Transparency on Beacon Hill is long overdue

Politicians, particularly in blue Massachusetts, value transparency.

As long as they're not the ones being investigated.

The largest cohort that is good for you but not for me is the Massachusetts State Legislature, a body that has for years resisted attempts to lift the curtain on its operations.

Last year, the House defeated a measure to make committee votes public without a recorded vote and ended term limits for the state Senate president. Deals are often made behind closed doors, as if lawmakers were not elected by Massachusetts taxpayers.

The auditor Diana DiZoglio has no understanding of this.

In March 2023, DiZoglio launched an audit of the Legislature, saying in a statement, “We hope this will increase transparency, accountability and fairness in an area of ​​state government that has been completely ignored.” In the past, the Legislature was in session closed doors, where committee votes were hidden from the public and legislation was voted on in the dark of night.

“Taxpayers deserve more – they deserve the opportunity to have their say on the legislative, budget and regulatory issues that matter to them. Everyone should have equal and transparent access to and information about all federally funded agencies, including the legislature. Unfortunately, the Legislature has not been audited since 1922, while Massachusetts has one of the least transparent and accessible state governments in the country,” DiZoglio said.

It went past Beacon Hill like a lead balloon.

House Speaker Ron Mariano countered in a letter this month, saying: “That your office has the legal authority to conduct an audit of the court is a claim that has no legal basis or precedent, as it contradicts “It is a violation of several express provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution and is completely unnecessary since the public currently has full and easy access to the House's financial information.”

But as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell once said of Senator Elizabeth Warren after an attempt to silence her failed: She persisted nonetheless.

DiZoglio didn't budge, and now Question 1 — the auditor's authority to audit the Legislature — is on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.

As Mariano & Co. go to greater lengths to shield the Legislature from prying eyes, citing the state's Constitution, which allows it to set the rules for its own conduct and affairs, an important point is missing .

Like it or not, the Legislature is accountable to the people who voted for the legislators who preside over it. It is Massachusetts taxpayers who fund the policies and projects they vote on, and it is high time the public saw how the sausage is made. Not behind closed doors, not in secret committee meetings, but openly.

Mariano has called DiZoglio's offer a power push, and in one respect he's right. It's a power boost for the taxpayers and voters of Massachusetts, who deserve a Legislature that talks about transparency not just for others, but for itself.

The Boston Herald advocates a yes vote on Question 1.

Originally published: October 18, 2024 at 12:42 am