Ethics Committee to Meet Amid Calls for Reform ALBANY, NEW YORK (WXXI) - When the Assembly Ethics Committee gets together for a closed door meeting on Wednesday, they might be talking about the Buffalo Assemblyman, Sam Hoyt, who admitted to having an affair with a former intern, detailed by steamy e-mail exchanges leaked to the public. Or, they could be talking about the Assemblyman from the Hudson Valley, Greg Ball, accused recently of sexual harassment by an ex- staffer. They could also be discussing the case of Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminario, who is accused of essentially selling the power of his office and using his political connections to win favors for consulting clients.

It's hard to know which of these cases will be discussed, because the Ethics Committees, unlike other legislative committees, do not have to hold public meetings or disclose their deliberations.

Government reform groups say the legislative committees are too insular and secretive, and have too many conflicts of interest to do an effective job. Barbara Bartoletti, with the League of Women Voters, says an independent oversight committee is needed.

"We right now have the fox guarding the henhouse, and indeed, guarding it in secret," Bartoletti said.

The Seminerio case has focused attention once again on the subject of lawmaker's outside income. The position of Assemblymember or Senator is considered part time in New York, and lawmakers are allowed to have other jobs. Seminerio is alleged to have operated a consulting firm, where he collected over $500,000, to represent interests, including his local hospital, before various state government officials.

Blair Horner, with the New York Public Interest Research Group, says no one who read Seminerio's financial disclosure form, required under the rules of the Assembly, would have guessed that was going on. Legislators only have to check a box on the form for a range of the amount of money they received in outside income. Horner says those figures are "redacted from public view".

Horner agrees that having an outside body regulate the legislature would be much more effective than the present system, which seems designed more to protect lawmakers.

"We don't think self regulation works," said Horner. "Cleary the evidence shows it doesn't work."

Horner and other government reform groups believe that new commission should be modeled on the former State Lobbying Commission, which had a proven track record for aggressively pursuing violators of the lobbying law. That commission was folded into a new ethics panel under former Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Legislative leaders, some of whom have also been criticized for failing to disclose details of their outside income, say they are open to changing the rules. In the Senate, former Majority Leader Joe Bruno, who ran a consulting firm helping undisclosed clients, has been under federal investigation for his business dealings for more than two years. Bruno has not been charged with anything.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's earnings from the New York City law firm of Weitz and Luxenberg became an issue during an unsuccessful primary challenge to the Speaker. Silver has never made public the amount of pay he receives from the law firm, or the client list that he represents, citing confidentiality issues.

The new Senate Majority Leader, Dean Skelos has said that he wants new rules that require greater disclosure of outside income. Assembly Speaker Silver has also said, through a spokesman, that he's open to letting the public know more about how legislators earn extra money.

For now, though the process remains secretive. The public won't know which lawmakers the Ethics Committee is investigating, until they issue a final report, if they issue a report at all.




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