Senator Kemp Hannon announces a new "Clean Pass-HOV" initiative which allows, since March 1, eligible low-emission, energy-efficient vehicles --regardless of the number of occupants - to use the Long Island Expressway High Occupancy Vehicle (LIE/HOV) lanes.

"Our new 'Clean Pass-HOV' initiative will help create a stronger, cleaner New York," Senator Hannon said. "By encouraging the use of cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles on our roadways and providing New Yorkers with an incentive to use them, we will reduce our dependence on imported energy, and help improve our environment."

Under the "Clean Pass-HOV" initiative, the LIE's HOV lanes' occupancy requirement will be waived for qualifying passenger vehicles meeting strict emissions standards and having a highway fuel economy average of at least 45 miles per gallon. Registered owners of eligible vehicles can apply to the Department of Motor Vehicles to participate in the Clean Pass initiative.

Vehicles bearing Clean Pass stickers can travel the 40 continuous miles of HOV lanes in both the eastbound and westbound directions along the length of the Long Island Expressway from Medford in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, to the Queens border during peak travel hours, which are weekdays 6-10 a.m. and 3-8 p.m. Prior to the Clean Pass program, the 40-mile HOV lanes were reserved for use by vehicles with two or more occupants, buses and motorcycles during peak travel hours - weekdays from 6-10 a.m. and from 3-8 p.m. At any other time, the LIE/HOV lanes are open to all traffic. The LIE/HOV system provides time savings for commuters during peak drive times. Enforcement of the LIE/HOV regulations is provided by dedicated police patrols from the Nassau and Suffolk county police departments, who maintain the integrity and reliability of the HOV lanes.

Regulatory and guide signs will be installed over the next two weeks to inform and assist motorists with the new Clean Pass program.

Applications will be taken over the phone by calling the State Department of Motor Vehicles toll free (800) 697-0558. Upon application approval, DMV will mail stickers with instructions to registered vehicle owners.

Senator Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon, also co-chair of the Senate Task Force on Medicaid Reform, along with Deputy Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos unveiled the toughest, most comprehensive plan to combat Medicaid fraud in the United States.

The Medicaid Fraud Prevention and Recovery Reform Act of 2006 is a 10-point plan that would fight fraud and abuse at every step of the process, from billing and pre-payment review to investigation, civil recovery and criminal prosecution of Medicaid thieves. The bill was reported out of the Senate Health Committee and will be acted on by the Senate, in budget legislation and as separate legislation, next week.

"The Senate has led the way in identifying efficiencies to control the growth of Medicaid without sacrificing quality. Fraud undermines both of those goals by wasting tax dollars and also straining the system to the point where quality is compromised," Hannon said.

"Medicaid fraud steals from everyone in New York State. It drives up property taxes, state taxes and federal taxes and deprives the neediest New Yorkers of the quality health care they deserve. The Senate first raised this issue over a year ago and this ten-point plan is the most comprehensive Medicaid fraud package ever proposed. By strengthening the way we prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud, this legislation will fundamentally reform a broken system and achieve real results for hardworking taxpayers," Hannon said.

The Medicaid Fraud Prevention and Recovery Reform Act of 2006 includes similar reforms enacted in Texas that provided immediate results. In the first year after enacting Medicaid reform, Texas increased the amount of money recovered from Medicaid fraud by 30 percent, without incurring any additional expense. Texas, now, annually recoups five percent of its total Medicaid expenditures. Applying the results in Texas to New York's $46 billion Medicaid program would result in an annual savings of $2.3 billion for the program and provide relief for State and local taxpayers.

The federal General Accounting Office estimates that 10 percent of Medicaid expenses are diverted through fraud, an amount equal to billions of dollars spent by New York on the program. By some estimates, fraud may account for as much as 30 percent of Medicaid costs.

"A goal of the Senate's Medicaid Reform Task Force was restoring accountability to this bloated program that drains taxpayers' wallets. Eliminating waste, fraud and abuse are key steps toward achieving that goal," Hannon added.

The comprehensive Senate Medicaid fraud plan was developed after statewide public hearings held by the Senate Medicaid Reform Task Force. At the hearings, the task force received input and suggestions from people in the health care industry and the law enforcement community on what could be done to strengthen the state's efforts to detect and prevent Medicaid fraud.

Among those who testified at the hearing, held at Hofstra University in February, was Texas Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General Brian Flood, who spoke about the remarkable results of Texas' Medicaid fraud plan, upon which the Senate plan is modeled.

The Senate Medicaid Reform Task Force, created by Senator Bruno in 2003, recommended several important measures that have become law, including the state cap on local Medicaid expenses and the state takeover of the local share of the Family Health Plus program, that have saved local property taxpayers billions of dollars.