June 7, 2023 - Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the state legislature introducing a bill that would fundamentally alter New York State’s public campaign finance program:
May 24, 2023 - Citizens Union, along with Common Cause, League of Women Voters of the City of New York, NYPIRG, and Reinvent Albany, sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over Mayor Eric Adams' proposed significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies
May 1, 2023 - Citizens Union has released the following statement from executive director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the New York City Campaign Finance Board recommending moving local elections to even-numbered years in their 2022-23 Voter Analysis Report. Citizens Union issued Moving Elections to Even-Numbered Years in January, a report detailing the benefits of aligning New York City elections with gubernatorial or presidential elections
April 12, 2023 - “Eliminating the Commission on Judicial Nomination, which recommends candidates for the Court of Appeals to the Governor, would further politicize the judiciary and erode the public’s faith in our court system. The Commission is appointed by all three branches of government, and serves as an effective mechanism to ensure that the Governor’s nominees are made on merit. The Commission also is essential to keeping our judicial branch independent and inoculated from political horse trading between the legislative and executive branches. The public must have confidence that our judicial system is run by, and composed of, judges who can exercise independence and focus on the fair and impartial administration of justice.”
March 30, 2023 - Citizens Union, the League of Women Voters of New York State, and the Committee for Modern Courts, released the following statement calling on the Assembly to reject Governor Hochul’s proposed “program bill” (A5983/S06061) which passed the Senate this morning and will change the selection process for appointing judges to the New York State Court of Appeals:
March 30, 2023 - Citizens Union, the League of Women Voters of New York State, and the Committee for Modern Courts, released the following statement calling on the Assembly to reject Governor Hochul’s proposed “program bill” (A5983/S06061) which passed the Senate this morning and will change the selection process for appointing judges to the New York State Court of Appeals:
March 29, 2023 - A letter to the Governor, Senate Majority Leader, and Assembly Speaker on publishing basic, multi-year financial plan tables as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Enacted Budget.
March 29, 2023 - Citizens Union and other groups sent a letter to Council Speaker Adams and several committee chairs expressing concerns over the preliminary budget proposed by Mayor Eric Adams for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes significant budgetary reductions to key oversight agencies of New York City government. The groups believe that reducing agencies' resources and personnel will severely hinder their ability to ensure accountability, ethics, and good governance across the municipal workforce, and prevent waste and corruption.
March 27, 2023 – Citizens Union supports this bill because it would reduce the limitations investigative agencies face in accessing police officers’ body-worn camera footage through codifying the timing, type, and uses of such access. By providing prompt and full access to body-worn camera footage, Intro. 0938-2023 would ensure the CCRB arrives at a clear and fair interpretation of events in a timely manner and prevent the Police Department from unjustifiably denying access to effective investigative resources.
March 23, 2023 - A letter to Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker urging them to ensure that extraordinary budget powers are omitted from the enacted budget, and that they reject provisions added to appropriations that remove competitive bidding requirements and theComptroller’s oversight.
February 23, 2023 - Eight government watchdogs sent a letter today urging Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to pass the same transparency bills for this year’s Sunshine Week, March 12-18.
Today Governor Hochul introduced her FY 2024 executive budget. It includes $39.5 million for the state’s voluntary small donor match…
February 1, 2023 - Citizens Union has issued to following statement from executive director Betsy Gotbaum in response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s FY2024 executive budget, which was released earlier today
January 30, 2023 - Citizens Union has issued to following statement from Board Chair Randy Mastro in response to the recent nomination process of a Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals
January 10, 2022 - Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum following the passage of a package of legislation to reform the operations of New York’s local boards of elections by expanding voting rights and reforming our election system
January 5, 2023 - Citizens Union joined over 100 voting, racial justice, labor, and good government groups to urge Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie to continue leading on voting, election administration, and campaign finance reforms in the 2023 legislative session.
December 20, 2022 - Legislative leaders introduced a bill late last night giving hefty raises to the next state legislature. The leaders are proposing base salaries of $142,000 starting January 1, 2023, with a limit on outside income of $35,000 beginning in 2025 (about 25% of the increased salary).
December 20, 2022 - Citizens Union and other good government groups request legislative leaders to make updates to legislative rules that can help their ongoing efforts to improve the Senate and Assembly
December 19, 2022 - Citizens Union joined more than a dozen transparency and disability groups in calling the legislative leaders pass new rules that ensure that all public meetings in the Legislature are webcast. Due to changes in the Open Meetings Law (OML) approved by the Legislature in April, if the Senate and Assembly intend to use videoconferencing to allow members to participate remotely in public meetings, they must adopt a one-time joint resolution after a public hearing to authorize videoconferencing.
December 19, 2022 -- Citizens Union, Common Cause NY, the League of Women Voters of the City of New York, NYPIRG and Reinvent Albany have sent a letter to NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Majority Leader and Rules Committee Chair Keith Powers, calling on the Council to hold a public confirmation hearing for the New York County Democratic nominee for Commissioner of Elections and take transparent measures that would vet the nominee’s experience and fitness to administer elections.
December 16, 2022 - Yesterday the New York State Public Campaign Finance Board voted on its budget request for FY 2023–2024. The board’s commissioners approved a request totaling $114.5 million, including $100 million for future matching funds for participating campaigns and $14.5 million for program administration. The new program launched on November 9 and will provide public matching funds to participating candidates for state offices beginning with the 2024 legislative elections.
December 15, 2022 - Yesterday, in response to news about a possible pay raise for lawmakers, Citizens Union joined Common Cause/NY, League of Women Voters of NYS, NY Public Interest Research Group, and Reinvent Albany penned a letter to legislative leaders in Albany demanding any raise come with a ban on income earned through certain professions and a cap of up to 15% on certain permissible outside incomes. This request follows the same guidelines Congressional members use.
November 21, 2022 - Watchdog groups ask Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James to announce their final nominations to New York’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”). Four seats on the new ethics commission still remain unfilled.
November 11, 2022 - Citizens Union, Common Cause/NY, N.Y. Public Interest Research Group, and Reinvent Albany sent a letter to the members of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, requesting they investigate JCOPE’s approval of former Governor Cuomo’s book deal as well as compliance with and enforcement of the terms of that approval. The letter also requested the Commission revise its rules to require Commission approval for outside income requests of agency heads statewide officials.
November 1, 2022 - Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum as New York City’s redistricting process reaches its conclusion