New York State Must Go Much Further in Ethics Reform

Let’s face it, New York State has a bad track record when it comes to governmental ethics. A bunch of bad actors and faithless officials are marring the work of the people, and leaving disappointment in wake of their actions.

The biggest need for reform in state government is ethics. It’s incredible the amount of nonsense legislation that makes its way through the legislature, especially in the Assembly. That said, there is always a reluctance to take up ethics-reform legislation, let alone have serious discussions on it.

Instead of the state addressing and reforming how it awards state contracts, known as state-procurement reform, it is focused on a number of lightweight issues such as legislation addressing wedding officiants for a day. It can’t be a serious priority for the Assembly Democratic Majority, if it isn’t discussing reform bills and is allowing trivial legislation to make it to the floor for a vote, considering how briefly the Assembly house meets each day.

There are some serious matters on the table — campaign-finance reform, state-procurement reform, term limits, among many others. Yet, the importance given to the issue of ethics is well below what is deserved on the matter.

Poll after poll has shown New Yorkers distrust their government. They want meaningful reforms. They are tired of hearing about the scandals tied to the SUNY Polytechnic Institute or the Buffalo Billion projects. They are tired of seeing a few within the connected political class line their pockets with the hard-earned dollars of tax payers. They don’t want to see the same individuals hold onto concentrated power in leadership positions for decades.

So, this is what we can work on now. I call on the Assembly to move forward the New York Procurement Integrity Act (A.6355), a bill which would restore independent oversight in contracts and state spending, especially SUNY, CUNY, and Office of General Services (OGS) spending. It also imposes ethics rules on vendors of state contracts and requires more transparency throughout the entire procurement process.

I’ve also long supported other reforms, such as sponsoring the Public Officers Accountability Act (A.5864). This bill would create some of the toughest ethics reforms in the country. It would target campaign-finance reform, set term limits of legislative leaders, and create tougher penalties for those who would break the public trust. Additionally, I have been a sponsor of the Truth in Spending bill, which would place strict restrictions on legislative earmark spending, requiring full disclosure and public access to the reporting.

It is simple to me that ethics reforms must be a priority for the New York Legislature. I encourage the majority to join us in these commonsense reforms.

Marc W. Butler (R,C,I–Newport) is a New York State Assemblyman for the 118th District, which encompasses parts of Oneida, Herkimer, and St. Lawrence counties, as well as all of Hamilton and Fulton counties. Contact him at butlerm@assembly.state.ny.us