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Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Response from Chris Koster, Candidate for Attorney General

1. What accomplishments are you most proud of from your tenure in this position so far?

I'm proud of the way that the office has protected the people of Missouri and gone after those seeking to harm or defraud our citizens.  One of my promises when running for this office was to crack down on Medicaid Fraud in Missouri.  Over the past three and a half years, our office has recovered more than $152 million in stolen Medicaid funds, and returned the money to the people of Missouri.  Our office criminally indicted individuals who defrauded Missouri citizens with auto warranty scams that promised extended coverage but never delivered and is the first in the country to criminally indict a corporation in the mortgage robo-signing scandal that has affected so many Missouri homeowners.  And, our office went after the big banks and won 196 million dollars through the 50 state Mortgage Settlement— 40 million of which was used to help stave off cuts to state higher education institutions. 

2. What do you feel are the most pressing issues currently facing this office and what plans do you have to address these issues?

Our most pressing issue has been finding ways to do more with less, in an era of declining state revenues.  We have made adjustments, found areas of waste, and contracted the office by 25%, improved the working environment and did so on a budget that was 10% lower than when we arrived.

3. Describe how you work with, or will work with, others to address your priorities.

As a former member of the Missouri Senate, I have been able to create excellent relationships between the office and the legislature.  We have used these relationships to work on issues facing our state including expanding the Domestic Violence laws, and expanding Missouri's No Call List.

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