Maryland False Claims Act Update
I am pleased to report that the Maryland legislature has once again taken up false claims act legislation. Regular readers will recall the past battles in the Maryland legislature, which I was proud to play a role in, despite the virulent opposition and the frustrating lack of success we experienced.
Former Delegate Sam Arora carried the ball on the last few attempts at Maryland False Claims Act legislation. I was a bit sad to see Sam announce his retirement last year. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that anyone would be wiling to pick up the ball. So I was very happy to see that newly elected A.G. Brian Frosh did a press release yesterday announcing his support for the Maryland 2015 False Claims Act.
And make no mistake about it folks — having an Attorney General who will support the Maryland False Claims Act is important and it may just make the difference. This was something that was critically lacking in our past attempts — former Attorney General Doug Gansler was lukewarm at best about the prior legislation. I will hazard a guess here and say that it was because his soon-to-be opponent for Governor — then Lt. Governor Anthony Brown — was a very vocal supporter of the legislation and Gansler did not wish to give his soon-to-be opponent any victories.
Yes, Winston Churchill’s immortal words come to mind — Democracy really is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
On the other hand, General Frosh was always a supporter of FCA legislation while he was in the state Senate. I personally testified before his Senate sub-committee at least four times — that I can count — and he was always present and receptive to our testimony.
So we will keep our fingers crossed folks — and I encourage all Marylanders to reach out to their Delegates and state Senators and encourage them to vote in favor of the Maryland 2015 False Claims Act.
