With the year coming to an end, we turn our sights on next year and begin to prioritize what must be accomplished in order to restore trust in government. This fall, ethics reform was an issue on campaign trails throughout New York and should be the first issues we address come January. Albany must clear the cloud of corruption that lingers over the capitol and pass meaningful ethics reform.

The members of the Assembly Minority Conference have been the loudest advocates for ethics and rules reforms within the Legislature. Our conference has continuously pushed for pension forfeiture and term limits for legislative leadership positions and I will continue to push for these reforms come next session. Term limits are crucial for combating the current stagnation that exists in committee leadership positions and would ensure legislators don’t become too entrenched in a system that should be serving the people of New York. There is no reason any representative should be opposed to legislation that helps keep our government vibrant and active other than that they hold their own personal agenda above the will of the people.

Pension forfeiture is another necessary reform we must put in place this upcoming session. Ensuring no politician is able to collect a cent of taxpayer dollars after being convicted of a felony while in office is common sense and should be unanimously accepted. This session, we took the first steps toward implementing pension forfeiture, but we must continue to build on this progress and pass pension forfeiture legislation next session as well. Because pension forfeiture would require a constitutional amendment, any pension forfeiture reform must be passed by two consecutive legislatures in order to be put on the ballot the next election. These reforms are overwhelmingly supported by New Yorkers and should be addressed whenever talking about ethics reform in this state.

While there are several issues that I and my conference will focus our attention on, ethics must be our number one priority. We must demand that the people’s business is done transparently. We need to hold ourselves accountable. The hard working people of New York deserve to have a government that works for them and is responsive to their concerns, and I plan on continuing to fight for that.

My conference and I will continue to advocate for legislation that combats corruption and inefficiency in this state and restores trust back in government. I welcome your thoughts on ethics reform or any other legislative matter. Please contact me by emailing blankenbushk@nyassembly.gov or by calling my office at 315-493-3909.