Hope for JCOPE

SUMMARY

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), created by Chapter 399 of the Laws of 2011, is the body that administers and interprets the laws governing the ethics of New York public officials in both the Legislative and Executive Branches. In this joint report, the Committee on Government Ethics and Common Cause/New York, provided a review and evaluation of JCOPE, assessing its effectiveness and its scope of authority. The report concludes that JCOPE thus far has fallen short in meeting its mission of acting vigorously to restore public confidence in government. The report includes a number of recommendations for improvements, many of which can be implemented by JCOPE without further legislation and at little or no cost.

WATCH NOW: “Ten Years In, JCOPE and Its Future” – a February 2021 City Bar program asking “can structural reforms reinvigorate JCOPE for the next decade or must JCOPE go the way of its predecessors and be disbanded?”