| | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | AUDIT OR NOT IT — It’s been 756 days since state Auditor Diana DiZoglio was sworn into office and 708 since she first attempted to launch an audit of the Legislature. But despite an early (unsuccessful) effort to bring the case to court followed by a monthslong (successful) ballot question campaign, DiZoglio’s campaign promise has remained out of reach amid pushback from Democrats in the Legislature. At this rate, it might stay that way until DiZoglio is on the ballot again next year. Several Democratic senators met Tuesday with members of DiZoglio's office to kick off the conversation about the scope of her probe, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November’s election — but which legislators contend violates the state’s constitution. The meeting was one of the first times senators expanded deeply on their concerns (and laid out possible legal arguments) — and they had a lot. Sen. Joanne Comerford questioned whether an audit coming from DiZoglio could be objective, considering she recently served as a state senator herself and was a member of the House before that. Sen. William Brownsberger prodded DiZoglio’s staff about the extent of her probe. And Sen. Cindy Friedman warned of a constitutionally “slippery slope” that could come from giving the executive branch office the power to audit the Legislature. “I let you do one thing, do you do the next? We don’t know,” said Friedman, the chair of the temporary committee the Senate set up to address the audit question. Neither side made much effort to mask their frustration throughout the meeting, which was marked by verbal jousting and tense back-and-forths over questioning. And by the end of the meeting, a consensus still seemed far off. "It was a productive discussion," Stephen Lisauskas, a deputy auditor in DiZoglio's office told reporters afterwards, though it "certainly got heated at times." The debate didn't end once the meeting wrapped. DiZoglio took to X, later in the day accusing senators of “asking auditors to explain and justify their audit questions and attempts to do their jobs in accordance with the law.” “Senators got their afternoon of political theatrics, while auditors got a glimpse into how the Legislature behaves in comparison with every other state entity,” she wrote. And Friedman shot back later Tuesday night, reiterating senators' concerns about potential constitutional overreach and conflicts of interest. "These key concerns remain, and are not and should not be referred to as ‘theatrics,’" Friedman said in a statement. "We look forward to answers from the auditor’s staff about how they propose to proceed with objectivity and in compliance with the Massachusetts Constitution.” GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Expect a busy day for the Senate today. It could begin debate on it's new rules package and a version of the $425 million supplemental budget that would add new restrictions for the state's emergency shelter system. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at 2 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a press conference introducing reparations legislation 1:30 p.m. in D.C. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Massachusetts reports spending nearly $500M so far in FY25 on state-run shelters,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has spent nearly $500 million on the state-run shelter system in fiscal year 2025, according to state data released more than a week after budget writers said they ran out of cash to pay for the emergency assistance program. The cost of running shelters for local and newly arrived pregnant women and families with children has ballooned over the past several years migrants from other countries arrived in Massachusetts and applied for taxpayer-funded housing.” — “Sen. Velis-led panel on antisemitism tangles with teachers union reps over pro-Palestinian resources,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Over the course of two hours Monday at the State House in Boston, legislators sitting on the Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism presented numerous pro-Palestinian exhibits — resources that educators might use in their classroom — drawn from a members-only section of the Massachusetts Teachers Association website. For Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, who co-chairs the special commission, the exhibits all discuss the plight of Palestinians, but none show the Jewish or Israeli perspective, despite the complexities of understanding the geopolitical realities of the Middle East.” — “Proposal would lower firearm purchase age to 18,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Gun rights advocates are pushing to lift a state ban on the sale of handguns to anyone age 18 to 20 in response to a recent federal appeals court ruling that struck down a federal ban. A proposal filed by state Rep. John Gaskey, R-Carver, would allow individuals 18 and older to apply for a Firearm Identification Card without restrictions and for a License to Carry Firearms, under the same conditions set for those 21 and older. It would essentially repeal a state law restricting firearm access for that age group.”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “City will ask state help for rebuild of Madison Park High,” by Seth Daniel, The Dorchester Reporter: “Mayor Wu said Tuesday that her administration will seek state approval and funding to help build a new or heavily renovated facility for the aging Madison Park Technical Vocational High School campus in Roxbury. In a letter to city councillors on Monday, the mayor requested council approval to begin the application process with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) before a filing deadline in April. There is no guarantee that the state authority will approve the city’s funding request, although the city of Boston has seen success in recent grant cycles.” — “Indicted Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson scrambles to avoid state campaign finance law violation,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Indicted Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson headed off an enforcement action from state campaign finance regulators Tuesday, with the late filing of a report that detailed more than $4,000 in political contributions and spending. Fernandes Anderson, who paid $1,750 to settle prior violations of the state’s campaign finance law last fall and was federally indicted weeks later on six public corruption charges, was warned last week by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance that its legal department would step in if she failed to file the report.”
