lawmakers could still try to alter the law or repeal it entirely. Mariano and Spilka signaled they could consider changes, a process that’s “consistent with the way the Legislature has historically approached every voter-approved ballot question.”
“We will consider next steps on how best to respect the election results on Question 1 in a manner consistent with the fundamental principles of the Massachusetts Constitution, including the separation of powers,” they said in an announcement this week.
DiZoglio vows to fight back if they fight to repeal the law.
“I have made it clear that I will call on Governor Healey to veto any effort to repeal the law if they attempt to overturn the will of the people, especially given the enormous margin of victory,” she said.
Even if Healey vetoes changes, a two-thirds majority in each chamber could override the veto.
“In that case, lawmakers would have to disclose whether they are supporting the will of the people or the will of the Senate President and Speaker against the people they represent,” DiZoglio said when asked about that possibility.
image credit : www.boston.com