Cuomo says new ethics board needs ‘fine tuning’
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 21, 2012
Tags: ethics board, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo says new ethics and lobbying regulatory board he created needs some changes after the Senate’s deputy majority leader was publicly identified as the subject of a preliminary case review. Cuomo tells public radio’s “Capitol Pressroom” that the Joint Commission on Public Ethics needs what he called “fine tuning” after news [...]
Slaughter brings official to help farmers
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 21, 2012
Tags: department of labor, farm organizations, growers, Rep. Louise Slaughter
Rep. Louise Slaughter of Fairport on Monday welcomed U.S. Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Seth Harris to Rochester where they joined local growers and farm organizations to discuss improvements to a federal program pivotal to a productive harvest season. Harris’ visit is the latest step in Slaughter’s decade-long efforts to give upstate growers direct input [...]
State police promote seat belt campaign
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 21, 2012
Tags: seat belt campaign, state police
New York state police Monday began a 14-day zero tolerance seat belt enforcement period as part of the Buckle Up New York-Click It or Ticket Campaign, which runs through June 3. The goal is to get more drivers and passengers to buckle up and ultimately save lives. Throughout the Memorial Day holiday period, troopers, deputies [...]
IOLA Fund announces 2012 grant recipients 
By Todd Etshman
POSTED: May 21, 2012
Tags: 2012 grant recipients, IOLA fund
The Interest on Lawyer Account Fund of the State of New York has announced its 2012 grant awards to legal service organizations across the state, including seven from western New York. The fund distributed $22 million in grants to support programs that provide free legal services to low-income residents of New York state, up slightly [...]
Court OKs Legislature lines for fall elections
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: district lines, election districts, New York State
ALBANY — A panel of federal judges says the new election district lines drawn by the Senate and Assembly majorities will be used in the fall elections. The decision is a critical win for Senate Republicans hoping to secure their slim majority in the chamber despite a Democratic voter advantage of nearly 2-to-1 in the [...]
Hearings on ‘forced’ insurance in foreclosure
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: foreclosure, Insurance, regulators
ALBANY — New York regulators say premiums for so-called “force-placed” insurance have more than tripled since 2004, producing enormous profits for insurers and the banks that take out policies when a homeowner fails to maintain coverage required by the mortgage. Department of Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky says in some cases the premiums are “exponentially [...]
Utility customers to get $2 million in refunds
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: refunds, utility customers
ALBANY — New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says checks totaling nearly $2 million are in the mail to 2,700 New York customers of Columbia Utilities LLC and Columbia Utilities Power LLC. He says Thursday the companies lured consumers with false promises of 15 percent lower rates and instead their bills went up. Also, when [...]
DFS issues new requirement for life insurers
By Todd Etshman
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: Death Benefits, department of financial services, life insurers, new requirement
Insurance companies that issue life insurance policies in New York state must now implement reasonable procedures to identify unclaimed death benefits and find (and pay) their beneficiaries — this according to a new regulation issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services this week. Insurance Regulation 200 requires life insurance companies to check [...]
Lippman discusses his job, threats to the judiciary
By Denise M. Champagne
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, court reforms, webcast
A judge’s life experiences come into play in the cases they decide, according to New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. “We look at so many issues,” he said late Wednesday afternoon via a live webcast on court reforms, broadcast from the Unified Court System’s website. Judge Lippman said the judges on the state Court [...]
NY proposes $199K cap for state contractors
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 16, 2012
Tags: Spending cap, state contractors
ALBANY — The Cuomo administration has proposed regulations to limit spending by state contractors, including a $199,000 executive salary cap that can only be exceeded using money not from the state. The proposals by 13 agencies cover contractors — many providing social services — that receive more than $500,000 in state support annually representing [...]
Panel: You can be a Court of Appeals judge
By Denise M. Champagne
POSTED: May 16, 2012
Tags: Commission on Judicial Nomination, court of appeals, judgeship, nominations
If you think you would like to be a judge on the state Court of Appeals, then submit your application. That’s the message members of the state Commission on Judicial Nomination brought when they came with their “road show” to Rochester on Wednesday to encourage qualified candidates to apply. It is the beginning of a [...]
NOFA announces food policy council workshop
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 15, 2012
Tags: council workshop, food policy, NOFA
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York is conducting workshop on “Food Policy Council and Networking for New York.” The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 7 at the Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Ave. Featured will be Kate Mendenhall, executive director, NOFA-NY; Mark Winne, Food Policy Council [...]
