Friends -

Last week, the State Senate passed a package of several bills that will significantly overhaul political ethics laws in New York State.

I was proud to sponsor bill S.6964-A, Omnibus JCOPE Reform, as part of this effort. The Omnibus Bill will reform the Joint Committee on Public Ethics (JCOPE), the board in charge of setting standards for ethics and lobbying the New York State government, and of investigating ethical violations when they occur.

As we wait for the Assembly to pass this bill, I’d like to take some time to explain how this reform legislation will improve JCOPE’s functioning, and why this is so important, especially now.

Since JCOPE was founded ten years ago, the board has struggled to earn trust with the public due to persistent integrity issues. The truth is that Albany has been plagued with corruption for decades, and JCOPE simply has not done its due diligence to uphold integrity in our state government. Just recently, the board gave the green light for Andrew Cuomo to receive a $5 million book deal. Not great.

I have long supported JCOPE reform, and I feel confident that the provisions included in the Omnibus Bill will help to bridge the gap between JCOPE’s stated mission and the work that it does. Here is what the bill will do:

• Change the way in which legislative appointees are nominated to eliminate partisan advantages.
• Remove an arbitrary requirement that, for an individual to be investigated or convicted of an ethical violation, two members of their own party must be in support of the decision.
• Remove red tape surrounding the process for appointing or removing an Executive Director, so that these actions can be completed with a simple majority vote.

Again, the Omnibus Bill is just one component of a larger package of bills that will institute necessary reforms like instituting anti-sexual harassment training for lobbyists and strengthening anti-discrimination protections for employees.

It is my hope that once this comprehensive legislation package is passed JCOPE will have the tools necessary to root out corruption in Albany.

If you agree that an overhaul of JCOPE is necessary, I am asking you to please show your support for this legislation by adding your name here.

While repeated questionable actions on the part of Andrew Cuomo have underscored the need for a robust body in charge of investigating ethics violations, our state will benefit from a new and improved JCOPE for decades to come.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll share more information with you when I have it.

- Alessandra Biaggi

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