Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform in the Enacted 2015-16 State Budget (Updated)

After former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was accused of corruption in January, Governor Cuomo promised that he would not approve a state budget unless it included a strong ethics reform component.

The Legislature gave final approval to the budget early this morning. The enacted budget includes the following ethics and campaign finance reform provisions:

  • Disclosure of Outside Income by Lawmakers — legislators who work as lawyers and consultants will have to identify some of their clients, but may request an exemption from disclosure from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) or Office of Court Administration (OCA). Lawmakers will also have to describe the work they did on the client’s behalf.
  • Per Diem Reforms – each house of the Legislature will put in place “verification polices” regarding members who are in travel status.
  • Pension Revocation for Conviction of Public Corruption Offenses – both houses approved a constitutional amendment which provides for the revocation of the public pensions of public officials who are convicted of public corruption crimes. In order to amend the constitution, this must be approved again in 2017, and then by the public in the November 2017 general elections.
  • Limiting the Personal Use of Campaign Funds – the enacted budget adds language that strengthens the existing limitation on the personal use of campaign funds by adding a list of specific prohibitions.
  • Increased Transparency of Independent Campaign Expenditures

In his budget highlight statement, Governor Cuomo said “These measures will create the strongest and most comprehensive ethics laws for public officials of any state in the nation.”

Good government groups did not agree. They called for more comprehensive ethics reforms.

Read news coverage of the issue in the New York Times, City and State New York and WXXI.

UPDATE:  The Assembly did not approve the pension revocation  constitutional amendment, but according to a news report, the house will take the measure up when they return to Albany later this month.