Albany, NY – Gov. Andrew Cuomo says there are no legal reasons why New York cannot require state lawmakers to report the source of their outside income — only political obstacles.
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The Democratic governor told reporters in the Bronx Wednesday that he continues to believe that disclosure of lawmakers’ outside compensation would reduce corruption in Albany. Cuomo noted that there are many attorneys serving in the Legislature and that there’s no reason the state can’t require them to report their clients.
He says the real obstacle is more practical: lawmakers don’t want to do it.
The debate over requiring lawmakers to report the source of their outside income has re-emerged after the arrest of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on charges that he took nearly $4 million in kickbacks and payoffs.