Press Release  Auditor DiZoglio Testifies in Support of Bills to Strengthen Transportation Oversight and Improve Government Accountability

Boston — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio recently testified in support of two of her administration’s priorities this session: S2032/H3132: An Act to improve transportation oversight, and S2055/H3050: An Act improving government accountability, both of which are essential to enhancing the work of the Office of the State Auditor (OSA). Both bills are under consideration by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. 

S2032/H3132, sponsored by the Auditor alongside State Senator Liz Miranda (D-Boston) and State Representative Christopher Worrell (D-Boston), was filed in response to profound concerns about the state of safety at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Specifically, the legislation creates a permanent audit division dedicated to the review of transportation agencies. It authorizes the OSA to perform audits of the MBTA more frequently than the current biennial statutory requirement as determined necessary.

In her testimony, Auditor DiZoglio noted the countless incidents that have occurred at the MBTA in recent years, from a Green Line crash that injured 25 people to a Back Bay Station escalator malfunction that sent nine individuals to the hospital.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that we have a transit system that working families cannot rely upon,” said Auditor DiZoglio. “The MBTA has been plagued by one issue after another, with countless derailments and trains even literally catching fire. It is imperative that the public have faith in the MBTA as a safe, functional mode of transportation and that we do all we can to help prevent future incidents. While our office is in the midst of conducting a performance safety audit, we need to go further and have the ability to provide continual, comprehensive oversight. Swift action on this bill will allow us to do precisely that.”

The second bill, S2055/H3050, sponsored by the Auditor alongside State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) and State Representative Vanna Howard (D-Lowell), aims to strengthen the OSA’s ability to focus efforts and expertise on agencies and programs with the potential for the most significant risk of fraud or misuse of taxpayer monies.

Specifically, it modernizes the list of records that agencies and programs must produce to the OSA, updates the audit mandate to include an identification of risk in statewide processes and programs, and authorizes the OSA to require a corrective action plan from auditees rather than simply recommend a corrective action plan.

“This legislation is essential to providing the Auditor with the necessary tools to thoroughly conduct the audits her office is charged with,” said Senator Pacheco. “Under this legislation, audit mandates will be updated to include an identification of risk in statewide processes and programs and authorize the Auditor to require versus recommend a corrective action plan to auditees. When it comes to waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer monies, we must do all we can to prevent it.”

The OSA is legislatively mandated to audit more than 200 state agencies every fiscal year. Many of these agencies vary in size, funding, and services provided to the taxpayers.

“We know that not all government agencies are created the same and that agencies with small budgets and specific responsibilities may be at a lower risk of waste, fraud, or abuse than programs with large budgets and complex responsibilities,” said Auditor DiZogio. “Through this legislation, our audit teams will have the opportunity to analyze risk assessment while continuing to review potential areas for improvement throughout the audit process. It’s a commonsense bill that will go a long way toward supporting our efforts to promote accountability and transparency, improve performance, and make government work better.”

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