No, we're not talking about the recent changes in ethics and lobbying rules in Congress.
Believe it or not, we're talking Albany. Yes, Albany.
Michael Gormley of the AP reports that:
High level legislative and executive branch officials are negotiating to create a single, far-reaching ethics agency that could break down jurisdictional walls that currently limit investigations, officials familiar with the talks said Thursday.
If the agency is created, it would mark a historic step toward reforming a state government culture derided for years by critics and government watchdog groups as unseemly, even corrupt.
We believe if this happens, it will be an extraordinary step. But also not so extraordinary. As Gormley notes:
A report by NYPIRG and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law found 39 states have a single ethics commission for executive and legislative branches.
It seems that in Albany -- at least in matters related to ethics, lobbying and campaign finance -- to be ordinary is extraordinary.
Categories: General, Government Ethics
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