Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) today called for a vote on new “Truth in Spending” legislation that would require full disclosure on member items, discretionary funds and so-called “lump sum payments” for all legislators. Negotiating this type of spending usually occurs behind closed doors and is rarely clearly outlined in the state budget. The bill has over 40 sponsors so far, including McDonough.

“We are talking about taxpayer money here,” McDonough said. “In light of the string of corruption scandals that have besmirched the state in recent years, it is imperative we find out what exactly these large sums of money are being spent on and where it is coming from. Many times, we see large sums of money suspiciously earmarked for projects in lawmakers’ districts right before campaign season, and that is unacceptable. Assembly Majority control the purse but that doesn’t mean they can spend lavish sums of taxpayer money on whatever they want whenever they want. The media and public deserve answers, and the old way of doing business in Albany must end if we are ever to restore the public’s faith in government.”

A recent report by Citizens Union analyzing the FY 2017 Executive Budget found “$2.4 billion in opaque funds in 80 ‘lump sum’ pots in the state budget,” which allow allocations to be made without sufficient public vetting or transparency.

**Editor’s Note: Click Here for an .mp4 file of McDonough’s post-presser interview