The Independent View: NY Assembly Passes Ethics Rules

New York’s Assembly voted in favor of capping legislators’ outside income and limiting campaign donations from limited liability companies.

The Assembly voted 137-to-4 to:

- Limit legislators' outside income to about $70,000 annually. Cuomo has proposed limiting legislators' outside pay to about $12,000. Assembly's plan would limit State lawmakers’ outside income to 40 percent of the annual salary of New York State Supreme Court Justices. Supreme Court Justices are full-time, while lawmakers are part-time.

- Treat Limited Liability Companies (LLC) like other businesses that can give a candidate only $5,000 a year. Stop real estate companies from creating a LLC for each building to bypass contribution limit laws.

- Base yearly pay for lawmakers is $79,500.

- End the abuse of political party “housekeeping account” spending.

- Require lawmakers convicted of felonies to forfeit their State pensions, although Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has said he wants to do so though a Constitutional Amendment.

The goal of the new ethics rules, which State Senate Republicans oppose, is to curb the influence of outside money on state government. The measures, which would take effect next year, follow recent scandals in Albany.

Some lawmakers asserted in a floor debate that the limits could cripple them financially. “I’m just afraid that in the near future I’m going to have to start playing the lottery to make sure my grandchildren can pay for college,” said Assemblyman Jose Rivera, a Bronx Democrat.

The Assembly proportionally includes fewer members with significant outside income as compared to the Senate GOP Majority, which includes a number of attorneys. “I understand that’s the political reality of the situation,” Gov. Cuomo said. “I suggested outside income limits, I believe their outside income limits are too high in the Assembly. There’s no doubt that it’s easier for the Assembly to do than for the Senate to do.”