JUST IN: Massachusetts CCC Agrees To OIG Audit Demand Following Millions In Uncollected License Fees

By; Grant Smith-Ellis
Date; 4/17/25
Time; 2:35pm ET

On Thursday, the troubled Massachusetts CCC yielded to demands of state Inspector General and agreed to to retain an independent auditor following the OIG’s report into millions of dollars in non-collected license fees at the beleaguered regulatory juggernaut.

However, the CCC also strangely noted, ahead of time, that the agency may not be able to fund a full audit due to budgetary constraints. Also of note, nearly the entire leadership suite of CCC staff was either forced out of their positions, or left the agency, over the past 12 months, leading to a rapid turnover in multiple departments.

“The Commission will engage an external auditor from available state contracted vendors to confirm that both system and financial controls are in place to meet compliance regulations. Due to available funding in FY2025 and the current status of the Commission’s FY2026 budget request, the scope of such an external audit may be limited by availability of resources,” said a letter from new agency Executive Director Travis Ahern, sent to state Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro.

Read the OIG’s full initial report here - https://www.mass.gov/doc/ccc-failed-to-collect-prorated-and-provisional-license-fees/download

Read the response from the CCC here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VkIyfyYiT6xX2jk0_jmBgY2hPdy6ICM5/view?usp=sharing

Read testimony from the OIG, delivered to lawmakers in 2024, related to the larger systemic breakdowns at the CCC via the following link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kdkP_KnX-ChtLwwOU6SmHZuN92MkgzqF/view?usp=sharing

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill, along with working to pass Lorna’s Law (H194) to create a workplace and consumer safety unit within the CCC, are also actively considering other changes to the CCC’s structure to ward off internal abuse, coverups, nepotism and conflicts of interest.

The agency, for its part, is attempting to make some changes (such as new rules related to backend testing data documents that are expected to ward off false test results for dangerous products, a new state-wide lab for confirmatory testing lab being licensed in the coming months, and new disclosure requirements related to the use of radiation-based remediation on adult and medical use products), but it is unclear if those steps, along with this audit, will be enough to stop the pending reforms of the CCC on Beacon Hill.