Reform NY Day: Issue Briefs

For those of you looking for some extra reading, the Reform NY Day Coalition put together briefs on our top three issues: campaign finance reform, redistricting, and transparency & legislative rules reform.

Reform NY Day: Speaker Silver & Legislative Rules

Speaker Silver also addressed the Reform Day crowd, echoing some of Governor Spitzer’s points on campaign finance reform but displaying less enthusiasm and more caution.

Silver also announced that he and Assembly Minority Leader Tedisco (who also spoke) had struck a deal on a package of changes to the Assembly rules. The press release is here. The reforms don’t represent the kind of transformative change we have been advocating, but it is encouraging that the issue remains on the agenda, and many of the changes are positive (if small).

Some highlights:

• Upon introduction, all bills must first be referred to a regular standing committee before they can be sent to the Rules Committee;
• Bills introduced during the first year of the session will automatically be considered ready for passage during the second year (the bills will automatically be on their third reading, for you wonks out there);
• The majority will no longer get one more member on each committee than their proportion of the Assembly would dictate (though, as Tedisco noted, the Assembly still fails the math portion of the test because any fraction of a person in the calculation is automatically rounded up);
• The Committee on Ethics and Guidance will create an ethics training course for members and staff.

**We did notice that the number of members on most of the committees has CREPT UP during this round of rules changes. You may recall that one of our criticisms of the rules of both houses of the Legislature is that members are assigned to too many committees, rendering them far less likely to attend most committee meetings and hearings, develop expertise through committee work, or otherwise devote themselves to the time-consuming work necessary to create effective committees.

While the addition of 39 committees slots isn't the worst thing the Assembly could have done, it does represent a backslide that we hope to see reversed.

Reform NY Day: Governor Spitzer & Campaign Finance Reform

Yesterday, Eliot Spitzer became the sitting first governor to address the Reform Day crowd, giving a rousing speech detailing, among other things, his requirements for a campaign finance reform deal.


He said he would not sign a bill without:

• Contribution limits set at least as low as those he and Lt. Governor Paterson have imposed on themselves;
• Limits on soft money to party housekeeping accounts;
• Limits on PAC donations;
• A ban on contributions from subsidiaries and LLCs; and
• An overhaul of the Board of Elections’ ability to enforce the law.

He also put his support behind full public financing of state elections.

As was reported this morning, Spitzer and the legislative leaders were negotiating a bill to overhaul campaign finance (not including public financing), but the deal fell through when Majority Leader Bruno rejected the prohibition on contributions from subsidiaries and LLCs.

Spitzer stood just as strong during his speech in other reform areas. He promised the introduction of several constitutional amendments, including an independent redistricting commission, same-day voter registration, and merit selection for judges.

Reform NY Day: The Rally

As we’ve mentioned, yesterday was the third annual Reform NY Day in Albany, and it was truly the best one yet. We started out the day with a great rally on the west side of the Capitol, complete with the villain Mr. Moneybags, who influences elected officials with his astronomically large contributions, and a personification of the gerrymandered Senate District 51, which some people say looks like Abe Lincoln riding a vacuum cleaner.


We present this photo of our editor-in-chief for your review. He claims to have been joking, but we remain skeptical.


And our own Suzanne Novak spoke on behalf of the Brennan Center, whipping the crowd into a frenzy with her “Jazz Hands for Reform.”


More to come soon on the substance of the day.

Spitzer to Unveil Campaign Finance Legislation on Reform Day

The Daily News blog is reporting that next Monday, Governor Spitzer will propose legislation to “put New York in the lead of states around the nation” on campaign finance. He is also planning to announce reforms to the state’s system of authorities.

Sound like something you want to see with your own two eyes? Register for Reform Day and get a front row seat!

Reform Super Powers

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Reform Man?

For those of you who have ever imagined Eliot Spitzer in tights with his underpants on the outside, check out the Common Cause blog for a truly amusing post.

Liam Arbetman points out that next Monday is both Reform NY Day and the return of Heroes to NBC, urging lawmakers to take more valiant and stouthearted positions on important reform issues.

He posits what powers a reform super hero might possess:

• "Super Re-apportionment": the ability to draw compact, contiguous, AND competitive district lines.


• "Freedom of Information"-vision: the ability to see through opaque layers of government bureaucracy to see what's really happening in the statehouse and with your tax dollars.


• "Campaign Contribution Shrink-Ray": the ability to shrink campaign contribution limits and close loop-holes.

Wonk-tastic, but hilarious, nonetheless.

Only a Week ‘til Reform NY Day!

Next Monday, April 23rd, is Reform NY Day, an event where reform groups and activists come together in Albany for a day of action and debate on many important issues facing New York. As we wrote a few weeks ago, Reform NY Day 2007 will focus on campaign finance reform, redistricting, and legislative rules & government transparency.

Buses will be leaving from Rochester, New York City, and Westchester—all you have to do is register! If you can’t make it, show your support by signing the petition!

Reform NY Day 2007

Are you steamed about the return to the three-men-in-a-room budget process this cycle?

Do gerrymandered districts make your blood boil?

Are you sick of rank-and-file legislators acting as rubber stamps for leadership priorities?

Do you yearn for elections that reflect the will of the people, not big-money special interests?

Then join us in Albany on Monday, April 23rd for Reform NY Day 2007! The Brennan Center is partnering with Common Cause NY and other reform groups and activists from around the state to rally public pressure to support crucial reforms to campaign finance, redistricting, and legislative rules & government transparency. Busses will be leaving for Albany from New York City, Westchester, Rochester, and Syracuse, so register to attend today!

If you can’t make it to the event, you can still show your support for these important reforms by signing the petition.

Check back here for more updates as we get closer to the event, and use the comment function if you have questions or need more information.