20 April 2021: NY Legislators Looking to Overhaul Ethics Commission

There’s Appetite In Albany For An Ethics Overhaul And It Could Start This Year

Thie report suggests some New York legislators are concluding the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) is both hopelessly compromised and not capable of taking on the kind of ethics complaints involved in many of Governor Cuomo's scandals.

State lawmakers in New York could take the first step this year toward scrapping the state’s current ethics agencies and replacing them with a new, more powerful panel less likely to be influenced by elected officials.

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, said in an interview on New York NOW that there’s appetite in the state Legislature for an ethics overhaul in Albany, and that it could start this year.

And that’s partly due to the multiple controversies surrounding Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Krueger said. Cuomo has been accused in recent months of sexual harassment by several former and current staffers, and mishandling data related to nursing homes during COVID-19.

“I do think there’s an appetite because there’s a realization with all the exposés involving the governor and his staff that we don’t have any mechanism to really bring these complaints to, or to do follow through,” Krueger said.

Krieger's proposal is to revamp the system through an amendment to New York's state constitution. The biggest reform would address who can appoint commissioners, changing from the current system where they are appointed by the governor and by legislators, to one where they would be appointed by court officials.

The constitutional amendment route makes it something of a long shot, with little prospect of taking effect for several years, even if it were to be passed into law this year. Under New York's amendment process, the next state legislature would also have to vote on the measure, before going to New York voters for approval.

But it's also not impossible, since New York's constitution has been amended over 202 times since the current base document was adopted in 1895, with 15 amendments added since 1996. If enough New Yorkers care enough to change their system for overseeing the ethics of their public officials, they can. But for that to become possible, a majority of current legislators would have to care enough first. Do they care enough?

Stewart-Cousins floats ethics reform as Cuomo faces multiple scandals

In this report, New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also comes out in favor of reforming New York's ethics commissions:

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday that there is “an appetite” in the Legislature for strengthening New York’s ethics laws as Gov. Cuomo remains embroiled in multiple scandals.

Lawmakers have long mulled changes to how the state handles ethics allegations and violations. An overhaul could become a reality as priorities are set for the remainder of the legislative session, according to Stewart-Cousins....

“I do believe there’s an appetite for ethics; like everything else, there’s always an appetite to strengthen various pieces that obviously need to be strengthened,” Stewart-Cousins said. “So I’m sure you’ll see more reform on the horizon.”

Stewart-Cousins also ruled out running for Governor in the next election.