In recent years several prominent NY lawmakers have been involved in embarrassing scandals. Although the politicians were either dismissed or voluntarily stepped down, they still collect generous pension benefits at the expense of the state. NY Legislature leaders and Governor Andrew Cuomo plan to completely overhaul the state’s ethics laws in an attempt to end government corruption.
New York state politician that have private business dealings would be required to disclose the names of the clients and business partners as well as the nature of the projects they are involved in. Until now, lawmakers were only required to disclose their annual federal and state tax records. NY lawmakers convicted of felony offenses would forfeit their pension benefits. This is a huge change in the way that the state of New York has dealt with disgraced lawmakers. After former Governor Eliot Spitzer was implicated in a prostitution ring he stepped down, but he is still on the state’s payroll.
New Governor Andrew Cuomo ran on a campaign that centered around overhauling New York state ethics laws. It took several months of private negotiations with other NY lawmakers to come to an agreement. These changes will directly affect New York state lawmakers that are currently being investigated for corruption. Some legal experts believe that the changes in ethics laws do not go far enough. They think that powerful politicians will just take extra precautionary measures in order to cover up their wrongdoings. However, many believe that change means progress, so it appears that Cuomo is off to a good start.
