Newton's three state representatives are defending their support of a House bill that limits how the state auditor can examine the legislature, even though 65% of Newton voters approved Question 1 in 2024, authorizing the auditor to audit the legislature.

Reps. John Lawn, Amy Sangiolo, and Greg Schwartz all voted for the bill when it passed the House 125-28 on June 2. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio says the legislation gives House Speaker Ron Mariano full control over any future audit and would block her office from conducting the independent review she says voters demanded.

"An audit is not a basic one-time public records request of a few documents," DiZoglio told the Newton Beacon. "They took some of the language from that initial records request for simply a handful of documents and incorporated some of that language into this bill to try to give the appearance of giving the auditor's office what we asked for."

The bill, formally titled the "Act Promoting Transparency and Public Access in State Government," limits the auditor's access to 17 categories of documents, including legislative calendars, chamber budgets, and copies of annual audits the legislature already conducts. Much of that information is already publicly available. The bill also bars courts from resolving disputes between the auditor and the legislature over denied records requests. Appeals would instead go to the House Rules Committee, though an adverse ruling there could be further appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court.

Newton reps cite separation of powers

All three Newton representatives framed their votes as protecting the constitutional separation of powers.

Lawn said in a statement that the bill "strikes a balance that allows for meaningful oversight while preserving the principles of separation-of-powers essential to our democracy." Sangiolo argued the legislature's finances are already subject to independent audits by a nationally recognized accounting firm and that spending data is available through the Comptroller's CTHRU transparency portal.

Schwartz pointed to what he described as DiZoglio's broader ambitions beyond her court filings, saying the auditor "has at times indicated that she wants to review a much more expansive range of information regarding the inner workings of the House and Senate" including how both bodies are managed and administered.

DiZoglio disputed that characterization. She called the existing third-party audits "just a few pages of high-level numbers, with no itemized receipts, no availability to view state contracts."

Rushed vote, active lawsuit

The bill moved fast. Committee members received the legislation 34 minutes before they were asked to vote on it. The full House voted 24 hours later. Only three Democrats joined 25 Republicans in opposing it.

DiZoglio filed a lawsuit against the legislature in February 2026 to compel document production. That case remains active. Attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan is representing the auditor as a special assistant attorney general, and DiZoglio is awaiting a court date.

Mariano defended the bill in a CommonWealth Beacon opinion piece in June, writing that it "gives the auditor access to financial documents that she requested." He did not respond to further questions from the Newton Beacon about DiZoglio's specific claims.

The Senate is preparing to vote on its own public records bill, S 3200. DiZoglio calls that measure a "poison pill" designed to undercut a separate November 2026 ballot question that would extend the state's existing public records law to both the legislature and the governor's office.

Lawn faces a Democratic primary challenge from Alison Leary on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Ballotpedia identified seven Democratic primary races statewide where challengers to incumbents who voted for the bill have cited transparency in their campaign materials, including the Lawn-Leary contest in Newton's 10th Middlesex District.