Since Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa became my state legislator in 2023, she has provided good constituent casework and has been accessible with town hall meetings. But some of her votes leave a lot to be desired.

Such was the case last week when Sabadosa voted to ram through the Orwellian-named bill H. 5469, an Act promoting transparency and public access in state government. This legislation, that would permanently constrain the power voters awarded the state auditor, by a 2024 ballot measure, to probe the Legislature, would also make some legislative records — but not lawmakers’ correspondence — publicly available. Lawmakers on the Ways & Means Committee (on which Rep. Sabadosa sits) found out about the bill at 10:26 a.m. Tuesday June 2 and had until 11 a.m. — just 34 minutes later — to read it and decide how to vote. By 4:47 p.m. on June 3, the bill was passed by the full House. Only three Democrats opposed it.

House Speaker Mariano lectures us about separation of powers, but this bill removes the courts from being able to officiate any disputes between the auditor and the legislature This is a clear case of the legislative branch interfering with the role of the judicial branch. We do need separation of powers but we also need checks and balances because without that, we have anarchy.

The House bill would also not apply the existing public records law to the Legislature and would apply to the governor’s office only for records created on or after Jan. 7, 2027 — the start of the next gubernatorial term.

Rep. Mindy Domb of Amherst spoke in favor of the measure on the House floor. “I rise in whole-hearted support of the audit provisions and urge you to pass this significant and historic measure. Like many of you, my constituents believe strongly in good government, transparency and accountability. They’re actively engaged in the legislative process. The majority in my district voted for the referendum to audit the Legislature,” said the Amherst Democrat.

This is the problem with a Democratic super-majority in the House and Senate on Beacon Hill. Rank and file solons like Sabadosa and Domb must exhibit total adherence to leadership. This means voting in lockstep with the speaker. If his light on the tote board is green, they vote yes, if it is red, their vote is a no. Voting otherwise (or “voting off” in State House parlance) means the loss of precious perks like a choice committee assignment, an extra aide, an office with a view of the Boston Common and a parking space in the State House instead of the McCormack State Office Building garage where you have to walk outside in the rain and snow. But the cost of this agglutination is high. In this case the undermining of the popular will of the people as expressed by their right of free petition on a statewide ballot question where 72 percent voted to have the state auditor conduct audits of the legislature (as is done in the other 49 states).

Matt L. Barron is a resident of Chesterfield.