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.

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, 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.

Albany, NY

http://www.legislativegazette.com/day_item.php?item=913

A report entitled New Yorkers Pay When Big Money Plays: The Case for Public Financing of Elections was released today by Citizen Action of New York.
The report analyzes how campaign contributions affect bills relating to policy areas such as dealing with ticket scalping, rent regulations, health care and wetlands:
The group said campaign contributions made by wealthy corporations are preventing the passage of legislation that concerns the most important needs of the public. Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action of New York, said lawmakers pay more attention to wealthy contributors than to non-profits and the public.
The group also hopes to pass a public funding of elections bill they said would give a voice to New Yorkers when voting for elected officials to address their concerns.
?The current campaign finance system gives too much control over how public policy is made in this state to big money campaign contributors. We need a system that provides transparency and accountability to the voters ? public financing of elections is that system,? said Scharff.
Citizen Action says bills such as these are being impacted by campaign contributions from companies with an interest in making sure they don?t pass:
- A bulk purchasing bill (A.2007B/S.121-A) would establish a prescription drug discount program that provides access to prescription drugs to participants at a discounted price.
- A health insurance rate regulation (A.3122/ no same as) calls for limiting superintendent control of insurance that allows rate increases above five percent for certain hospital service corporations.
- A ticket broker bill (A.8283/S.5525) would put a price cap on tickets that are resold in order to keep prices affordable for New Yorkers.
- A wetlands bill (A.6363/S.848 and S.4956) would give the Department of Environmental Conservation regulatory authority over Freshwater wetlands.
- A vacancy decontrol bill (A.2005/S.2237A) would make changes to the emergency tenant protection act relating to vacancy decontrol.
Scharff said a public funding for elections bill passed in the Assembly last year, however, under the former Republican control, it was not able to pass in the Senate.
Each of the five bills are pending in the 2009 legislative session and the report argues that passing public financing of elections for statewide offices would end the current system of the wealthy halting legislation they don?t like.
?New Yorkers can no longer afford not to pass public financing of elections for statewide offices,? said Scharff.

Albany, NY

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1510250/WAMC.New.York.News/New.Report.Favors.Public.Financing.of.NY.Elections

“]As the New York State Senate begins a process of seeking public comment on the shape of “public financing elections legislation,” Citizen Action of New York is out with a report that finds campaign contributions from corporate interests are used to block legislation that would help consumers, tenants and the environment. Capital District bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.

RADIO – click link above to listen to the story.

Elmira, NY

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20090527/NEWS01/905270361/1117/Paterson+proposes+ethics+reform+overhaul

By Jay Gallagher
Albany Bureau Chief

ALBANY – In the wake of several scandals, including one involving the state ethics- oversight agency, Gov. David Paterson on Tuesday proposed setting up a new ethics panel that he said will be more independent than the one it would replace and would also oversee the Legislature.

“The time has come for a comprehensive overhaul of Albany’s existing ethics reforms,” Paterson said. “Today, I call on my colleagues in the Legislature to support my legislation to create a truly independent, efficient and comprehensive entity.”

But calls for similar changes in the past have failed to gain the approval of the Legislature, which has insisted for decades that lawmakers can police themselves, even though legislative ethics panels have never publicly criticized or disciplined a lawmaker. There was no immediate indication today that legislators’ stance has changed.

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said the proposal would be reviewed. “We are open to changes,” said spokesman Dan Weiller.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, said, “we welcome the Governor’s submission of ethics-reform legislation,” but pointed out the Senate has its own ethics changes it is considering.

Paterson’s proposal follows a scathing report earlier this month by state Inspector General Joseph Fisch that slammed the two-year-old state Commission On Public Integrity for allegedly leaking confidential information about the panel’s probe of the administration of then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer to a top Spitzer aide.

Fisch called for the resignation of commission Executive Director Herbert Teitelbaum, who quit a few days later even though he denied any wrongdoing. Paterson then called for the resignation of the 12 holdover members of the commission, but they refused.

The new panel, according to Paterson, would:

* Enforce campaign-finance laws, now the responsibility of the state Board of Elections, as well as ethics laws for both executive- and legislative-branch officials and employees.

