City Councilmember John Liu and Assemblymember Grace Meng held a special help session yesterday in Flushing to aid their Flushing constituents in determining if they are entitled to part of the $9 billion in unclaimed funds being held by New York state.

The Gazette went to press before the meeting, held from 5 to 8 p.m. in Liu's office at 135-27 38th Ave. concluded. As of press time, whether anyone was on the list of names provided recently by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was unknown.

On the day after Christmas, DiNapoli issued the list of names from throughout the state. The unclaimed funds include persons owed back pay, refunds on income and other taxes, expired bank accounts and insurance proceeds, all held by the state.

In scheduling yesterday's meeting, Liu (D- Flushing) stated, "Many people and families are having a tougher time now with the economic downturn, fiscal austerity and, in some cases, job losses. The state is sitting on $9 billion; some of which could be yours. It's quick to determine if in fact you are owed money and just as easy to claim."

Meng's statement read "My objective has always been to bring government closer to the people and what better way to do so than to help people claim their own, albeit long-lost, money. This is not part of the budget. The money belongs to people and will be returned promptly upon proper claim."

The public announcement by Liu and Meng (D- Flushing) said constituents should bring "as complete as possible" the list of all names used and addresses lived at in New York state. Completed applications will be notarized (as required) upon request. There will be no charge for the services, the lawmakers said.

Representatives from DiNapoli's office were on hand to assist. Assistance was provided in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, or any other language requested.