“Now that we have elected new leadership, the first order of business should be enacting much-needed ethics reforms. If the events of the past few weeks prove anything, it is that we have a unique opportunity to start fresh and for Speaker Heastie to prove that he is tough on ethics reform. For years, the Assembly Minority Conference and I have been calling for passage of measures such as the Public Officers Accountability Act and forfeiture of pension and retirement benefits for those convicted of certain felonies while serving as public officers. Today is the dawn of a new day in New York State government, and I hope Speaker Heastie takes the initiative to put us back on the right track.”