* Have independent enforcement power, as well as the ability to refer cases to the attorney general.

* Have its five members picked by a new 10-member “designating commission” for five-year terms. Four members of that panel would be picked by the governor, and one each by the four legislative leaders and one each by the attorney general and comptroller.

The current panel has 13 members, seven of whom were appointed by the governor. Its critics say that giving the governor the power to appoint a majority of the members compromised its independence.

Blair Horner, legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, who has been pushing ethics changes for decades, said Paterson’s idea would be an improvement over the current setup.

“At the end of the day, what the public should expect is an independent body to oversee ethics,” he said.

Also Tuesday, Citizen Action of New York presented a report that said for-profit special interests outspent, by a 9-to-1 ratio or more, non-profit groups that lobbied on legislation relating to health care, the environment, rent regulation and ticket scalping.

The group wants the Legislature to adopt a public-financing program.

The Senate has drafts of three public-financing bills on its Web site and is holding public hearings on the issue in Rochester Thursday and Albany on June 3, when Paterson’s bill is also expected to be discussed.

Last year, the Assembly passed a bill that would give candidates $4 in public money for every dollar raised in contributions of $250 or less from state residents. The voluntary system would be similar to what New York City has.

The Assembly has introduced and passed public-financing legislation almost annually for three decades, the report said. But they have not been taken up by the Senate, which until this year was controlled by Republicans since 1966.

Binghamton, NY

http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=9089

Do campaign contributions from big corporate industries affect legislation?

Well, a recently released report from citizen action says big money makes contributions that block legislation that benefits citizens.

On Tuesday, protestors stood in front of the state building, and spoke about 5 specific bills related to health care, the environment, rent regulation and ticket scalping.

According to Citizen Action’s report, the bills have been blocked by big industries for years, because they don’t want laws put in place  that could hurt business.

Citizen action reps say all residents must voice their opinions or this trend will continue.

“I can’t under value the importance of people calling their state representatives, going to our website.  Speaking to their friends, their neighbors, getting them to call, send e-mails,” said Lea Webb of Citizen Action.

Citizen Action reps encourage people to voice their opinions in the next four weeks before the state legislature votes on the bills.

Log on to voters.donors dot.org for more information.

VIDEO: http://www.wicz.com/news/video.asp?video=05+26+09+citact.wmv.flv

Binghamton, NY

http://www.newschannel34.com/news/local/story/Citizen-Action-Calls-for-Finance-Reform-on-the/mkGvLbQwkE60uSLTEHs3sQ.cspx

Citizen Action is pushing for campaign finance reform.

It wants public financing for candidates.

Citizen Action says contributions by some industries and corporations influence politicians.

In a report called “New Yorkers Pay When Big Money Plays”, Citizen Action says it’s clear that state residents pay more for some things because of corporate interests.

An example, drug companies don’t want the state to buy prescription drugs in bulk, because it would lower the price of prescriptions for consumers and they would lose money.

Finance reform could also get more people involved with politics.

Webb says, “It really opens the door for more people from the grassroots level to really run for office, because it will take away the need for major fund-raising. If you want to run for a statewide office you need to raise well over 100-thousand dollars. So, we feel by taking big money interests away from the political system it will really push forward the peoples agenda.”

The state legislature will be considering legislation to support public financing.

Citizen Action also has a website at www.votersnotdonors.org with more info.

Binghamton, NY

http://news10now.com//Default.aspx?ArID=472973

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — New York needs to stop pay-to-play politics, some Binghamton activists say.

Members of Citizen Action picketed outside of the State Building in Binghamton Tuesday to protest the way New York State’s senate and assembly campaigns are financed. The organization released a report saying contributions from corporate interests have led to the blocking of consumer-friendly legislation.

“For far too long, big corporate interest has dictated the agenda of New York. And when you’re talking health care and other important issues that people care about, it’s really important that people recognize the importance or the role that big money has played in politics,” said Lea Webb.

Citizen Action plans to travel to Albany on Thursday to protest in the Capitol.

VIDEO: http://news10now.com/Video/video_pop.aspx?vids=156452&sid=1001&rid=1013