The Mass. State Legislature is the historically “least transparent state government” in the United States. 

Since taking office in Jan. 2023, one of State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s top priorities has been to conduct an audit of the state legislature. Relying on her experiences as a Mass. state senator who saw business being done behind closed doors with little input from rank-and-file membership, DiZoglio vowed to bring more transparency to Beacon Hill. 

“Members of the general public very much want and deserve [to have] a seat at the table,” DiZoglio said in an interview with The Beacon. “I simply sought to fulfill that commitment made to taxpayers when I got elected.” 

DiZoglio’s office has the authority to audit more than 200 entities across Massachusetts that receive state funding. Her office, however, does not have the authority to act as a law enforcement agency and audit without prior announcement. 

“Good government serves everyone,” DiZoglio said. “In Massachusetts, we should all have access to the information regarding what’s happening with our tax dollars.” 

The Open Meeting Law outlines that most government meetings should be held in public to ensure opportunities for public participation. The legislature is exempt from the Open Meeting Law, and information such as committee and floor votes are not required to be made public. 

“The legislature is the only entity [that] has gotten to the point of needing to go to court because of their continued non-compliance,” DiZoglio said. 

When the Office of the State Auditor sent an initial audit engagement letter to the legislature in March 2023, House and Senate leadership rejected the request, saying that DiZoglio did not have such constitutional authority. 

Her office then asked Attorney General Andrea Campbell to weigh in on the matter. Campbell’s office largely sided with the Legislature in a November 2023 letter, stating that under the current audit laws, DiZoglio’s office did not “have the legal authority to audit the Legislature without the [body’s] consent.” 

Although not allowed to conduct an in-depth audit, DiZoglio’s office released a performance audit of the State Legislature in October 2024. Among its recommendations were for the Legislature to complete financial audits in a timely manner, improve its website to ensure ease of access, and to re-establish a Legislative Research Bureau to improve processes and procedures on Beacon Hill. 

Alongside a group of bipartisan advocates for improved transparency across state government, DiZoglio supported a ballot question in the 2024 state election. A “Yes” vote on Question 1 would give DiZoglio’s office the authority to audit the Legislature. The “Yes on 1” campaign gained overwhelming support, with nearly 72% of Bay Staters voting in favor of adopting the measure. 

Since the audit law was updated with the provision passed last November, Legislative leadership has worked to curtail the new authority given to DiZoglio’s office. Legislators are forming a subcommittee and have changed their rules to diminish the new law, according to DiZoglio. 

“We need to continue to stay strong and demand that [the Legislature] adhere to and comply with the audit law that nearly 72% of the electorate voted for,” DiZoglio said. “They are trying to find a way to stymie the will of the voters.” 

DiZoglio added that her ultimate goal is to perform an audit of the Legislature and provide recommendations for the body’s policies, processes, and procedures to operate more efficiently and effectively. 

“We are simply public service journalists,” DiZoglio continued, “who draft reports based on our findings and offer potential solutions [and recommendations] to assist state departments.” 

In recent months, DiZoglio has called on Gov. Maura Healey and Campbell, who is the state’s top law enforcement officer, to help enforce the new audit law. Campbell’s office, according to DiZoglio, has largely remained on the sidelines. 

As the first legislative session of the term began on Jan. 1, House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have signaled reluctance to comply with the new audit laws, again citing “constitutional questions.” 

“It is our responsibility to fight for justice and to defend the people,” DiZoglio said. “The Constitution is there to protect the people, not the politicians.”