“Holding public office should always be about helping New York families and communities. “If a politician betrays the public trust, they need to be held accountable and face serious consequences.It was important to take up this legislation early in the session to assure my constituents that ethics reform is a top priority," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
“Elected officials who have abused their power must face the full consequences of their actions. We must continue to enact tough standards to ensure our government is working for the people," she added.
The pension forfeiture bill revokes taxpayer-funded pensions from public officers who are convicted of corruption (A.1749).
This is the second time the bill has passed the Legislature, and it will now appear on November’s ballot as a public referendum for voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution.
The proposed constitutional amendment would apply to all elected officials at the state and local level, judges, executive appointees, policymakers, municipal managers, department heads and chief fiscal officers.
Public officials who joined the state retirement system after Nov. 13, 2011 already face the potential loss of their pension benefits if they are convicted of corruption charges directly related to their role as public officials.
“Politicians should never be rewarded for unscrupulous behavior. I won’t stand for taxpayer dollars paying for a criminal’s retirement," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
The second measure is a joint resolution that requires legislators to disclose annual outside income above $5,000 to the independent Legislative Ethics Commission (LEC), which will issue a ruling as to whether a conflict of interest exists (B.404/C.25).
The resolution takes effect immediately, and current legislators are required to submit information within 30 days if they plan to continue earning outside income.
"We know that the corruption cases that have impacted the state legislature have been tied to outside income. This legislation will bring transparency to the process and provide lawmakers with importance guidance to avoid conflicts of interest. I have opted not to take outside limit since first being elected to the state Legislature to avoid any conflicts," Assemblywoman Jenne pointed out.