This is a video of Senate Democrats’ news conference today on the six ethics-reform bills they have introduced. The legislation would:
– Set up an independent ethics commission to police the legislative and executive branches;
– Increase financial and client disclosure requirements for public officials, legislative employees and candidates;
– Restrict the personal use of campaign funds;
– Develop a public campaign-financing system for state races.
– Create an independent redistricting commission;
– Eliminate pay-to-play in the state.
Meanwhile, the Citizens Union of the City of New York and other good-government groups held a news conference on what they described as an Albany “crime wave.”
One in 11 legislators - 17 of 185 - who have left office since 1999 have done so because of ethical misconduct or criminal charges, according to the Citizens Union. In the past four years, nine lawmakers have left for one of those reasons, compared to a total of eight in the previous eight years.
“So you can see that the pace has increased dramatically, which is why we have called this a crime wave that needs to be stopped,” said Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union.”
