Citizen Action of New York News

Newsday

Long Island, NY

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpcamp2912814566may28,0,3211241.story

Campaign finance reform can seem pretty unattached from day-to-day life – a concern for high-minded civic groups and editorial pages. But a new report by Citizen Action of New York tracked five bills that would have benefited consumers had they passed. Instead, big campaign contributions outweighed the public interest every time.

One particularly egregious case involved prominent consumer and senior groups that wanted to create a prescription drug program administered by the State Health Department. The purpose was to buy in bulk and reduce prices. Individual participants and governments on all levels stood to save at least $100 million annually, according to an estimate by the Fiscal Policy Institute.

But during the time the bill was being considered, in 2006, some $1.1 million flowed into campaign coffers from drug companies, drugstores and their trade associations. “It wasn’t the arguments of the drug companies that held up this critical legislation, but the campaign cash they dispensed to legislators of both parties,” Citizen Action concluded.

By the time a similar bill passed, in the governor’s 2008-09 budget, it had been watered down to offer discounts only to those between ages 50 and 64. Similar stories surround measures to regulate health insurance hikes, cap ticket-scalping profits, expand wetlands protections and strengthen rent-control rules.

At the least, New York should lower its sky-high contribution limits of $15,500 for State Senate races and $7,600 for Assembly contests. Even better would be full public financing, to restore the people’s interests to the forefront of politics.

The Daily News

New York, NY

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/05/27/2009-05-27_in_tix_action_scalpers_whip_fans_again.html

ALBANY – Consumers hoping for caps on scalped tickets for sporting events and concerts may have a long wait.

Instead of restoring the caps, the Assembly appears poised to pass a bill extending – by nearly a year – the law that allows tickets to be resold for whatever the seller can get.

“It looks like the lobbyists got to the ticket scalping extender bill,” said Russ Haven of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

The ticket-selling market was deregulated in 2007.

A study by Citizen Action of New York released yesterday found that between 2007 and the start of 2009, ticket brokers and companies with an interest in ticket resales – eBay, StubHub, Ticket Brokers NY, American Express and the like – gave $21,250 in campaign donations to legislators.

Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, gave $429,963, the Yankees gave $15,250 and the National Association of Theatre Owners $2,000, Citizens Action said.

The Assembly bill would extend the law for 50 weeks and require the state Department of State to issue a report on whether deregulation is working by Feb. 1. The bill would also outlaw ticket sellers like Ticketmaster from selling or transferring tickets to a secondary reseller that they own or control.

Consumer groups wanted the Legislature to reinstate price caps while the deregulation report was being done.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) wanted to cap the resale of tickets at 25% above face value.

Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-Suffolk), who is sponsoring the extender bill, denied lobbyists played a role in the legislation.

New York Post

New York, NY

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05272009/news/regionalnews/big_biz_bucks_block_bills_171103.htm

A torrent of massive campaign contributions by corporate and industry interests is blocking five key bills in Albany that, if enacted, would have consumers cheering, an advocacy group charged yesterday.

In a report titled “New Yorkers Pay When Big Money Plays,” Citizen Action of New York argued that rivers of campaign cash are unfairly skewing the debate on a range of issues.

“The current campaign-finance system gives too much control over how public policy is made in this state to big-money campaign contributors,” said Jessica Wisneski, the organization’s legislative director.