Public Ethics

Our Reform Agenda

Establish an independent ethics agency, with ethics commissioners chosen solely by persons not subject to the agency’s oversight (including judges), and oversight powers over the executive and the legislature
Implement policies that would improve independence, enforcement, transparency, and training at the state’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG)
Make COELIG’s due process hearings (after a finding of credible evidence of a violation) public, with discretion in some cases
For organizations that spend $5,000 to $10,000 on lobbying in a year, reduce reporting requirements from every 2 months to every 6 months
Expand the state’s Ethics Code by including a duty to report known misconduct and not engage in sexual or other discriminatory harassment, linking the code with the NYS Human Rights Law
Allow COIB to correct public mischaracterizations of ethics guidance
Make the budget of the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) independent and increase Its size

Restrict lobbying of elected officials by people who served on their former campaigns for office or firms who provided campaign services
Require lobbyists to report their contributions and fundraising activity
Require campaigns to disclose a contributor's employer in campaign finance reports
Require lobbyists to specify support or opposition of governmental action in lobbying reports
Include among reportable matters lobbying regarding nomination or confirmation of a nominee that requires Senate confirmation
Make political parties explicitly subject to the Lobbying Law
Restrict donation bundling by lobbyists and other fundraising intermediates
Make financial disclosures digital and public, and expand filers to include economic development entities
Restrict contributions from those who do business with the state, and create a Doing Business Database to track entities involved in economic agreements with the state
Empower the Attorney General to independently initiate investigations and prosecute cases involving public corruption
Eliminate state legislators’ stipends
Forbid public servants to work on matters relating to former interest

Establish an independent ethics agency, with ethics commissioners chosen solely by persons not subject to the agency’s oversight (including judges), and oversight powers over the executive and the legislature
Implement policies that would improve independence, enforcement, transparency, and training at the state’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG)
Make COELIG’s due process hearings (after a finding of credible evidence of a violation) public, with discretion in some cases
For organizations that spend $5,000 to $10,000 on lobbying in a year, reduce reporting requirements from every 2 months to every 6 months
Expand the state’s Ethics Code by including a duty to report known misconduct and not engage in sexual or other discriminatory harassment, linking the code with the NYS Human Rights Law
Allow COIB to correct public mischaracterizations of ethics guidance
Make the budget of the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) independent and increase Its size

Restrict lobbying of elected officials by people who served on their former campaigns for office or firms who provided campaign services
Require lobbyists to report their contributions and fundraising activity
Require campaigns to disclose a contributor's employer in campaign finance reports
Require lobbyists to specify support or opposition of governmental action in lobbying reports
Include among reportable matters lobbying regarding nomination or confirmation of a nominee that requires Senate confirmation
Make political parties explicitly subject to the Lobbying Law
Restrict donation bundling by lobbyists and other fundraising intermediates
Make financial disclosures digital and public, and expand filers to include economic development entities
Restrict contributions from those who do business with the state, and create a Doing Business Database to track entities involved in economic agreements with the state
Empower the Attorney General to independently initiate investigations and prosecute cases involving public corruption
Eliminate state legislators’ stipends
Forbid public servants to work on matters relating to former interest