"The next bill before me is Introductory Number 630, sponsored by Council Member Yassky, Speaker Miller, Perkins, Moskowitz, Clarke, Koppell, Liu, Nelson, Recchia, Stewart, Weprin, Gennaro, and Brewer. This legislation requires the creation of civil penalties and a private right of action for false or fraudulent claims against the City of New York.

"Every year the City of New York loses millions of dollars in false medical, payroll and construction claims.  Citizens must have a means to protect their hard-earned money from these unscrupulous offenders.

"Intro. 630, a succinct version of the federal False Claims Act, enables the City to recover monetary damages from those who file fraudulent claims for payment of City funds and to recover the extensive costs necessary to protect taxpayers against such fraud. This bill will assist the Department of Investigations, the Law Department and the Comptroller's Office with their work on the Tort Fraud Task Force.

"When fully implemented, Intro. 630 will have the potential to save New York City taxpayers millions of dollars by discouraging fraud against the City and by encouraging people with knowledge of fraudulent activity to come forward.

"I would like to thank Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo, Jeff Friedlander, Stephen Louis and Andrea Berger of the New York City Law Department and Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn, Marjorie Landa and Michael Siller from the Department of Investigations for their hard work on this legislation. I would also like to thank the Council Members and their staff who worked on this bill for their leadership and commitment to this issue."