Senator Avella Unveils Ethics Reform Package

(New York, NY) On Friday, State Senator Tony Avella unveiled a set of proposals to effect ethics reform in Albany. The reform package includes budgetary measures, legislative proposals already introduced and new initiatives the Senator will be looking to introduce this legislative session. As a former Chair of the New York Senate’s Ethics Committee and a career-long good government focused elected official, Senator Avella continues his push for a cleaner legislature. 

Included in the package are proposals to initiate campaign finance reform, create a firewall between lobbyists and consultants, hold consultants to similar disclosure requirements as lobbyists, reform JCOPE, extend legislative terms, forfeit pensions of convicted elected officials, require bills with majority co-sponsorship to be brought to the floor, and non-partisan special elections. For details on these, please see the attached document.

“It is incredibly important for Albany to prioritize ethics reform this session because the laws it passes will only ever be as good as the elected officials influencing their outcome. It is a mistake to dismiss ethical issues in Albany as exceptions or blaming a few bad seeds. Even bad seeds germinate and, as we’ve seen recently, can stretch as far as Senate and Assembly leadership. This is a systemic problem that will never be addressed if our course of action is to wait and hope that people will do the right thing. What we shoulddo is increase oversight and regulation. What we should do is have a set of incentives to reward those who do the right thing and punish those who do not. What we should do is make 2016 the year that marks a turning point for New York politics,” said State Senator Tony Avella.

The renewed push for ethics reform follows the convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos on charges of corruption. The very public profile of the cases have spurred momentum behind the movement to reign in Albany corruption.