(The Center Square) — Connecticut lawmakers are moving to expand the authority of the Attorney General's office to fight fraud and abuse in state government.
The proposal, which passed the state Assembly on a 138-7 vote, would expand the scope of the state's False Claims Act to allow the AG's office to investigate fraud and other government spending abuses beyond state-administered health or human services programs.
Attorney General William Tong initially proposed the changes, called the bill's approval a "bipartisan victory" for the state's taxpayers, and urged the Senate to approve the measure and send it to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk for consideration.
"Every public dollar, worker, program, and agency should be equally protected from fraud, abuse and corruption," Tong said in a statement. "That’s not the case in Connecticut today, but with this strong support from the House, we are a big step closer to full fairness and accountability."
At issue is a 2009 law signed by then-Gov. Jodi Rell gave the AG's office authority to investigate and civilly prosecute fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds.
But Connecticut's false claims law is "exceptionally weak," Tong says because it applies only to spending in state-administered health or human services programs. He said the law is "far more limited" than other states in the region.
More than 100 agencies, offices, and quasi-public agencies spend tax dollars on behalf of the state government, but the current law covers programs at only...
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