Assemblyman Tony Jordan (R,C,I-Jackson) is calling on the legislature to pass the Public Officers Accountability Act of 2013 before the end of session. The bill, which Jordan sponsors, is the toughest ethics reform bill introduced in the legislature and puts real sanctions on crooked politicians.
“The corruption and scandals in Albany are out of control. New Yorkers are losing faith in their government. I’m here to say we can stop the corruption by passing the Public Officers Accountability Act of 2013 right now,” said Jordan. “In this bill, we’ve packaged the toughest reform and public corruption provisions. We should not let one more day go by without addressing this serious problem. It’s ready to go, has serious consequences – pass the act now.”
Over the past 10 years, over 20 legislators have been arrested for various crimes, shining the spotlight on Albany’s culture of corruption. These scandals have eroded the public trust. The Siena Research Institute reports that 91 percent of New Yorkers believe corruption is a serious problem in Albany, with another 81 percent who believe that more politicians will be apprehended. New Yorkers’ concerns have been confirmed by recent assertions from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who has been investigating the legislators, and says that more arrests are on the way.
Jordan’s bill outlines clear reforms such as banning convicted felons from holding civil or public office, putting meaningful restrictions on legislative and executive discretionary spending such as member items, replacing the Joint Commission on Public Integrity with a commission that has more authority to carry out investigations and dole out punishments, and reforming campaign finance, specifically by banning the use of campaign money for personal use.
Additionally, the measure creates new crimes and toughens existing laws. The new crimes include abuse of public trust, failure to report corruption and two new levels of official misconduct. The legislation enhances bribery laws and increases the penalty for Official Misconduct in the third degree.
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