ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers discussed bolstering public ethics and transparency Wednesday as they expressed hope that disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo’s exit could open the door to change.
Members of the State Senate held a pre-planned ethics hearing a day after Gov. Hochul was sworn in, replacing Cuomo, who stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations and other mounting scandals.
“It is no secret to any of us here that Albany has a long history riddled with corruption and abuses of power, and it has long been subject to scrutiny for its failure to implement an effective ethical oversight regime,” Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx), the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee said at the start of the hearing. “After a year dominated by scandals within the Executive, it is clear this moment calls for immediate change and structural reform.”
Lawmakers grilled Sanford Berland, executive director of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, asking him about reported leaks and how the panel determines whether to make information about investigations public.
Berland, appointed in April, argued that the commission is understaffed and has suffered from bad press that he doesn’t believe represents the work of the much-maligned independent panel.
“I’m very well aware of the reputation that the agency has, unfortunately,” the former state judge said. “It’s not deserved.”
Lawmakers have long eyed overhauling how ethics and misconduct complaints are handled within the Legislature and State Capitol.
Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) has proposed a constitutional amendment that would do away with and replace both JCOPE and the Legislative Ethics Commission. It would instead create a new commission to investigate claims of corruption and misconduct and enforce the state’s laws against it.
On Tuesday, Hochul vowed to address the issue by calling for ethics training for state workers and making sexual harassment be done live instead of online.
“We’ll focus on open, ethical governing that New Yorkers will trust,” Hochul said.
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