Assemblyman David G. McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) voted in favor of legislation that will reform New York’s current ethics and lobbying laws; however, he feels it did not go far enough.

The Assembly minority conference proposed two amendments to the reform legislation: the elimination of pension benefits for elected and appointed officials that are convicted of felonies, and requiring a public hearing prior to the enactment of the ethics and lobbying reforms. The Assembly majority overwhelmingly defeated both amendments.

“What placed reform at the forefront was a demand by the electorate this past November,” said McDonough. “The public has expressed their frustration with the business as usual attitude in Albany. With the addition of the two amendments, we had the opportunity today to pass a comprehensive ethics reform package. However, defeat of the amendments is evident that there is no real commitment to reform.”

McDonough added, “Elected and appointed officials should be held to higher standards, and when they violate the trust placed upon them by their constituents, criminal penalties should also be incurred.”

McDonough also noted that the new reforms will create the Commission on Public Integrity, but the commission lacks investigative authority; they must wait until there is a violation reported or rely on legislators or lobbyists to turn in their colleagues or themselves.

Finally, McDonough also points out that the reforms will replace the current membership on the Legislative Ethics Committee with a majority of independent members and statutory disclosure requirements. The problem facing the committee is the lack of impartiality created by the member nominating process. Each legislative leader will select two members and the Assembly Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader will select the remaining member.