PUBLIC SESSION
MEETING CONVENED
Commissioner and Committee Chair Patrick Hanley called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Also in attendance were Committee member and Commission Chair Merita A. Hopkins and Committee member and Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson. Committee Chair Hanley, Commission Chair Hopkins, and Executive Director Wilson all participated remotely.
REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Committee Chair Hanley announced that the meeting was taking place by videoconference, with remote access provided to the public, pursuant to the law signed by Governor Healey on March 28, 2025. Committee Chair Hanley noted that all votes at the meeting would be taken by roll call.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
On the motion of Committee Chair Hanley, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Committee voted 2-0 to waive the reading and approve the public session minutes of the September 18, 2025 Committee meeting. Chair Hopkins stated that she abstained from the vote as she had not attended the September 18, 2025 meeting.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Committee Chair Hanley | Yes |
| Committee Member Hopkins | Abstain |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
DISCUSSION
The Commission’s Revised Internal Control Plan
Chief of Finance and Operations Benjamin Bloomenthal presented the draft revised Commission Internal Control Plan, dated July 2026. He explained that the revisions update references to the Commission’s current technology systems, including replacing references to the legacy case management system, Ethos, and legacy financial application, MMARS, with the new Legal Case Management System and MOSAIC, respectively. Mr. Bloomenthal stated that the draft also updates staff position titles to reflect the Commission’s current organizational structure, provides greater flexibility for the Executive Director to submit revisions of the Internal Control Plan directly to the Commission for review and approval, updates provisions relating to local administrator access to conflict of interest training records, clarifies Commissioner term limits, and revises language concerning statements of financial interests and conflict of interest law training requirements for newly hired public employees. Committee Chair Hanley said that the draft comprehensively updates the current Internal Control Plan to reflect the Commission’s current practices and technological changes. Chair Hopkins said that she agreed and noted that the revisions reflected substantial work and included clearer, more accessible language. Mr. Wilson explained that state agencies are required to maintain internal control plans in accordance with guidelines issued by the Office of the Comptroller and that the Commission reviews its plan annually to address new or changing risks. He thanked Mr. Bloomenthal for his work and stated that the revised draft represented a significant improvement over the current plan.
Mr. Wilson noted that several provisions of the draft Internal Control Plan remained under review and asked whether the plan’s language concerning the acceptance of civil penalty payments should anticipate the Commission’s possible future acceptance of electronic payments. Mr. Bloomenthal explained that the Commission currently only accepts cashier’s checks and bank checks and was working with Bank of America to implement equipment that would allow checks to be deposited within the office building rather than at a bank branch. He stated that Commission staff were also exploring whether electronic payment options may be feasible in the future in consultation with the Office of the Comptroller. General Counsel/Legal Division Chief Eve Slattery noted that settlement payments are held pending Commission approval and that accepting electronic payments could present practical issues if a proposed disposition agreement were not approved. Chair Hopkins suggested that the Internal Control Plan continue to reflect the Commission’s current practice until an electronic payment system is implemented.
Mr. Wilson said that he would recommend replacing the word “litigate” with “civilly prosecute” in Section 5 of the draft Internal Control Plan to better reflect the nature of the Commission’s work. Chair Hopkins said that she agreed and noted that the revised terminology would be consistent with other language used in that section.
Senior Assistant Enforcement Counsel Jenny Wojewoda identified several drafting issues, including wording in the “Commitment to Competence” section, as well as language stating that the Commission regularly sends conflict of interest law training notices to “all” state and county agencies, municipalities, and independent municipal districts. Public Education and Communications Division Chief Don Siriani explained that the Division endeavors to communicate with all known public agencies but that new agencies are periodically created and existing agencies occasionally change names. Public Education and Communications Division Deputy Chief Gerry Tuoti noted that the Division incorporates newly identified agencies into its outreach efforts as they become known to the Commission. He suggested revising the language to refer to entities “known to the Commission.” Chair Hopkins said that she agreed that the proposed revision addressed the concern. Mr. Wilson stated that it was an elegant solution.
Committee Chair Hanley asked whether there was consensus to forward the revised Internal Control Plan to the full Commission. Following discussion, the Committee agreed by consensus to submit the draft revised Internal Control Plan to the full Commission for final approval at its next meeting on July 29, 2026.
ADJOURN MEETING
At 10:34 a.m., on the motion of Committee Chair Hanley, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Committee voted 3-0 to adjourn.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Committee Chair Hanley | Yes |
| Committee Member Hopkins | Yes |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
LIST OF DOCUMENTS USED AT THIS MEETING
- Agenda for the Committee Meeting of July 16, 2026
- Minutes of the Committee Meeting of September 18, 2025, Public Session
- Draft Revised Internal Control Plan dated July 2026
- Draft Revised Internal Control Plan dated July 2026 (Red Lined)
Respectfully submitted,
Arthur Xia
Senior Program Coordinator