Representative Steven S. Howitt stands with Massachusetts voters in support of legislative audit

Rejects Democrat leadership proposal to water down ballot question

Boston – State Representative Steven S. Howitt (R-Seekonk) is standing in solidarity with Massachusetts voters who overwhelmingly endorsed the 2024 legislative audit ballot question, rejecting a proposal by Democrat leadership that would negative the initiative, blocking future challenges should the Legislature fail to comply with requests for documents.

Representative Howitt opposed House Bill 5469, An Act promoting transparency and public access in state government. Instead, the bill – which was released from House Ways and Means without public hearings – gives the Legislature control over the audit process and provides no option for pursuing legal action to hold the Legislature accountable and force compliance with the ballot question, endorsed by 72% of the state’s voters.

House Bill 5469 codifies in statute the parameters of a legislative audit process, but Representative Howitt disagreed with the proposal’s limitations as to the documents that can be requested. These include the budgets adopted for the House and Senate and joint legislative operations; the commissioning and receipt of any official audit of either legislative branch or of joint legislative operations; the expenditure of legislative operating funds; and any monetary agreement entered into between either branch and a member, officer or employee. The audit is also limited to documents dating back to fiscal year 2021.

The pared down audit process outlined in House Bill 5469 represents a significant retreat from the comprehensive legislative audit overwhelmingly approved by the state’s voters two years ago but has yet to be implemented due to continued legislative resistance. Even more problematic than these restrictions is the bill’s language explicitly preventing the pursuit of a legal remedy through the courts. House Bill 5469 explicitly states that “No court shall have jurisdiction to compel the production of records, to enforce any interview request or to adjudicate any dispute arising under an audit conducted pursuant to this section.”

Despite Representative Howitt and others’ opposition, House Bill 5469 was engrossed by the House of Representatives on a vote of 125-28 on June 3 but still requires the Senate’s and governor’s approval to become law, which is not guaranteed.

Over the last two years, the House and Senate have continued to resist all efforts to implement the legislative audit, despite overwhelming public support. Representative Howitt commented that the latest proposal is another attempt by Democrat leadership to deny the will of the voters.

Representative Howitt said that the best way to avoid continued litigation would be for the Legislature to respect the will of the voters and immediately implement the 2024 audit law.