News
Attorney General calls for ethics, nursing home reform to special session
By Attorney General's office
May 9, 2008 - 3:13:59 PM

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today called on the General
Assembly to add ethics and nursing regulation reform to the call of the upcoming special legislative session.

The special session’s call in expected to include only renewal of the municipal real estate conveyance tax. Blumenthal today wrote state Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, and Speaker of the House James Amann, D-Milford, today asking them to add legislation establishing pension revocation for state officials convicted of corruption, a state False Claims Act and greater protections for whistleblowers.

Blumenthal’s letter also requests that the legislative leaders include in the session bills increasing state oversight of nursing home finances through regular audits, make it easier for the state to put homes into receivership and mandating increased staffing.

“I am writing to request the General Assembly include ethics in
government and nursing home reform in your anticipated call of a special session,” Blumenthal said. “While the legislature has made significant progress in toughening our ethics laws, additional critically important initiatives are vital to reestablish trust in state government. Connecticut’s nursing home patients and their families deserve better protection from operators who place profit goals ahead of patient care.

“Both are measures of urgent, profoundly significant public interest, requiring legislative action. Both clearly were close to approval, with consensus on most major provisions. We should seek closure. I strongly urge positive action on legislative proposals to enhance and enforce our ethics laws and protect residents and financial resources of nursing homes.”

Blumenthal asked lawmakers to pass bills that would:

• Empower a judge to revoke or reduce the pension of a state
official convicted of corruption -- a measure Blumenthal has
advocated since 2004.

• Create a False Claims Act allowing the state to recover treble
damages from individuals or companies who defraud the state.
The act, modeled on a highly effective federal statute on the
books since the Civil War, would allow citizens and government
officials reporting fraud to collect a portion of the damages.

• Strengthen protections for whistleblowers by increasing to three years after they report wrongdoing the period during which any action against them is presumed to be retaliation. The legislation would also grant the Attorney General’s Office authority to intervene to protect whistleblowers and increase a hearing officer’s power to shield employees from retaliation.

• Increase state oversight of nursing homes by empowering the
state to conduct regular audits of facility finances and making it easier for the state to seek a receivership if a home is misusing or mismanaging state funds.

• Mandate increases in nursing home staffing once the state’s
fiscal situation improves enough to allow for additional funding.

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