Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio has notified top Beacon Hill leaders that her office is reviving the probe into auditing the Legislature, following the recent approval of Question 1 by voters, which gives her explicit authority to audit the Legislature. DiZoglio’s office had previously attempted an audit, but House and Senate Democrats refused to participate. Now, with the support of voters, she plans to conduct a performance audit covering high-risk areas such as state contracting and procurement procedures, the use of taxpayer-funded nondisclosure agreements, and financial receipts.
In a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, DiZoglio requested missing information from the Legislature to complete the audit. She outlined the process and timeline for the audit, including an entrance conference to be scheduled this month and a request for all records to be provided within 72 hours of the request. Once the audit is complete, lawmakers will have the opportunity to review and make comments on the draft copy.
Mariano and Spilka had previously accused DiZoglio of electioneering, but with nearly 72 percent of voters supporting Question 1, she now has the authority to move forward with the audit. The audit will be based on Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards, and DiZoglio is expecting cooperation from legislative leaders to provide the necessary information. The response from Mariano and Spilka to the election results indicated that they will consider next steps to respect the outcome of Question 1 in a manner that aligns with the principles of the Massachusetts Constitution.
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