Deepening the Legislature’s resistance to a new voter law, the Senate on Monday created a subcommittee that will field matters relating to Question 1, which authorizes Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office to audit the Legislature.
The voter law took effect on Friday, leading to another request from DiZoglio for the Legislature’s cooperation.
State Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said in a communication that surfaced during Monday’s session that the voter law raises “serious constitutional questions.”
Sen. Cynthia Friedman, D-4th Middlesex, will lead the subcommittee charged with handling matters relating to Chapter 250, a law “enacted by the people” titled “An Act Expressly Authorizing The Auditor To Audit The Legislature.”
DiZoglio, a former lawmaker and onetime legislative aide, has been steadily ratcheting up the pressure to get lawmakers to comply with the audit law. Voters approved it during last November’s general election.
“If you are not willing to accept an audit which is there to help to identify areas for improvement, that’s problematic because what do you want to find out?” the Methuen Democrat said, according to Spectrum News. “Areas where you can do better to better serve your constituents? What don’t you want to know? If there are gaps in systems that are in your institution so that you can work to fill those gaps? What do you want to know? What employees are not getting trained appropriately.”
Legislative leaders, including Spilka, and House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, have argued the audit question could violate the separation of powers in the state’s constitution.
