House votes for new way to conduct legislative audit
Nov 15, 2024
BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP)--The House of Representatives is proposing an alternative path to allowing the state auditor to examine the finances of the legislature.
Although Massachusetts voters approved the ballot question giving the auditor this task, top lawmakers are expressing concerns that it could violate the separation of powers clause of the constitution.
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The House voted on Friday to approval a different path, which would allow the state auditor to appoint an independent audit firm to look into their practices. House Speaker Ron Mariano explained the reasoning behind this rule change.
"This has got nothing to do with repealing anything...[this is] an opportunity to acknowledge the 70-30 vote of the electorate," said Mariano.
The state auditor responded to this proposal saying it was "slapping voters in the face," and made a public call for Governor Healey to exercise her veto powers.
Notably, the governor does not have veto authority over legislative rules. A spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka says the senate will not be enacting a similar rule.
"The Senate has worked consistently to increase transparency in recent years, and is exploring ways to continue to do so for the coming session," said the spokesperson.
The Senate President's office noted that independent financial audits for their branch are already available online, although the auditor has said in the past that they were only made available after her office informed the senate that they were missing.
The governor and attorney general have not yet weighed in on whether they support or oppose the state auditor's authority to conduct these audits herself.