Mass. Senators and auditor's office hold long-awaited meeting
The Senate has expressed concerns about constitutionality due to the separation of powers clause since before this ballot measure passed. They are also concerned that the State Auditor's previous tenure as a representative and later as a senator would create a conflict of interest.
MTA and lawmakers discuss Israel-Palestine material in classrooms
Senators raised a variety of questions in the meeting, spanning from the scope of the audit; to who the auditing team would direct any questions to; to if the audit is meant to ensure the Senate follows its own rules.
'How do you decide? You could call it a slippery slope, right? Because if I let you do one thing, you could do the next. We don't know, okay?' said Senator and Committee Chair Cindy Friedman to reporters after the meeting.
The auditor's office said the Senate is breaking the law because they have not yet produced the documents the office is requesting. The auditor's team expressed frustration as they perceive the senate to have been unwilling to work together thus far, but after the meeting, they told reporters they feel that talks are moving in the right direction.
'I think it was a good discussion, a productive discussion, it certainly got heated at times,' said Executive Deputy Auditor Stephen Lisauskas.
During the meeting, senators also asked clarifying questions on certain materials requests, and said it is unfair to expect all documents to be handed over before Tuesday's preliminary meeting–although they emphasized that they believe almost all requested documents are already available online.
As of now, legal action is not off the table for the auditor's office, and the House speaker said he is sure this issue will end up in court.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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