Today, Assemblyman Karl Brabenec (R,C,I-Deerpark) slammed the Assembly Majority for voting against legislation that would change the culture of corruption in Albany. Brabenec and his colleagues in the Minority Conference proposed rules that would allow for an open, accountable and transparent legislature.

“I cannot express how disappointed I am with the Assembly Majority for blocking these common sense rules changes,” said Brabenec. “I thought, after decades under a veil of secrecy and corruption, there would be a sense of urgency in changing the way we do business; clearly, that’s not the case. In the wake of former Speaker Sheldon Silver’s resignation, there was a bipartisan call for ethics reform. My Assembly Minority colleagues and I are answering that call. On the other side, they have shut the door on such change. The Assembly Majority has lied to their constituents who asked for a new, transparent Albany that the public could trust. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

The reform package introduced by Brabenec and his colleagues would enact term limits for legislative leaders and provide additional transparency to Assembly proceedings, as well as 15 other total proposals that would bring greater openness and accountability to the Assembly.