Citizens Union advocates reforming the operating rules of the State Legislature and the New York City Council to make these legislative bodies more representative, deliberative, accountable, and efficient. We support strengthening committees, providing greater power for rank-and-file members over legislative leadership, increasing public transparency of information and procedures, instituting equitable allocation of resources between lawmakers, and diminishing opportunities for conflicts of interest through compensation methods and discretionary funds.
Citizens Union has long been a champion in the movement to reform the operations of the City Council, which led to the historic new set of rules adopted by the Council in 2014. In 2006, CU released a groundbreaking report, Principles of Council Reform: Ideas for a More Democratic and Effective City Council, and have monitored the progress towards reform through ongoing report cards. In 2012, Citizens Union released a comprehensive report detailing the allocations of individual members for expense and capital funding, as well as the process as a whole: Creating a More Objective and Equitable Discretionary Funding Process in New York City.
Citizens Union continues to advocate for Rules Reform in the Legislature and the City Council to make legislative work more transparent and effective.
Recent Activity – Legislative Rules