Senator Serrano Applauds Governor Andrew Cuomo for Introduction of the Public Trust Act

(New York, NY) - Today Senator Serrano applauded Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's new legislative proposal, the Public Trust Act. The new legislation would create a new class of public corruption crimes and enhance the ability of prosecutors to investigate and prosecute public corruption across the state.

"I applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo for his introduction today of the much needed Public Trust Act," said Senator Serrano. "This legislation will raise the bar on public service by ensuring that elected officials abide by a code of conduct that will hopefully restore the public's trust in state government. The common sense measures outlined in the Public Trust Act will enable law enforcement to better investigate and prosecute public corruption, while creating stricter classifications for corruption and tougher penalties for engaging in such crimes.  

"This is an area of public service reform that is long overdue, and once again I thank Governor Cuomo for his continued leadership and advocacy on this issue. My hope is that the Public Trust Act will begin to help inspire confidence in state government by giving law enforcement the tools they need to properly root out corruption.  

"My sincere hope is that this legislation is taken up as quickly as possible during this current legislative session," concluded Serrano.

Serrano has long advocated for government reform, including increased transparency and accountability in the legislature. Serrano is the sponsor of bill S920, which would would empower state agencies to oversee the spending of member items, require them to publicly report on the usage of  distributed funds, and increase the transparency of the process.