Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D, Scarsdale) in excited to announce that both the Assembly and the Senate passed sweeping ethics legislation on June 13th, 2011 (A.8031).

“I have fought for greater government transparency throughout my entire career and am pleased that this bill addressed some of the most important aspects of ethics reform. The changes are long overdue” said Assemblywoman Paulin.

The bill requires greater disclosure from elected officials regarding outside employment, creates an independent oversight body to monitor compliance with ethical standards, and creates more transparency in relationships between lobbyists and elected officials.

It also includes provisions that will preclude public officials convicted of certain felony crimes from receiving a state pension. Since 2009, Assemblywoman Paulin has carried a bill with similar provisions and she is especially pleased that they have been included in the final ethics reform bill.

The bill will now be delivered to the Governor and it is anticipated that he will quickly sign it into law.