“Earlier this year, my Assembly Minority colleagues and I proposed legislation (A.4643) that would amend the New York State Constitution to strip public servants, including elected officials, of their taxpayer-funded pensions if convicted of a felony directly related to their official duties. The state Senate’s version of this measure was agreed upon by all parties during the budget negotiations, but never enacted as part of the final budget. Members of the Assembly Majority Conference have passed a toothless version of this bill (A.7704) which will allow state officials to continue collecting their pensions if convicted. We must pass the initially agreed-upon bill to punish corruption and send a message to New Yorkers that we are making a serious attempt to clean up Albany.”