Attorney General Andrew Cuomo had a full house waiting for him at Middletown”™s Monhagan Middle School May 28. It was Cuomo”™s first visit to the region since becoming attorney general, and he told the packed auditorium his office is there “to help enforce the rule of law.”
And that can make some people leery, he added: “No one wants to get a phone call from the attorney general ”“ even if for a golf game.”
Cuomo came down hard on the health care industry, saying companies that control insurance reimbursements, rate doctors and decide reasonable and customary care charges are not independent and need scrutiny.
He also talked about a new online sex offender registry to protect teenagers who use MySpace and Facebook. “I have two teenage daughters,” he said, “and as I get older, I find out I know less and less ”¦ of course, they don”™t believe that anyone online would lie about anything, but we are trying to protect teens who use these networking sites from predators.”
Parents, he added, should monitor their children”™s activities online: “Parents are the best line of defense when it comes to protecting children when they are online.”
Cuomo, accompanied by lawyers from the attorney general”™s office, introduced heads of various investigative departments, including civil rights, environmental protection, student loans, Internet safety and health care complaints.
“If you believe you”™ve been victimized by a corporation, we are the people to contact,” Cuomo said.
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Several members of the audience attended breakout groups after Cuomo”™s overview.
“That”™s why I”™m here,” said Mary Bingham, a nurse and a member of the town of Monroe”™s Conservation Commission, “It”™s good to know where we can look for help if we run into problems.”
Cuomo also said his office had reached an agreement with the MTA whereby former employees and officials will no longer have free use of the E-ZPass system. “Certainly, if they are employees engaged in MTA business, it makes sense … but to give E-ZPasses to people who are retired … not a good idea.”
Cuomo, who served under President Bill Clinton as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said a number of companies involved with New York”™s subprime crisis were under investigation but declined to name them.
The visit also gave the Cuomo a chance to put in a good word for first-term Congressman John Hall, D-Dover Plains, who will face some opposition from Republicans in the 2008 election. With the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the exodus of several top appointed officials looming in Albany, Cuomo”™s visit provided some positive public relations in a state besieged by a spate of governmental scandals.
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