Statement from AG on $1m cut from $42.2m budget

October 15, 2008 11:45 AM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today that the Attorney General’s Office is committed to making $500,000 to $1,000,000 in budget cuts for the remainder of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

“The Attorney General’s Office plays multiple roles in the Commonwealth, both bringing in revenue for the Commonwealth and saving taxpayers money,” said Attorney General Coakley. “As such, we are diligently and carefully reviewing our budget in order to best determine how we can trim our spending while not impeding our ability to recover funds for the Commonwealth and to continue to advocate for consumers. We will continue to evaluate our budget and analyze our caseloads, operations, and the effect of different cuts on revenues and our ability to perform critical functions.”

The Attorney General’s Office brings millions of dollars back to the Commonwealth and its citizens each year. In Fiscal Year 2008, for example, the office generated direct recoveries and savings for the Commonwealth and residents of more than $200 million. These recoveries and savings include:

§ Recovering funds for the Commonwealth and individual consumers or victims through civil law enforcement matters, including lawsuits and settlements of consumer protection, environmental protection, civil rights, and fair labor matters.

§ Securing lower gas, electricity and insurance rates for Massachusetts consumers through ratepayer advocacy efforts.

§ Recovering millions for the state Medicaid program through civil and criminal Medicaid fraud cases.

§ Recovering funds for cities and towns through False Claims Act cases.

§ Generating fees for the Commonwealth as the result of the office’s approval of public charity organization registrations.

In addition, the Attorney General’s Office saves the Commonwealth’s taxpayers millions of dollars by successfully defending the Commonwealth in eminent domain cases, employment suits, personal injury suits, and other suits against the Commonwealth and public officials.