GOP Senators: Reconsider Mass. Jobs Methodology Audit
Republican senators on Thursday balked at Auditor Suzanne Bump's decision not to review the methodology used to determine state employment figures and asked her to reconsider.
Last week, Bump turned down an earlier request by the senators to audit the methodology, saying employment estimates, while publicized by state officials, are "created entirely by a federal agency" - the Bureau of Labor Statistics - over which the auditor's office has no authority or jurisdiction.
Bump, who served as labor secretary in Gov. Deval Patrick's administration before being elected auditor in 2010, wrote in a letter to senators: "Discussions with labor market information staff at the Department of Unemployment Assistance and BLS have confirmed to me that the governor's administration is not responsible for creating the CES [current employment statistics] estimates or revisions."
In a letter Thursday to Bump, the Senate's four Republicans, including Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, said they agreed her office has no legal authority to audit federal agencies but said they "believe strongly that an audit of the executive branch's role in jobs counting is not only within your jurisdiction, but also of great importance in guiding policy-making decisions for both the Patrick administration and the Legislature."
The GOP senators are seeking more information about supporting evidence behind Patrick administration reports that the state had created 40,700 jobs in 2011 prior to more recent reports that BLS revisions showed only 12,200 jobs were added. Asking Bump to reconsider, the senators wrote, "Without such an audit, the public will continue to be subject to inaccurate and misleading information that clouds the true picture of the state's economic recovery, and both the Administration and the Legislature will remain at a clear disadvantage for formulating effective policy changes to move the economy forward and get Massachusetts residents back to work."
The Patrick administration reported Thursday that the state added 9,100 jobs in February but that its jobless rate held for the third straight month at 6.9 percent.
Job gains and unemployment figures are compiled through two separate surveys - one of employers and the other of households - which often accounts for disparate results.
In a statement, Tarr said the Senate Republicans were "extremely disappointed" with Bump's decision. "It is becoming increasingly clear that the Patrick Administration's pronouncements on the Commonwealth's economic recovery and jobs growth should be met with healthy skepticism and serious study, given the wide disparity in what the Administration has been saying on these topics and what we have been hearing from a growing number of state and federal sources."
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments