Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Unions and engineers call for stronger Taxpayer Protection Act after UMass privatization; bill would bring engineering services into audit review
Summary
Public‑employee unions and state engineers urged the committee to strengthen the Taxpayer Protection Act with enforcement mechanisms after UMass privatized advancement positions in 2023; a separate bill would also add engineering and design services to the act’s review to curb outsourcing and save taxpayer dollars.
Union leaders and state engineers told the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight that the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) requires stronger enforcement and additional covered services to prevent illegal or wasteful privatization.
Jason Johnson, a UMass Amherst staff member and union steward, described the 2023 UMass privatization of advancement functions that state auditor determined later violated the TPA. "A year later, after thorough review, the state auditor's final determination issued on 05/31/2024 confirmed that UMass Amherst violated the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
