Public Integrity Commission Chairman Michael Cherkasky pushes for a full - time Legislature — and full - time salaries — over full disclosure
of outside business interests for lawmakers.
The pillars on which the scheme was erected — large companies that funnel their influence through legal campaign contributions (and through «fees» that wind up in legislators» pockets), a system in
which outside business interests are barely disclosed and rarely reviewed — have been laid bare.
In a statement, Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif indicated the conference would be open to discussing some of the ethics overhaul ideas (keep in mind, the Republican conference alongside the Assembly Democrats and Senate IDC filed a legal challenge to the legitimacy of the commission itself to
subpoena outside business interests and clients).
Former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno was a «pro-active target,» confronting the FBI early on about its probe into
his outside business interests, dubbed «Operation Green Pastures.»
Sen. John Bonacic, the lone member of the Republican conference to call for then - Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to give up his leadership post after learning of the FBI's probe into
his outside business interests, released a statement this evening calling Bruno's two - year sentence «appropriate.»
Public officials»
outside business interests have become more transparent over the past four years.
«The core point is
these outside business interests and they are the ones that lead to the conflicts of interests, and the headline of the senator of the week and the federal investigations.
Democratic Sen. Liz Krueger on Monday criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration for pursuing an email retention policy that deletes messages after 90 days while simultaneously calling for state lawmakers to reveal more information on
their outside business interests.
Elected officials will be required to file more precise disclosures of
their outside business interests, which can no longer be redacted and will be posted on the Internet.
Despite an ethics probe into his efforts on behalf of Innate Immunotherapeutics an Australian biotech firm, which is expected to culminate in a report in the coming week, Rep. Chris Collins has stepped up
his outside business interests.