State Representative Tara T. Hong spoke on the House floor Wednesday in support of House Bill 5469, an Act promoting transparency and public access in state government, legislation aimed at expanding public access to legislative records and strengthening accountability across state government.

During floor debate, Representative Hong emphasized that the legislation is about strengthening trust between residents and their government.

“At its core, this bill is about strengthening the relationship between the people of Massachusetts and their government,” Representative Hong said. “Our residents deserve a government that is open, accountable, and accessible. They deserve to know how decisions are made, how public funds are spent, and how our institutions operate on their behalf.”

Hong says the House will, for the first time, make the Legislature subject to a new public records requirement and process, creating a clear process and statutory right for the public to access legislative records.

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who championed a successful 2024 ballot initiative giving her office the authority to conduct audits, fired back at the House effort and Hong specifically in a social media post published as discussion was taking place on the floor.

“Rep Tara Hong of Lowell is up on the House floor speaking against the 72% audit right now in favor of Mr. Speaker’s bill to control audits completely and nullify entirely my office’s ability to conduct an audit,” DiZoglio wrote. “Rep Hong also deleted his video previously endorsing this audit where he stated he fully supported it while campaigning for this seat. Times change quickly.”

In further outlining his support for the Bill, Hong states it also ensures the Governor’s office will be subject to existing public records law. He adds that H5469 establishes and defines the audit authority based on the four categories requested by the Auditor and her counsel:

• The official budget of any branch of the general court
• Operational expenses of either branch of the general court or of joint legislative operations
• Expenditure of funds appropriated by either branch of the general court or by joint legislative operations
• The expenditure of any monetary agreements entered into by either branch of the general court between a member, officer and/or employee

Representative Hong also highlighted that the bill invests in modernization efforts to improve transparency practices across state government.

“H.5469 makes an important investment in implementation, providing funding to modernize recordkeeping systems and improve access across the House, Senate, executive branch, and joint legislative operations,” Hong stated. “These resources will help ensure that transparency is not just a promise, but a practice that can be carried out effectively.”

The legislation also includes provisions that:

● Establish legislative records access officers for both the House and Senate;
● Create timelines and procedures for public records requests and appeals;
● Expand public access to committee activity, voting records, fiscal documents, and legislative reports;
● Allow oversight by the State Auditor of administrative operations such as budgeting, payroll, and vendor spending.

Representative Hong states that the legislation carefully balances transparency with constitutional independence and effective governance.

“This legislation also recognizes a fundamental truth: transparency and accountability are not partisan values. They are public values,” Representative Hong said. “Every resident of the Commonwealth—regardless of political views—benefits from a government that is open and accountable.”