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL | | — “To jumpstart housing, Kraft vows to cut down affordability mandate,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: “As part of his housing plan, Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft is proposing to allow real estate developers to subsidize fewer apartments and condos in order to push stalled market-rate projects toward construction. Kraft on Wednesday unveiled more details for the housing plan he floated during his campaign kickoff last week, including a voluntary form of rent control. If landlords agree to keep annual rent increases to no more than 5% plus any change in the consumer price index for a decade, they would get a 20% property-tax rebate, Kraft proposed Wednesday. To be eligible, renters would need to make no more than twice the area median income.”
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — "How mass deportations would affect New Bedford’s economy,” by Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light: “One in five residents of New Bedford, or about 20,000 people, were born outside the U.S, compared to one in seven nationwide, according to recent Census estimates. That includes immigrants of any legal status, including the city’s large Portuguese population. There are no exact tallies of how many undocumented immigrants are here, but the Immigrants’ Assistance Center estimates there are about 10,000 such people in the city. The Migration Policy Institute estimates the total number in Massachusetts is 209,000. Removing them would cause massive disruptions to the local economy, academics and advocates say: the city would lose an irreplaceable supply of workers and customers, and that could cause businesses to raise prices or leave.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “NTSB combing track and train inspection records in probe into Green Line trolley crash,” by Nick Stoico, The Boston Globe: “Federal transit investigators are gathering track and train inspection records and will conduct a 72-hour background of the crew as they probe a collision on the Green Line last weekend in Somerville, officials said. The crash about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the East Somerville Station sent four train operators to the hospital, but none were admitted. A passenger was also taken to the hospital with a reported neck injury and was later released. The collision occurred when a train with five passengers on board hit a stationary train that was out of service. One car on each of the two-car trains derailed, according to the MBTA.” — “MBTA boosts South Coast Rail's train schedule. Residents near tracks worry about noise,” Dan Medeiros, The Herald News.
| | | | A new era in Washington calls for sharper insights. Get faster policy scoops, more congressional coverage, and a re-imagined newsletter under the leadership of Jack Blanchard. Subscribe to our Playbook Newsletter today. | | | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “Pressley on Trump promise to lower costs: ‘How’s that going?’,” by Lauren Irwin, The Hill.
| | TRUMPACHUSETTS | | — “Mass. groups among plaintiffs suing over ICE church enforcement policy,” by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: “Two Boston-based clergy groups have joined a lawsuit to stop the recent federal immigration policy change that allow ICE agents to conduct enforcement in places of worship. Shortly after taking office last month, President Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to throw out a 15-year-old internal policy not to arrest migrants at sensitive locations such as schools or churches. The policy immediately drew criticism from clergy organizations. On Tuesday, 20 Christian and Jewish groups from across the country sued in federal court in Washington, D.C., asking a judge to order the federal government to reinstate the policy. If agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement make arrests in places of worship, the groups argue in the lawsuit, it will infringe on congregants' right to freedom of religion and expression.” — “'Litigate,' 'legislate,' 'mobilize': House Minority Whip Katherine Clark on Democrats' plan to fight Trump,” by Scott Tong and Will Walkey, WBUR: “Democrats have been scrambling to counter President Trump’s blitz of executive orders the last three weeks. But in Congress, their options are limited. So what will the minority party's resistance look like in budget talks and debates over executive power? ‘What we have seen from day one in office is that Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress have betrayed the American people,’ says House Minority Whip Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. ‘They ran on decreasing costs, making life more affordable, easier, safer, and they have done just the opposite.’” — “How does Trump’s ban on paper straws impact Mass.? Here’s what to know,” by David Cifarelli, MassLive.
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Cambridge becomes first city in Mass. to eliminate single-family zoning,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe: “The Cambridge City Council Monday night passed a dramatic overhaul of the city’s land-use rules, broadly allowing buildings up to six stories in neighborhoods across the city. The plan makes Cambridge the first city in Massachusetts to eliminate single-family zoning, meaning there’s no longer anyplace in the city where only single-family homes can be built. That has long been the standard in many communities, but has greatly constricted the construction of new housing. That does not mean single-family homes are no longer allowed in those neighborhoods, but rather that something as tall as six stories could be built on nearly any lot as well. Supporters hope the change will generate thousands of new units over the next decade in what is already one of the most densely populated — and most expensive — cities in the U.S.” — “Worcester City Council votes to declare city as sanctuary for transgender people,” by Adam Bass, MassLive: “The Worcester City Council voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution that declares Worcester a sanctuary city for those who are transgender and gender diverse. The council voted 9-2 on the resolution, with Councilors-at-Large Morris Bergman and Donna Colorio voting against it.”
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