Senator Bonacic’s Statement on Governor Cuomo’s Threat to Have a Late Budget

"Ethics reforms should not be tied to the budget, instead they should be considered separately after the budget.  Formulating and generating an on time budget that is responsive to the needs of everyday New Yorkers is the most important duty of the Governor and the Legislature. The public counts on the government to fund education and provide essential services.  Threatening to shut down the government, as Governor Cuomo has done, if he does not get his way, would be counterproductive.  If the Governor is predicting a late budget, it is probably related to his education reform and funding proposals, more than anything else.

That being said, there are reforms that I am in favor of.  I support reforming the system to increase the income of legislators to a fair and reasonable wage, as there will have been no increase in legislative pay for 18 years, and in conjunction with that, barring outside income from active employment, thereby diminishing the temptation for corruption.   Additionally, for the last 4 years, the Senate Rules have provided for (8) year term limits for the Temporary President, Majority Leader and Committee Chairs.  It is my belief that the Senate will continue to support such reforms which reduce the problems associated with entrenched leaders. 

All the ethics reforms in the world will not cure an individual who is prone to being dishonest. It is incumbent upon the voters to support candidates who are honest and have integrity. If an elected official is not acting in the best interest of the people he or she represents, they should be voted out of office. Additionally, there are numerous offices with the authority to go after bad actors in government:

United States Attorneys;

New York State Attorney General;

District Attorneys;

Joint Commission on Public Ethics;

New York State Inspector General;

Independent Enforcement Counsel at NYS Board of Elections; and

Senate and Assembly Ethics Committees."