Massachusetts Republicans target emergency shelter contracts that cost taxpayers millions

Top Republicans in Massachusetts say the time has come for reforms to how taxpayer-funded emergency contracts are reviewed and used in the state s emergency assistance shelter system The Senate Republican Caucus says it has filed comprehensive law that aims to place time limits on contracts and increase reviews while expediting the constituents disclosure of procurements Republicans are looking to take action months after the State Auditor s Office revealed that Gov Maura Healey s administration approved improper and unlawful no-bid contracts for food and transportation services costing taxpayers millions as part of the state-run exigency shelter system housing transients and local families Reports of foul play continue to emerge Republicans highlighted as they pointed to a Boston Globe article from earlier this month on how a nonprofit was paid nearly million by the state for emergency shelter services outsourced meal catering to a local grocery chain owned by a board member of the same nonprofit The caucus revealed the package of reforms just two days after the Herald published a assessment on the Healey administration no longer publishing a masses regular accounting of how much the state is spending on the exigency shelter system because a state law mandating the information has expired If approved the bill would limit crisis procurements to no more than days while allowing subsequent -day extensions based on written findings of necessity It would also require a procurement officer to make a detailed record of each exigency contract as soon as practicable according to a release from the Senate Republican Caucus Records would need to detail the cause and circumstances of the crisis the reasons why it was not reasonably foreseeable and any identifiable risks arising from not utilizing an crisis contract the caucus highlighted Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr acknowledged that expedited procurements play an fundamental role in responding to emergencies but he argued that their use necessities to be limited tailored to specific emergency conditions and accompanied by transparency and accountability The provisions of this law address serious issues that have been raised by multiple sources over the past several months the Gloucester Republican noted in a report and would significantly reduce the threat of impropriety whenever an crisis drives procurements State Auditor Diana DiZolio s office argued in a statement this past May that even though shelter caseloads had climbed since the start of the Healey administration went ahead and entered into four no-bid contracts including the million agreement with Spinell s and a million deal with Mercedes Cab Company The housing agency provided us no valid justification for the no-bid exigency contracts the audit explained Housing Secretary Ed Augustus responded saying that the no-bid contracts the administration agreed to addressed critical unmet necessities for food and transportation for families and children