The Department of Law provides legal counsel to the State and represents the State in many court proceedings. It protects State agencies and citizens through the investigation of organized and white-collar crime as well as Medicaid fraud. The Office of the Attorney General protects consumers from fraudulent business practices and defends the public's interest in the courts by protecting charitable donors and beneficiaries and enforcing laws prohibiting discrimination. The Department also brings civil and/or criminal actions against violators of Environmental law.

The Department of Law is included in the Public Protection and General Government bill.

State Operations

The Executive recommends an All Funds State Operations appropriation of $188,427,000, an increase of $1,492,000 or 0.7 percent over SFY 2002-03.

The State Operations appropriation includes the following:

• a $3,068,000 increase to reflect salary adjustments and agency operation costs;

• a $3,670,000 personal service reduction through staff attrition and early retirements;

• a $7,238,000 transfer of General Fund support to Special Revenue-Other funds to utilize additional revenues; and

• a $3,000,000 increase in Special Revenue-Other funds related to broker/dealer fee increases (see Article VII below).

The Executive proposes Article VII language which would increase several real estate and security broker fees in the Department of Law. The bill would increase the fees by 50 percent for entities and individuals involved in the purchase or sale of securities from or to the public. The proposed fees are as follows:

Fee Description	Existing Fee	Proposed New Fee
Broker-dealer's statement (firms)	$800	$1,200
Statements in excess of $500,000 (individuals)	$800	$1,200
Statements of $500,00 or less (individuals)	$200	$300
Property securities sales	$10/200	$15/300
Salesman's statements	$100	$150
Supplemental salesman's statement	$20	$30
Sale of capital stocks	$200	$300
Issuance of no filing required letter	$150	$225

Article VII

The bill also increases the real estate syndication offering fee from $500 to $750 on offerings less than $500,000 and from two-tenths to four tenths of one percent on offerings in excess of $500,000. Fees for amending statements are increased from $150 to $225 for each amendment and to other applications where no actual sales occur. Minimum fees for Applications for Exemptions would increase from $500 to $750.