Good Government Groups Call for Special Session on Ethics

New York’s 2015 legislative session ended early this morning, but good government groups are expressing dissatisfaction that lawmakers did not address Albany’s “ceaseless ethics problems.”

The groups – which include Citizens Union, the Brennan Center, Common Cause, the League of Women voters, NYPIRG and Reinvent Albany – are calling for a special session to be held on ethics reforms.

The groups are calling for:

• strengthening the state ethics watchdogs to bolster their independence and public accountability;
• considering limits on lawmakers’ outside employment;
• appointment of an independent executive and legislative compensation commission; and
• closing the LLC loophole created by the Board of Elections, and other critical campaign finance reforms.