About the Audit
On November 7th, 2024, the People of Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly for full transparency.
72% of voters voted to have the State Auditor audit the legislature.
1. What the voters approved.
The ballot question that 72% of Massachusetts voters supported essentially said:
➡ The State Auditor should be able to audit the Legislature.
That would allow the elected State Auditor’s office to conduct a full performance audit of the House and Senate.
A performance audit can examine things like:
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spending
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contracts
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hiring
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program effectiveness
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internal operations
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compliance with laws
In other words: real oversight.
2. What happened after the vote?
Just one week after voters spoke, the Massachusetts House took action.
On November 14th, 2024, representatives voted on House Rule 85A—the rule that governs how the Legislature is audited.
👉 A YES vote kept control of the audit inside the Legislature
👉 A NO vote supported giving control to the State Auditor, as voters approved
Result:
- The majority voted YES
- Only 10 Representatives voted NO
👉 See how your State Representative voted!
💥 In other words:
Despite 72% of voters demanding independent oversight, legislative leadership chose to keep control of the audit themselves.
3. What does Section 85A do?
Section 85A allows the House to say:
“We already get audited.”
But that audit is very limited.
It is only a financial audit of the House accounts, performed by a private accounting firm.
It typically checks things like:
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Are the numbers accurate?
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Are financial statements correct?
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Are accounting rules followed?
It does NOT examine:
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legislative decision-making
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political spending
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committee operations
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patronage hiring
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policy programs
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legislative procedures
So it is basically an accounting review, not oversight.
4. Who controls the audit under 85A?
Under Section 85A
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The House committee requests the audit
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The House Business Manager hires the firm
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The House provides the documents
The State Auditor:
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only recommends a firm from a given list
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does not conduct the audit
So the legislature controls the process.
5. Why leadership cites this rule.
When leadership argues against the ballot question, they often say things like:
“The legislature already undergoes independent audits.”
They are referring to Rule 85A.
But, a private financial audit is not the same as a government oversight audit. The auditor voters elected should be able to audit the legislature directly.
6. Who has authority?
The fight is really about who has authority.
Legislature’s position:
The Legislature is a co-equal branch of government, so the State Auditor cannot audit them without their permission.
People's position:
The State Auditor is already empowered to audit state agencies, and voters clearly supported extending that authority to the Legislature.