CAPITOL N.Y. Senate fails to pass ethics measure BY MICHAEL GORMLEY The Associated Press
New York’s Senate on Thursday couldn’t agree to sweeping ethics reforms in scandal-scarred Albany. The Democratic majority had appeared to have enough votes to approve the ethics reform bill already passed by the Democratled Assembly. But Republicans opposed a Democratic amendment that would give Democrats a super majority on a board that would appoint an executive director to enforce election laws. The disagreement put the whole ethics package off to another special session, which could be later this month. The fight came on a day the Republican minority had unexpected power. Although Democrats have a 32-30 majority, one Democrat is absent because his father died this week. Republicans are empowered because 32 votes are needed to pass a bill. The bill lost along party lines, with Democrats one vote short of approval. Several Republican senators opposed the Democrat-sponsored amendment that would change the way campaign finance laws are enforced. The amendment would create a board of campaign finance enforcement that couldn’t be controlled by one elected official, but instead would be comprised of three appointees by the governor and one each by the attorney general, the comptroller and legislative leaders. That would leave Republicans with two appointees to the nine-member powerful board that would also make random reviews of lawmakers’ ethics filings. Sen. Frank Padavan, a Queens Republican, said the measure would create a Democratic “hit unit.” ................>>>>.................>>>>..............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01702&AppName=1
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