News from Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb
Assembly Office:
933 Legislative Office Building • Albany, NY 12248 • (518) 455-3751
District Offices:
607 West Washington Street • Suite 2 • Geneva, NY 14456 • (315) 781-2030
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For Release: IMMEDIATELY, May 7, 2013
Contact: Michael Fraser, (518) 455-3751
Statement From New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua) On Today's Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Proposal
'Implementing a Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Finance Model Already Used in the Mecca of Public Corruption is Patently Absurd'

The Assembly Majority Conference today introduced legislation that would create a taxpayer-funded political campaign system. The proposal would direct taxpayer dollars to fund the election campaigns of individuals seeking public office across the state.

"In typical fashion, the Assembly Majority is playing fast and loose with taxpayer dollars - this time for their own direct gain. Their proposal to build a campaign financing system on the backs of New York taxpayers would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and do absolutely nothing to address the rampant abuses of office that have shattered the public's confidence in their elected leaders.

Taxpayer-funded campaigns already exist in New York City, and so does more public corruption than possibly any other place in the nation. Implementing a campaign finance model already used in the mecca of public corruption is patently absurd.

Make no mistake - we need to dramatically change the way candidates and elected officials use their campaign accounts. The Assembly Minority Conference strongly supports and will propose legislation that includes more restrictions, limits and greater disclosure requirements to dictate how political donations can be used. Officials should not be able to use political donations for their personal use or to pay legal fees to defend criminal actions. Penalties for late financial disclosures need to increase dramatically. And campaign funds of convicted officials should be forfeited and donated to charity.

We need campaign finance reform. However, creating an expensive political campaign account from the pockets of hard-working taxpayers is the wrong approach. Today's action by the Majority Conference demonstrates how out of touch they are with the financial burdens New Yorkers already face."