Gov. Cuomo said he’ll push to close the “LLC loophole” next year – part of an ethics reform agenda he plans to unveil in the State of the State address.
After the criminal convictions of the ex-leaders of both the Assembly and Senate in recent weeks, Cuomo said he’d make it a priority to end the loophole that lets companies give virtually unlimited campaign donations by creating limited liability corporations.
“The legislature needs serious and dramatic reform. We have had in recent weeks convictions of senior legislative officials, which I believe are indefensible both literally and metaphorically,” Cuomo told reporters at an unrelated press conference. “The legislature has a lot of work to do to restore the public trust. I think we need an ambitious reform agenda.”
Former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam Skelos were convicted on federal corruption charges last week, after former Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver similarly went down in court last month.
NY CONSERVATIVE PARTY HEAD: SHELDON SILVER DESERVES SEVERE PUNISHMENT
After Silver’s conviction, Cuomo had offered more modest expectations for ethics changes, stressing there was no willingness in the legislature to ban outside income.
On Sunday, he said that in addition to the campaign finance restrictions, the plan he expects to present in the State of the State speech in January would include changes to outside income rules and more disclosure.
“Part of it is going to be ending the conflicts, and the fundamental conflict for the legislature is that they’re a part time legislature and they’re allowed outside income. And that classification just continues to bring conflict after conflict after conflict,” he said.
Cuomo defended his disbanding of the Moreland anti-corruption commission, noting that despite its short life it generated information that helped prosecutors nail Silver, and the legislature passed laws to require more income disclosure, though they fell short of what many advocates wanted.
“It provided a lot of information in cases that actually have helped prosecutors, and I believe will continue to help prosecutors. So I think it did its job,” he said.
Cuomo vetoed two bills Friday night designed to strengthen the state Freedom of Information law, drawing criticism from good government groups.
He then issued an executive order Saturday directing state agencies to adhere to the “spirit” of one of the bills, by speeding up their appeals of orders to release information.
“Legislators voted for reforms through the Freedom of Information Law. You know what they left out? That the Freedom of Information Law should cover the legislature. The legislature exempts themselves from the Freedom of Information Law,” Cuomo said Sunday.
“That’s the No. 1 reform that needs to be made on the Freedom of Information Law. And they have to understand that. Because I think people are fed up. The legislature has to get it. And I’m going to propose a full agenda next year.”
