Lack of Quorum Cancels Many Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists Meetings, Audit Finds
Boston, MA – In an audit released today, State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump found that a failure to meet quorum levels resulted in the Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists (BRHIS) cancelling six out of eight required quarterly meetings during the two-year audit period (July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019). The audit notes four disciplinary cases were delayed for 16 to 32 months before being heard as a result of these cancellations. The BRHIS executive director pointed to an inability to fill board vacancies as the source of this problem.
“State boards, such as the Board of Registration of Hearing Instrument Specialists, play an important role in government, helping to oversee agencies and adjudicate cases before them. It can be incredibly difficult to recruit qualified volunteers to fill these critical positions, it is important nonetheless,” Bump said of the audit. “I am encouraged that BRHIS indicates it has taken steps to fill the vacant positions on its board to help it meet its quorum requirements, however I urge the agency to seek changes from the Legislature if it does not believe it can sustain an adequate membership level.”
In its response, BRHIS states it has recruited additional board members to meet its quorum for upcoming meetings.
BRHIS is one of 38 boards overseen by DPL, an agency within the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The Board has six members, including one nonvoting member, who are appointed to three-year terms by DPL’s commissioner. BRHIS is authorized to issue and administer licenses and license renewals, administer apprenticeships, and resolve complaints against hearing instrument specialists.
The full audit is available here.
Audit Highlights Issues Related to Overtime at Massachusetts Environmental Police
Boston, MA – In an audit released today of the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP), State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump found that the lack of an effective system for tracking time and attendance as well as historically lax management leave the agency open to abuse.
“MEP needs to improve its technology and management accountability to ensure that hours worked are more rigorously tracked and overtime approvals and allocations are more rigorously accounted for,” Bump said. “We found many instances of poor record-keeping, including undocumented overtime approvals, as well as management practices incompatible with both wage and hour laws and the collective bargaining agreement. The potential for abuse is amplified by the agency’s permitting of shift-splitting, a practice unique among state law enforcement agencies precisely because of its potential for manipulation in order to enhance overtime earnings. This is not the first time that the agency has been called out for its lax practices. I hope this audit helps ensure it is the last time.”
In the audit, which examined the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, Bump’s office identified problems with MEP’s dispatch system, which is used to track an officer’s work shift or daily time and attendance. Auditors found 1,961 instances in the dispatch records of officers working more hours than allowed in a day. In more than 130 instances, officers remained logged in from 100 hours to 369 hours without logging out or updating their duty status. MEP pointed to technological issues as a primary source of the problem. The audit notes this deficiency leaves MEP with limited ability to effectively track the hours officers work.
The audit also found officers worked 1,834 split shifts in which they earned overtime, but did not receive properly documented approval to do so. Split shifts occur when an officer interrupts his or her regularly scheduled duties to work a paid detail or overtime, with an understanding that the officer will return afterward to complete required hours. It is uncommon for other statewide law enforcement agencies—including the Massachusetts State Police—to allow split shifts. The audit found five additional instances in which officers worked regular overtime without properly documented approval.
MEP is an agency within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. MEP is responsible for protecting the environment and natural resources of the commonwealth through enforcement, education, and public outreach. The agency has six bureaus: the Coastal Bureau, the Inland Enforcement Bureau, the Boat and Recreation Safety Bureau, the Environmental Crimes Bureau, the Marine Theft Bureau, and the Boat and Recreation Vehicle Registration and Titling Bureau. During the audit period, MEP had 119 employees, 85 of whom were law enforcement officers. For fiscal year 2018, the agency received $9,776,081 in state appropriations. In FY18, the agency paid $633,800 in overtime.
The full audit report is available here.
Audit Offers Steps to Address Security Vulnerabilities at MBTA Vehicle Maintenance and Storage Facilities
Boston, MA – In an audit released today of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump pointed to deficiencies in protocols that allowed terminated and retired employees to continue to access MBTA facilities after their departure from the agency. The audit notes this leaves agency facilities vulnerable to unauthorized access, placing the security and safety of MBTA property, passengers, and employees at risk.
Bump’s audit, which examined the period January 1, 2017 through March 15, 2019, found that the MBTA was not ensuring the retrieval and deactivation of employee access cards when an employee left employment, although written policies dictated that it do so. In its response, the MBTA indicated it has implemented, or plans to implement, the audit’s recommendations.
“MBTA equipment and staff are invaluable assets to the Commonwealth and the public. Access by unauthorized persons presents a security risk that needs to be remedied,” according to Bump. “I thank the MBTA management and staff for their recognition of this deficiency and hope that this audit aids them in resolving it swiftly and effectively.”
During the audit period, the MBTA did not disable the security access of 47 employees who left the agency. In cases where the MBTA did disable the security access of terminated employees, auditors found significant lag time between employees’ termination dates and the dates their security access was disabled. Of the terminated employee files reviewed by auditors, 71 percent indicated an access ID card had not been returned to the MBTA. There were 85 instances where a former MBTA employee used their ID card to physically access an MBTA facility after their termination date. The audit also found the MBTA did not promptly disable free transportation privileges of 76 former employees, resulting in lost revenue for the Authority.
The audit released to the public is abridged because of the sensitivity of the information contained in the full audit. Consistent with government auditing standards and the Massachusetts public records law, only the MBTA will receive a full, unabridged copy of the report.
The MBTA was established in 1964 and provides services via its rapid transit system, commuter rail service, bus service, ferry routes, and transit service for people with disabilities to nearly 200 cities and towns across the Commonwealth. It operates 10 facilities that house and maintain its current fleet of buses. During the audit, the MBTA had 1,002 active buses. It performs service, inspection, and repair on its trains at 13 additional facilities.
The full audit report is available here.