JOINT ETHICS PACKAGE PASSES SENATE CODES COMMITTEE.

New York, NY – State Senator Daniel Squadron announced today that the joint Senate-Assembly ethics package (S6457/ A9544 and S6439/ A9559) passed the Senate Codes Committee. This crucial vote brings the ethics package one step closer to a vote of the full Senate, marking a significant stride forward in the campaign to bring reform to Albany. Before it can be brought to the floor for a vote, the package must also be passed by the Senate Finance Committee.

 

Senator Squadron said, “As a sponsor of this ethics package and a member of the Senate Codes Committee, I am pleased that today we are one step closer to passing ethics reform into law; but make no mistake, the fight has only begun. By passing this package, we can fill the Bruno Gap in our state’s ethics laws and begin to restore New Yorkers’ faith in government. This package is by no means a silver bullet, but it has the votes to pass, and a good law is better than a perfect press release. In addition to the immediate reforms being voted on by the Legislature, I am committed to continuing to work for further reform, including more disclosure and comprehensive campaign finance reform.”

 

The reform package, announced jointly last week by the Senate and Assembly, would:

 

    * For the first time, create meaningful enforcement at the State Board of Elections to pursue campaign finance violations;

 

    * Create a new, more independent ethics body to investigate wrongdoing by the legislature;

 

    * Require lobbyists and their clients to disclose business dealings with public officials, including all legislators, and require for the first time that legislators disclose income from consulting services and that income levels are publicly disclosed; and

 

    * Fill the “Bruno Gap” in state law by explicitly banning the use of government resources for outside, for-profit business.