Common Cause/NY Opposes Proposed Ethics Reform

NEW YORK, NY (01/13/2010)(readMedia)-- Common Cause/NY cannot support the joint ethics bill which has been announced this morning in Albany by the Senate and the Assembly. We agree with Senate President Sampson that New Yorkers are demanding significant changes in ethics laws, however we cannot agree that this bill is the sweeping change demanded by the corruption crisis in Albany. We recognize that there are some improvements over current law, but this bill, which does not provide independent ethics oversight over the Legislature and fails to require full disclosure of elected officials' outside income, does not adequately respond to the public's demands. The argument that this is the best that can be achieved, in the current political climate, is a sad statement of the inability of the Legislature to distinguish between small steps and the sweeping reform the situation requires. Common Cause/NY does not believe that this bill should be enacted.