Statement in Support of Legislator Disclosure Proposals Contained in the 2015-16 NYS Public Protection and General Government Budget

SUMMARY

The Government Ethics Committee issued a report in support of provisions in the 2015-16 State Executive Budget that would require disclosure by lawyer-legislators of their sources of outside income, including the names of their clients and a description of the services rendered. The provision tracks recommendations in a 2010 report by the City Bar. The Committee said there is no basis for excluding lawyer-legislators from the public scrutiny to which legislators should be held, and noted that in those limited circumstances where the public’s interest in disclosure might be outweighed by a client’s interest in secrecy, an independent system could be developed to vet claims of attorney-client privilege. The report also critiqued a proposed expansion of the disclosure of campaign “independent expenditures” as too broad, and urged that immediate steps be taken to strengthen the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the State’s ethics enforcement authority, to give JCOPE the teeth it needs to enforce ethics laws effectively. 

BILL INFORMATION

A.3005 / S.2005 (Part Q), 2015-16 Public Protection and General Government Budget – legislator disclosure proposals

OUTCOME

Spring 2015 44th Street Notes: “Legislative Update: Passage of a State Budget”