BOSTON — The intraparty feud between Democratic State Auditor Diana DiZoglio and House and Senate leaders takes center stage on Tuesday when a ballot proposal to audit the Legislature goes before a legislative panel.
The proposal, one of several referendums inching toward the November ballot, would ask voters to approve a performance and financial audit of the state Legislature that DiZoglio has framed as part of a broader effort to improve transparency and accountability in state government.
On Tuesday, a special legislative committee will hear testimony in support – and possibly opposition – to the bill ahead of an April 30 deadline to approve the measure.
DiZoglio, who is expected to testify in support of the audit, said she believes voters are clearly behind the effort despite opposition from legislative leaders who argue the move is unconstitutional. But she isn’t optimistic about the prospects of lawmakers approving the question for the ballot.
“There’s always a chance that someone will speak up about this and push for it to go on the ballot,” the Methuen Democrat said. “But I understand that it is highly unlikely the committee would advance this question.”
DiZoglio said she plans on working with advocates on the ballot initiative in her personal capacity, not in her official role as auditor. Under state law, she can’t use taxpayer-funded resources, including her staff, to advocate for the referendum.
The Committee for a Transparent Democracy, a ballot committee chaired by Democratic political strategist Doug Rubin, turned in more than 75,000 signatures from voters to the Secretary of State’s office to put the question on the ballot.
Under the state constitution, the Legislature is required to consider the initiative petitions before backers of the referendums must conduct another round of signature gathering. Lawmakers have until April 30 to vote on the proposals.
If lawmakers don’t take up the measure, backers of the referendums must gather an additional 12,429 signatures by a July 3 deadline to get on the November ballot.
DiZoglio, a former state lawmaker, launched her review of the Legislature about a year ago but says she hasn’t been able to get access to individuals and records her office needs for a forensic investigation.
In July, DiZoglio announced she is pursuing a legal challenge against the House and Senate, and sent a memo to Attorney General Andrea Campbell asking for her support.
DiZoglio argues that the state House of Representatives and Senate are considered a “legislative department” of the state government, giving the auditor power to investigate their workings.
But House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-Quincy, and Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, have so far blocked her efforts to conduct the investigation into the House and Senate’s inner workings, calling the proposed audit “unconstitutional” and claiming it would violate the separation of powers.
The effort was dealt a blow in November when Campbell’s office rejected DiZoglio’s request to file a lawsuit to force the audit, saying a review of state laws, judicial rulings and the historical record, suggests she doesn’t have standing to file the legal challenge.
The ballot initiative has received backing from an unlikely coalition of conservative and progressive Democratic groups who have been collecting signatures for the effort and helping to raise public awareness.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com