LUPINACCI BLASTS ASSEMBLY MAJORITY FOR LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,I-South Huntington) today lambasted members of the Assembly Majority for defeating 17 sweeping reforms, proposed by the assemblyman and fellow members of the Assembly Minority. The proposals were designed to hold lawmakers more accountable for their actions and bring more openness and transparency to Albany.

“The Assembly Majority once again failed the people of New York State by voting against the 17 proposed rules reforms that would bring more openness and transparency to Albany. We needed to pass these proposals, now more than ever, as our government has been rocked by scandals and arrests in recent months. If our new Speaker and the Assembly Majority were serious about ethics reform, they would not have hesitated to approve these proposals. Unfortunately, New Yorkers have been stuck with more of the same,” said Lupinacci.

Shortly after Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) held a press conference announcing the reform package, Lupinacci mentioned that the reform proposals would create more accountability for the actions of lawmakers and bring much- needed fairness and transparency back to an institution that has consistently been covered by a dark cloud for decades. The proposals included enacting eight-year term limits for Legislative Leaders, including Assembly Speaker, and committee Chairpersons; allowing every member of the Assembly the opportunity to have at least one piece of substantive legislation brought through committee to the floor of the Assembly for a vote; and televising and recording committee meetings, among others.

“The Assembly Majority should be ashamed of their lack of urgency to bring real reform to Albany. It’s time lawmakers earn back the public’s trust, and passing these reform proposals would have been a huge step in that direction. New Yorkers are tired of empty promises and the status quo; they deserve results,” concluded Lupinacci.

###