Ethics Reform

Cleaning Up Albany
 “We must restore the public trust.  Cleaning up Albany will only happen if we have complete disclosure and transparency.”

The Quinn Plan: 

1. Complete Disclosure

• All elected officials must be forced to completely disclose the nature and source of all their outside income.

2. Business and Financial Interests

• Business partners and clients; stock, bond, fund, and other financial investments; real estate holdings, and the compensation from each must be disclosed and made public, there are no exceptions.
• On both my campaign website and official Assembly Member web page I have released a complete and un-redacted copy of my Legislative Ethics Commission financial disclosure form. I did so because I believe as your representative you have the right to know the nature of my outside income. My duty to the public must and will always come first.

3. Independent Oversight

• The appointment of an Independent Ethics Oversight Board that is granted autonomy in their deliberations and findings.
• Currently, there are two ethics oversight entities, the Legislative Ethics Commission and the Commission on Public Integrity. Both are comprised of members either appointed by the legislature or members of legislature itself. The wolves cannot watch the henhouse, and independent, non-politically appointed board is essential to any honest ethics reform proposals.

4. Granting the Ethics board the authority to investigate, enforce and issue binding penalties.

I Also Believe We Must:
Hold a Constitutional Convention...

• I am a lead sponsor of legislation that institutes the “People’s Convention to Reform New York”, calling for a constitutional convention immediately following the next election cycle after the bill’s enactment, instead of waiting 7 more years. This convention would empower citizens to reframe their government, barring elected officials or connected interests from serving as delegates to the convention.

Pass Term Limit Legislation

• I have publicly committed to serving only 6 years in the Senate, and will introduce legislation mandating term limits of 10 years.

Reduce the Size of the State Legislature

• The State Legislature as a whole is too large and spends too much on itself. I authored legislation which has been submitted to the Attorney General’s office for official constitutional review that would reduce the Senate from 62 members to 40, and the Assembly from 150 members to 100.

Shorten the Legislative Cycle

• The legislature spends too much time in Albany, spending too many taxpayer dollars while being there. I propose ending the legislative cycle at the end of April.

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