Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wants expanded authority to fight fraud and tax payer abuse.
The office has the power to investigate and civilly prosecute fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds.
Connecticut’s False Claims Act has recovered over $180 million of misspent taxpayer dollars since implemented in 2009, but Tong said the law doesn’t go far enough. It only applies to spending in state, administered health or human services programs, which is just nine agencies.
Tong’s proposal would apply to the abuse of tax dollars anywhere in state government where tax dollars are spent.
New York and Massachusetts have broader laws regarding false claims. The state attorneys general have dealt with cases involving failure to provide safe working conditions, unreliable results of environmental testing, misrepresenting wages paid to workers and more.
