Mark Grisanti's posts related to Consumer Protection

Residential Appliance Rebate Program

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently announced a new $3 million rebate program specifically for the purchase of high-efficiency ENERGY STAR® refrigerators and clothes washers. The program begins Sept. 2, 2011.www.cee1.org for more detail about super-efficient refrigerators and clothes washers.

Senator Grisanti and Assemblymember Gabryszak working together to help protect victims against fraudulent financial practices

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Assemblymember Dennis Gabryszak (D-Cheektowaga) announced the Assembly passed a bill he authored that would amend the Criminal Procedure Law to assist a victim of false financial practice, helping them remedy the fraudulent financial claim that the victim is indebted or obligated to a defendant, or secured party, in a criminal action (A.3457)“When someone makes a false financial claim against you, it can cause excessive and unfair damage to your credit rating,” Assemblymember Gabryszak said. “We cannot allow victims of fraudulent financial statements to go unprotected with nowhere to turn.

New York State Senate passes unit pricing bill to make shopping for value easier for consumers

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

The New York State Senate today passed a bill (S.7277A), sponsoredby Senator Mark Grisanti, that would require certain retail chain stores todisclose their unit pricing in an effort to make shopping less confusingfor customers looking for the best values. The changes would only affectstores with more than $2.5 million in annual sales.

Grisanti Bill Protects Consumers From Telephone Scammers

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Senator Mark Grisanti (R-60) today announced that the Senate has passed his bill S7652 which amends the general business law to require persons or entities operating a telecommunications service system to provide notice when the caller will be charged a fee on their telephone bill. The purpose of this bill is to prevent unsuspecting victims from dialing information and resources telephone numbers that turn out to be telephone scams that cost money. Scammers often use an ad with a local number that is transferred to a pay-per-call line

Welfare reform bill passes New York State Senate; Senator Grisanti was co-sponsor of legislation

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

The New York Senate today passed the “Public Assistance Integrity Act” which will protect public assistance for welfare recipients from being used to purchase cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets or for casino gambling. Present law allows cash assistance purchases of these items. The Bill S.7671 which was sponsored by State Senator Thomas W. Libous, Senate Deputy Majority Leader, and co-sponsored by Senator Grisanti (R-Buffalo) stops individuals receiving welfare from using the EBT card to make ATM withdrawals from certain places including liquor stores, casinos and strip clubs.

TONAWANDA NEWS: Tonawanda GOP leaders call for Medicaid fraud technology

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Monday, August 13th, 2012

City of Tonawanda Mayor Ron Pilozzi and Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick joined with state Sen. Mark Grisanti to publicly support an anti-fraud Medicaid bill at the Edward A. Rath County Office Building on Monday. The bill aims to save millions of dollars in Medicaid funds, but has repeatedly died in the State Assembly.

The bill, co-sponsored by Grisanti, would create a Medicaid identification and anti-fraud biometric technology program that would measure human body characteristics, like fingerprints, DNA, eye retinas, voice patterns and hand movements. The technologies would be used in clinics, hospitals and pharmacies to verify a patient’s identity prior to the state paying for the services.

WGRZ-TV: Telemarketing With Recorded Messages To Be Banned In New York State

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Telemarketers will now be prohibited from using prerecorded messages in telephone calls to New Yorkers under a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The measure was approved by the state Legislature this year, but it won't affect one area: the automated robo calls for political campaigns.

Grisanti Legislation To Protect Consumers Signed By Governor Cuomo

Posted by Mark Grisanti on Thursday, October 4th, 2012

Senator Mark Grisanti (R-60) today announced that Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed the Grisanti sponsored Bill S7652 into law to require persons or entities operating a telecommunications service system to provide notice when the caller will be charged a fee on their telephone bill. The purpose of the new law is to prevent unsuspecting victims from dialing local information and resources telephone numbers that turn out to be telephone scams costing money. Many, if not most times, the caller receives worthless information after making the call and then notices a “remote call forwarding” charge on their next telephone bill. This new law requires a notice of warning of fee/charge imposition for calling certain telephone numbers. “I am pleased that