Amore Knocks Underfunding of "Watchdog" State Auditor

The Republican candidate for auditor is knocking state senators for their budget-debate decision against adding roughly $24 million in extra funding for the office he hopes to hold. The Senate Ways and Means Committee's $49.7 billion spending plan for fiscal 2023 funds the main line item for Auditor Suzanne Bump's office at nearly $18 million, up slightly from the $17.6 million the House included in its version of the budget (H 4701). The auditor's Division of Local Mandates, Bureau of Special Investigations, Medicaid Audit Unit and Enhanced Bureau of Special Investigation each have their own accounts.

On Tuesday evening, the Senate rejected an amendment from Sutton Republican Sen. Ryan Fattman that sought to boost the auditor's office administration funding from $17,977,332 to $42 million. The amendment, titled "Designating January as Peace Officer History Month," was redrafted after it was originally filed. Fattman's proposal was rejected with about 170 other amendments that were cast aside on a single voice vote, in a process that the Senate refers to as "bundling" and uses to streamline consideration of the hundreds of budget amendments put forward. Republican auditor candidate Anthony Amore criticized Senate's decision in a statement Wednesday, saying he believed the extra money "would have allowed the Auditor's Office to also increase the number of auditors and administrators needed to ensure that it finally succeeds in auditing every one of our 209 state agencies every three years." "For too long, the Auditor's Office has been underfunded compared to states with similarly-sized budgets as the Commonwealth's," Amore said. Amore is one of three candidates vying to succeed Bump, who is not seeking reelection. He is the only statewide candidate endorsed to date by Governor Baker. He will face off in November against the winner of a Democratic primary between Chris Dempsey and Sen. Diana DiZoglio