Institute Term Limits and Outside Income Ban
Institute Term Limits and Outside Income Ban
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a plan to institute term limits for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and Comptroller as the first proposal of the 2022 State of the State. The Governor will also propose a ban on outside income for statewide elected officials while serving in office. These bold reforms are aimed at increasing accountability and trust in the integrity of State government.
The Governor will introduce a constitutional amendment to set limits of two consecutive terms for statewide elected officials. Governor Hochul will also propose legislation to impose a ban on earned outside income for the same statewide elected officials, with an exception for academic positions that must receive ethics board approval.
New Independent Ethics Agency
New Independent Ethics Agency
Governor Kathy Hochul announced a plan to replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics with a new, truly independent agency as part of the 2022 State of the State. This proposal will create a new ethics oversight body and institute new transparency and confidentiality reforms.
Recent events have called into question the independence of JCOPE. The public has lost its trust in JCOPE's ability to carry out its mandate to ensure compliance with the State's ethics and lobbying laws and regulations. Governor Hochul will propose legislation to repeal and replace JCOPE with a truly independent and effective ethics agency.
The new plan will:
- Create New Ethics Enforcement Agency
- Improve Transparency
- Ban Outside Communications