JCOPE Takes Actions in Response to Recently Enacted Lobbying and Ethics Reforms

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the state’s lobbying and ethics agency, met this morning and began carrying out the changes that that were enacted as part of the state’s 2015-16 budget.

The Capitol Confidential blog reports that JCOPE will be hiring new employees to meet the agency’s expanded workload relating to local lobbying activity, and for ethics enforcement.

Capital NY reports that new financial disclosure forms have been printed, and state officials who practice law must now also disclose the particular services they provided and whether those services were provided directly to clients.

JCOPE has also updated the information on its web site relating to local lobbying. The state budget dramatically expanded the scope of lobbying activity that is subject to registration and reporting under the Lobbying Act by bringing in a whole host of additional local governments and every one of the nearly 700 school districts throughout the state.