Statement from Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook – 21st A.D.)
“Corruption is corruption, it doesn’t matter how you slice it. Since 2010, as the Ranking Member on the Assembly Ethics & Guidance Committee, I have been calling on the Legislature to take up ethics reform measures and address the public’s distrust in Albany. After two major ethics convictions last year, and today with the sentencing of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, we have nothing substantial to show for it. I have been calling on the Assembly to take up rules changes in to ensure fairness in our legislative process as well as meaningful ethics reforms like the Public Officers Accountability Act, term limits, and true pension forfeiture. In fact, the Assembly Republican Conference’s first press conference this year was calling on the Legislature to tackle Albany’s culture of corruption with a package of strong ethics proposals, but we were denied and defeated by the Assembly Democrats. With a staggering 97 percent of New Yorkers wanting ethics reform before the end of session next month, and with today’s sentencing of Silver, there is no better reminder or time to pass true ethics reforms.”
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