The heat is turning up on the more than one-year debate on Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s right to audit the Legislature. In the November 2024 election, voters approved Question 1 asking if they favor allowing the state auditor to audit the Legislature. The question passed overwhelmingly by 72% of the vote. However, it has now been 15 months since the voters approved the audit, and it has yet to take place.
On Feb. 10, DiZoglio filed a suit against House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka asking the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to force them to comply with the 2024 voter-approved law authorizing her to audit the Legislature.
This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call looks back to February 2025, three months after voters approved the audit, when the House, 24-127, rejected an amendment that would require DiZoglio to conduct an annual audit of the House. The amendment would replace a current House rule that the state auditor recommends a firm to conduct an annual audit of the House and the business manager of the House would hire that firm.
During debate in February 2025, amendment sponsor Rep. Brad Jones, R-North Reading, argued, “This amendment would honor the will of the voters by allowing the state auditor to conduct these annual audits of the House in compliance with Question 1.”
“Every city and town in the commonwealth voted for this question to be the law,” said Rep. Marc Lombardo, R-Billerica. “Unfortunately, essentially on party lines, the House Democrats defeated the amendment and once again refused to comply with the will of the voters. Beacon Hill Democrats need to end this inter-governmental feud and finally respect the voters and give them the transparency they demand and deserve.”
Rep. Michael Day, D-Stoneham, said this new rule would violate the separation of power in the Constitution. He noted that Article 30 states the legislative department shall never exercise executive and judicial powers, the executive shall never exercise legislative and judicial powers, and the judicial shall never exercise legislative and executive powers.
Day also argued that the rule requiring the House to hire a firm recommended by the state auditor is sufficient.
A “No” vote is against the amendment requiring the state auditor to conduct a yearly audit.
- Rep. Aaron Saunders — No
- Rep. Susannah Whipps — No
Also up on Beacon Hill
Change language referring to people with disabilities (S 2594)
The Senate approved and sent to the House a new version of a bill that would modernize and remove archaic language in state laws to reflect the evolution of terminology relating to people with disabilities. The House and Senate had already approved different versions of the measure, and this new third version, drafted by the Senate, now goes to the House for consideration.
Changes include replacing “handicapped persons” with “persons with disabilities;” replacing “the mentally retarded” with “persons with an intellectual disability;” replacing “retarded children” with “children with an intellectual disability;” and replacing “disabled American veterans” with “American veterans with disabilities.”
“Several years ago, a friend told me how disrespected she felt when people called her ‘handicapped,’” said Senate sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville. “We realized there are many state laws that use that outdated language, as well as words like ‘retardation.’ When people realized how offensive the ‘R’ word is, the Department of Mental Retardation was renamed the Department of Developmental Services. So, I filed [this] bill to replace [other] words from state law and use more respectful terminology. Language is not stagnant. It changes as needs, awareness and times change. It is essential that we keep up with these changes. And, as a commonwealth, we are overdue in making those changes.”
Locksmiths (H 1562)
The House gave initial approval to legislation that would require any locksmith hired by a tenant to change locks on a rental property to make a good faith effort to determine whether a landlord has received notice of the request. The locksmith would also need to determine if the rental agreement requires that the owner retain a key to the leased residential premises, and if so, the locksmith would need to make a good faith effort to provide a key to the new locks to the owner within two business days of the locks being changed.
Supporters said that in the event of a fire, a bursting pipe or a gas leak, seconds matter. If a landlord has an old key that no longer works, they may have to break down a door to prevent property damage or save lives.
“This issue was called to my attention by a Franklin landlord who was locked out of her property after the tenant had the locks changed,” said sponsor Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin. “This legislation ensures that a landlord’s fundamental right to emergency access and property oversight is protected by requiring locksmiths to verify notice before altering a rental unit. By mandating that owners receive a duplicate key within two business days, the bill prevents dangerous delays during maintenance crises or life-safety emergencies. Ultimately, it fosters transparency between tenants and owners while preserving the integrity of the lease agreement and the security of the physical asset.”
Protect pets during emergencies (H 1559)
The House gave initial approval to a proposal that would make major changes in laws about pets in homes, apartments, hotels and shelters during a state of emergency to allow owners to remain safely housed and not be removed from housing due to their pets.
The bill would prohibit a landlord from “initiating action to evict any person from a residential dwelling unit who has a pet without written permission based solely on the presence of the pet until one year after a state of emergency, unless the presence of pets is causing harm to the safety of other residents.”
Other provisions include prohibiting a hotel from unreasonably refusing to allow pets into a hotel during a state of emergency, unless the pet has demonstrated noise and safety concerns; prohibiting condominium associations from discriminating against owners or renters by banning certain types of dogs based on breed, size, weight or appearance; establishing a program of pet ownership by residents of state-aided public housing; allowing landlords to require a tenant to pay additional rent for “common household pets” but limiting the amount of the additional rent charged for each household pet to not more than 1% of the first full month’s rent; prohibiting landlords from charging additional rent for a service or assistance animal required by a tenant with a disability as a reasonable accommodation under state or federal law; and prohibiting an insurance company from refusing to offer insurance to homeowners or renters or from imposing an increased premium or rate of a policy based on a specific breed of dog owned on the property.
Supporters say that pets are very important to their owners and argue that these new laws would be fair to the pets, owners and landlords while also protecting public safety.
Reps. Dave Rogers, D-Cambridge, and Samantha Montaño, D-Boston, co-sponsors of the proposal, did not respond to requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the bill.
Home repairs (H 1271)
The House gave initial approval to a measure that would prohibit insurance companies from including in a policy a provision requiring an insured homeowner to complete a repair prior to the release of funds estimated by the insurer for the cost of repair.
Supporters said that this is a pro-consumer bill that would help homeowners because many insurance companies pay the claim in stages, not all at once. They noted that some homeowners are required to pay the repair company faster than the insurance company pays the homeowner, and they cannot afford to pay the repair company out of their own pocket and then wait for the insurance company to reimburse them.
Rep. Jim Murphy, D-Weymouth, the sponsor of the bill, did not respond to requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the bill.