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The clock is ticking on the rest of 2022, and New York’s new lobbying and ethics regulator isn’t even in full force.
The Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, the successor organization to the oft-criticized and now-defunct Joint Commission on Public Ethics, was officially formed earlier this year. But four seats on the panel, charged with overseeing lobbying rules and ethics in government, remain vacant.
The organizations of the good government this week urged that the final appointments are made to the commission to be able to start its work in earnest before the beginning of 2023.
“The commission is required to hold an annual public hearing at the end of the year, and a full list of commissioners must be there to demonstrate the commitment of elected leaders in the state to better oversight of ethics and the new ethics commission they appoint,” the group, led by Reinvent Albany, said Monday.
The new oversight commission is appointed by the governor, attorney general, comptroller and key legislative leaders in the state Assembly and Senate. Candidates for the commission are checked by the deans of the New York law school before they can be granted approval.
The appointment process is subject to a lawsuit after Republican Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt of Gary Lavine was rejected. Lavine was an outspoken member of the former Joint Commission on Public Ethics and had been critical of some of the commission’s work.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James will announce their final nominations to the commission.
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