Statement from Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st A.D.)
“This is the third year Gov. Cuomo has talked about passing “meaningful” ethics reform, and it is by no means historic. I understand that no reform will be absolutely perfect because people who want to come to Albany to exploit the system will indeed find a way to do that. Although there are some good measures in this, including measures I have advocated for several years now such as pension forfeiture for elected officials convicted of felonies, there are areas where this reform package falls short. This ethics bill requires reforms that are commonsense and expected such as not allowing elected officials to use campaign funds for personal expenses, country club membership and child care. It also establishes an electronic system to guarantee the presence of legislators in Albany when they are attempting to collect a per diem allotment.
In addition to not going far enough, there are some troublesome aspects to the bill such as the fact that despite the Governor’s assertions the reporting requirements will not primarily take effect until 2017 and the bill does not require full disclosure of outside income. Furthermore, this ethics reform does not close limited liability partnership and lobbyist campaign contribution loopholes.
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Legislation that my conference colleagues and I, as the Ranking Member of the Assembly Ethics Committee, have sponsored (the Public Officers Accountability Act A4617) and our efforts to introduce reforms to Assembly operations through rules changes, not surprisingly, were both blocked and defeated by Democrats in the Assembly. The measures we advocated for included term limits for legislative leadership positions, including Speaker of the Assembly and committee chairmanships, and were ultimately not included in the final budget, despite our repeated calls to do so. This ethics package lacks complete openness, accountability, and transparency, but because we need to rein in corruption in Albany, I support all the provisions of the bill as a step in the right direction. But let’s not kid ourselves, much more needs and should be done to win back the trust of the public.”
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