Balboni, DMV Commissioner Present License Plate to USS Theodore Roosevelt Captain, Crew

State Senator Michael Balboni joined Department of Motor Vehicle Commissioner Raymond Martinez at Sagamore Hill to present representatives from the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) of Oyster Bay with a replica of the recently introduced customized license plate honoring the 26th president of the United States. The plate will now be presented by the TRA to the captain and crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently fighting the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

"Roosevelt's achievements as president, governor, police commissioner, Rough Rider and winner of both the Medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace Prize, has made him an American icon," Commissioner Martinez said. "The captain and crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and all of our men and women in uniform, continue America's fight to uphold the ideals to which Teddy Roosevelt subscribed."

Senator Balboni said, "Theodore Roosevelt was a truly great leader, conservationist and family man. He left behind a tremendous legacy for all Long Islanders, and I am proud to be a part of a ceremony honoring President Roosevelt and the brave men and women aboard the USS Roosevelt defending American freedom and democracy."

The new license plate, introduced last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of Roosevelt's presidency in 1901, features a picture of Roosevelt with the initials "TR" on the left side, followed by up to six numbers or letters with the legend "Oyster Bay" across the bottom. The plates may be ordered at any DMV issuing office, via the Internet at www.nysdmv.com or by calling 1-800-364-PLATES.

Senator Michael Balboni said New York State needs better laws to protect the investing public from unscrupulous accounting practices. Balboni's comments followed a public hearing conducted by the Senate Higher Education Committee, which has jurisdiction over professional licensure. The goal of the hearing, which included testimony from public accountants and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), was to define the profession of public accountants in New York State and whether their role as independent auditors is compromised if they simultaneously provide consulting services.

After the hearing, Balboni said he would support legislation that would require accountants to retain their records, curb conflicts of interest and require accountants to conduct "trigger audits", a mechanism that classifies certain events as red flags that would trigger an immediate interim audit.

"The Enron scandal has shaken the public's confidence in the accountancy profession," Balboni said. "This is unacceptable when one considers the billions of dollars invested every day in our state and nation. It's up to us to take concrete steps to restore the public's confidence in their investments and the accountancy profession."

Employees, investors and retirees of the Enron Corporation lost billions of dollars when the energy giant collapsed last year, following allegations of improprieties by its corporate officers and illegalities by its accounting firm, Arthur Andersen. Critical to the ongoing investigation is whether Arthur Andersen violated the SEC's auditor independence rules.

"It's time that we tighten up the laws governing public accountancy - the very strength of our financial market depends on it," he said.

State Senator Michael Balboni traveled to the nation's capitol last week to meet with members of the National Conference of State Legislature's (NCSL) "Task Force on Protecting Democracy." The primary goal of the Task Force is to improve domestic security by coordinating communication and resources between federal, state and local governments.

"The terrorist attacks on America make clear the need for a coordinated and comprehensive strategy on every level of government to prevent, prepare and respond to threats against our freedom and security," Balboni said. "The Task Force on Protecting Democracy provides a forum through which local, state and federal legislators can share their ideas on how to best protect the safety of American citizens."

During the four-day conference, Balboni met with Homeland Security Director Thomas Ridge, as well as federal and state legislators from across the country to share resources and information relating to domestic security. Balboni and the other legislators participated in workshops and roundtables to review strategies for improving intelligence gathering, communications, health and human services and governmental operations.

The Task Force, which will meet four times during the first half of the year, will provide guidelines to assist local, state and federal legislatures in sharing their expertise and resources on issues of public safety, homeland security, emergency preparedness and public health. It will present its final report at the NCSL's annual meeting in July 2002.