Massachusetts Republicans target emergency shelter contracts that cost taxpayers millions

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Oct 14, 2025

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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 legislation” that aims to place time limits on contracts and increase reviews, while expediting the public disclosure of procurements.

Republicans are looking to take action months after the State Auditor’s Office found 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 emergency shelter system housing migrants 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 $10 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 announced the package of reforms just two days after the Herald published a report on the Healey administration no longer publishing a public, regular accounting of how much the state is spending on the emergency shelter system because a state law mandating the data has expired.

If approved, the bill would limit emergency procurements to no more than 90 days, while allowing subsequent 90-day extensions based on written findings of necessity. It would also require a procurement officer to make a detailed record of each emergency 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 emergency, the reasons why it was not reasonably foreseeable, and any identifiable risks arising from not utilizing an emergency contract, the caucus highlighted.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr acknowledged that expedited procurements “play an important role in responding to emergencies,” but he argued that their “use needs to be limited, tailored to specific emergency conditions, and accompanied by transparency and accountability.”

“The provisions of this legislation address serious issues that have been raised by multiple sources over the past several months,” the Gloucester Republican said in a statement, “and would significantly reduce the risk of impropriety whenever an emergency drives procurements.”

State Auditor Diana DiZolio’s office argued in a report this past May that even though shelter caseloads had climbed since the start of 2023, the Healey administration went ahead and entered into four no-bid contracts, including the $10 million agreement with Spinell’s and a $2.8 million deal with Mercedes Cab Company.

The housing agency “provided us no valid justification for the no-bid emergency contracts,” the audit said.

Housing Secretary Ed Augustus responded, saying that the no-bid contracts the administration agreed to addressed “critical unmet needs for food and transportation for families and children.”

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