Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 49 – Report No. 40
September 30-October 4, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call looks at Question 1, one of the five questions on the ballot that will be decided directly by the voters in November.
During the week of Sept. 30 – October 4, the House met for a total of 17 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 39 minutes.
The question asks voters if they approve of a proposed law that would allow the state auditor to audit the Legislature.
The long trip of this question to the ballot started in 2023 when Diana DiZoglio, the newly-elected state auditor, announced she had launched an audit of the Massachusetts Legislature—something she promised in her 2022 campaign.
Here are the official arguments, gathered by the secretary of state, by each side of the question.
IN FAVOR: Written by Neil Morrison, Committee for Transparent Democracy, 617-297-8476 www.auditthelegislature.com
“A Yes Vote on Question 1 expressly authorizes the state auditor to audit the Massachusetts Legislature. The state auditor is independently elected by the people of Massachusetts to audit every state entity to help make government work better. The State Legislature is the only state entity refusing to be audited by the state auditor’s office.
Legislative leaders claim it is sufficient for the Legislature to conduct audits of itself through a procured private vendor. However, the Massachusetts Legislature is continuously ranked as one of the least effective, least transparent legislatures in America and is one of only four legislatures that exempts itself from public records laws. Support for this initiative will help the state auditor’s office shine a bright light on how taxpayer dollars are spent to help increase transparency, accountability and accessibility for the people of Massachusetts.
Vote “Yes” to expressly authorize the state auditor to audit the Legislature.”
AGAINST: Written by Jerold Duquette, Professor of Political Science, Central Connecticut State University, 860-832-2964 www.masspoliticsprofs.org
“A legislative audit conducted by the state auditor, who is an executive branch official, without the Legislature’s consent would violate the separation of powers and legislative supremacy described in and required by the Massachusetts Constitution. The performance audits conducted by the state auditor measure administrators’ performance in achieving the legislatively determined goals of the public policies they administer.
The state auditor cannot substitute her interpretation of those goals for the Legislature’s without compromising the constitutional independence and preeminence of the Legislature. If enacted, Question 1 would make the state auditor into a political actor and a potentially influential participant in the legislative process, two roles that would clearly compromise the state auditor’s ability to carry out her fundamental constitutional duty to conduct credible, independent, objective and nonpartisan audits of state government departments and programs.”
For more information and details on each bill, roll call attendance, and other relevant information, please visit the Wakefield Daily Item at www.localheadlinenews.com.
