THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 11, 2024 Page 19 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 fi ve questions on the ballot that will be decided directly by the voters in November. The question asks voters if they approve of a proposed law that would allow the state auditor to audit the Legislature. The actual language of the proposal is as follows: “The department of the state auditor shall audit the accounts, programs, activities and functions directly related to the aforementioned accounts of all departments, offi ces, commissions, institutions and activities of the commonwealth, including those of districts and authorities created by the General Court and the General Court itself, and including those of the income tax division of the department of revenue, and for such purposes, the authorized offi cers and employees of the department of the state auditor shall have access to such accounts at reasonable times and the department may require the production of books, documents, vouchers and other records relating to any matter within the scope of an audit conducted under this section or section 13, except tax returns.” 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. “As I committed, my offi ce has begun an audit of the state Legislature,” said DiZoglio. “We hope this will increase transparency, accountability and equity in an area of state government that has been completely ignored. Historically, the Legislature has been a closeddoor operation, where committee votes have been hidden from the general public and legislation has been voted on in the dark of night.” House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) responded. “That your offi ce has the legal authority to conduct an audit of the General Court is a claim entirely without legal support or precedent, as it runs contrary to multiple, explicit provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution, and is wholly unnecessary as the public currently has full and ready access to the House’s fi nancial information,” said Mariano in a letter to DiZoglio. “All of the House’s accounts are available on the Commonwealth’s Financial Records Transparency Platform (“CTHRU”) webpage, which can be viewed at www.macomptroller.org/cthru,” continued the letter. “There are no expenditures of the House that are not posted on CTHRU and available for public inspection. Additionally, the House adopts rules for each legislative session, including a rule that requires all House accounts to be independently audited on an annual basis in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to fi - nancial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and that the audit report be fi led with the House Clerk for public inspection.” Enter Attorney General Andrea Campbell. In November 2023, Campbell’s offi ce stepped in, saying the auditor “does not currently have the legal authority to audit the Legislature without the Legislature’s consent.” “Massachusetts has one of the least transparent legislatures in the country, and a legislative audit would shine sunlight on an infamously opaque body,” DiZoglio told Beacon Hill Roll Call last week. “This ballot measure would simply provide parity so that the Legislature receives the same type of audit conducted of all other state entities. Our incredible bipartisan coalition of advocates and activists agree, including Progressive Massachusetts, Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts, Act on Mass, the Massachusetts Voter Table, the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s State Committee, the MassGOP, the Coalition to Reform our Legislature, the Pioneer Institute, MassFiscal Alliance, Our Revolution and more. Most recently, the Boston Globe Editorial Board endorsed a yes vote on Question 1, saying it’s ‘simply the right thing to do.’” Here are the offi cial 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 offi ce. Legislative leaders claim it is suffi cient 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 eff ective, 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 offi ce 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.” BEACON | SEE PAGE 20 If We Happen To Meet By Accident ... You’ll Be Glad You Found Us! There is a difference between the rest and the BEST! Celebrating 46 Years In Business! TONY’S AUTO BODY Call or Visit 781-321-0032 34 Sharon Street Malden, MA 02148 TONYSAUTOBODYLLC.COM COME VISIT OUR STATE OF THE ART BODY SHOP • Computerized Paint Matching (State of the Art Spray Booth) • Computerized Frame Machines • P.P.G. 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