Gary D. Finch

FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY                                                                      CONTACT: MATT MOYSE (518) 455-5981

STATEMENT FROM ASSEMBLYMAN FINCH

     Today we were able to come to an agreement on ethics reform. Many of the reforms were part of proposals that my colleagues and I have been pushing for many years. The governor announced one of his first priorities in office would be ethics reform and I am encouraged by his willingness to work with the Legislature to achieve these goals. While the agreement today contains many important reforms, there are still some issues that need to be addressed. For example, I believe elected officials in New York must be held to a higher standard and if they abuse their offices to commit, and are convicted of a felony, they should be denied their pension and benefits in full. However, this is a great start to true reform for New York state’s government.

-30-                                                                     1.24.07