Assembly Introduces Ethics, Campaign Finance and Lobbying Reform Bill

Last Friday, Assembly Speaker Heastie introduced A.9535, a measure that addresses lawmakers’ outside income, among other things. (Read the Speaker’s press release here.)

The bill would limit the “outside income” that lawmakers could earn to 40% of the $174,000 that Supreme Court justice are now paid on top of their legislative base salary of $79,500. This would allow them to earn $69,600, for a maximum of $149,100 per year.

It would also impose new restrictions on lawyers’ referral fees, and prohibit legislators from allowing an employer to use their name (such as a on a firm web site or letterhead) unless it is connected to “work actually performed” and the amount they are paid is reasonable and proportionate to the work they actually performed.

The bill would also close the “LLC loophole” by making LLCs subject to the existing contribution limits for corporations, would require LLC contributions to be attributed proportionally to LLC members, and would require annual reporting by LLCs. It would also amend the Election Law to limit the use of political party “housekeeping” funds for non-candidate expenditures.

With respect to lobbying, the bill would reverse JCOPE’s recent advisory opinion by exempting communications with the press from the definition of “lobbying.”  It would also expand the state’s existing “source of funding” reporting requirement by requiring lobbying entities to provide more information to JCOPE about their sources of funding.

The Assembly is expected to take up this bill tomorrow, though it remains unclear whether lawmakers will take up any ethics, campaign finance or lobbying reform matters as part of the state budget process.

Read news coverage from the Gotham Gazette, the Capitol Confidential blog, the Journal News and the New York Times.