FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 22, 2018

Speaker Heastie Appoints New Member To Joint Commission on Public Ethics


Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that he has appointed Julie Garcia to serve on the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE).

"Ms. Garcia's extraordinary résumé and unwavering commitment to public service assure me that she will help the commission carry out its duty of ensuring the highest level of integrity in state government," said Speaker Heastie. "Throughout her career, she has fought tirelessly to deliver justice and promote public safety, and I am confident her talents will be an asset to the State of New York."

The Commission oversees compliance by public officers with ethics laws and by lobbyists with the state laws that govern lobbying in order to avoid conflicts of interest on the part of those holding elected office or public employment in the State of New York. The Commission also requires those who advocate for or against actions by state government to disclose their clients and their interactions with government officials.

The Commission consists of 14 members, three appointed by the Temporary President of the Senate, three appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Assembly, and six appointed by the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor.

Julie Garcia has the distinction of being the first woman to be elected to the position of District Attorney in Essex County. During her time as District Attorney, she was committed to ensuring that crime was fairly and effectively prosecuted. She also worked proactively to reduce crime, collaborating with treatment agencies, law enforcement, probation, and other organizations to decrease underage drinking, driving while intoxicated, drug abuse and domestic violence. She has also worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk and Rensselaer Counties, and ran her own law office in Warren County. She currently serves as a sole practitioner, maintaining law offices in Port Henry and Warrensburg.