New York Times, "Ethics Reform, Albany Style"

"While these changes are commendable, the new 14-member Joint Commission on Public Ethics created to monitor elected officials, legislators and lobbyists is so deeply flawed in its structure as to be wholly ineffective."

"In fact, any investigation would require consent from at least eight members of the commission, with at least two yes votes by appointees from the same party and branch of government as the subject of the investigation. This provision would essentially give legislative leaders the ability to squelch any investigation or even any public release of the allegations."

Michael Gormley, Wall Street Journal, April 2nd 2012

"I think this is disturbing," said Bill Samuels of the New Roosevelt group, which seeks greater openness and accountability in government. "What is the big deal about making a vote transparent? There's no reason. The specific FOIL (request) is an indication of a culture that eventually is going to have problems ... This is not an open, transparent administration."

New York Times, June 5 2012

"Cuomo administration officials argue that the governor pushed hard for ethics reform last year that, among other things, would require 501(c)(4) groups to disclose their donors. The legislation has a worrisome loophole that allows donors to remain secret if disclosure could lead to them being harassed or threatened. That is the claim made by business groups at the national level that are fighting disclosure. Meanwhile, New York’s new ethics committee has yet to write the disclosure rules."

Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011