“I’ve always believed that the people we entrust to represent us – whether elected or appointed – should be held to the highest standards of conduct. In this year’s state budget, we passed a number of important ethics reforms that helped to increase transparency and accountability, but more work needed to be done to fully restore confidence in our state’s political system.

“Taxpayers in New York State deserve better than to pay for the retirement of those who abuse their power by violating the laws they have sworn to uphold. That’s why I helped pass legislation that will strip pension benefits from public officials convicted of corruption (A.7704). This measure is a common-sense reform that builds on the progress we’ve made this year and sends a clear message that this type of behavior on any level will not be tolerated.”

Passage of this legislation is the first step toward a New York State constitutional amendment. Should this bill pass the Senate, it would need to pass again during the next legislative term before it is put to the public for a vote.