Thursday, March 01, 2007
State perk called illegal
JAMES M. ODATO Albany TimesUnion.Com
I have always felt in my heart and soul that the governor sets the tone for how state government works...that is why I so fervently supported Eliot Spitzer for Governor...I knew he would shake things up in Albany and get this state moving in the right direction.....this is another example of the "trickle down" reform affect Spitzer's Leadership is providing........andy
"ALBANY -- Two public agencies have been illegally paying for health care benefits of directors who are supposed to serve the state without compensation, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
In a legal opinion that could have wide ramifications, the first-term Democrat said in a 10-page letter that the agencies have no legal right to pick up the premiums for board members and that the deals are null and void.
He determined that contracts entered into by the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the New York State Housing Finance Agency violated civil service law.
Cuomo said the boards went beyond their authority in reimbursing retired board members for personal and family insurance policies and paying premiums for current board members.
Although the opinion is specific to the two housing agencies, it could also affect other public authorities that are paying for members' health insurance."
"Former Sen. Howard Nolan, one of the SONYMA directors who voted for the lifetime health insurance, said the votes came after lawyers for former Gov. George Pataki and the housing agency provided guidance.
"Our counsel and the previous governor's counsel said it was legal," Nolan said. "It was a situation where Gov. Pataki essentially cleared this." Is anybody really surprised over this??? for the rest of this article click here.......andy
I have always felt in my heart and soul that the governor sets the tone for how state government works...that is why I so fervently supported Eliot Spitzer for Governor...I knew he would shake things up in Albany and get this state moving in the right direction.....this is another example of the "trickle down" reform affect Spitzer's Leadership is providing........andy
"ALBANY -- Two public agencies have been illegally paying for health care benefits of directors who are supposed to serve the state without compensation, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.
In a legal opinion that could have wide ramifications, the first-term Democrat said in a 10-page letter that the agencies have no legal right to pick up the premiums for board members and that the deals are null and void.
He determined that contracts entered into by the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the New York State Housing Finance Agency violated civil service law.
Cuomo said the boards went beyond their authority in reimbursing retired board members for personal and family insurance policies and paying premiums for current board members.
Although the opinion is specific to the two housing agencies, it could also affect other public authorities that are paying for members' health insurance."
"Former Sen. Howard Nolan, one of the SONYMA directors who voted for the lifetime health insurance, said the votes came after lawyers for former Gov. George Pataki and the housing agency provided guidance.
"Our counsel and the previous governor's counsel said it was legal," Nolan said. "It was a situation where Gov. Pataki essentially cleared this." Is anybody really surprised over this??? for the rest of this article click here.......andy
