NYS ethics panel looks at new guardrails for campaign donations from lobbyists

The state’s ethics watchdog is considering whether to add guardrails to campaign contributions made by lobbyists.

The Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government is looking at a range of options: from lobbyists simply disclosing any campaign contributions to limitations or outright prohibitions on political donations. 

If any part of the proposal moves forward, it would require a bill to be passed in the state Legislature and for Gov. Kathy Hochul to then sign off on it, according to COELIG.

The move by COELIG comes despite the committee’s historic "lukewarm" views on campaign finance restrictions on lobbyists, Executive Director Sanford N. Berland said at a public meeting Tuesday.

Despite reservations in the past on the issue, Berland said he is hoping to receive public input on whether there is interest in any type of additional reporting or restrictions. The issue was extensively discussed at a legislative committee of COELIG on Tuesday.

"Our goal is to achieve as much transparency on the lobbying side with respect to the activities of those who are seeking to influence government decision making," Berland said at the meeting.

Committee members expressed more support for collecting information from lobbyists about their campaign contributions, as opposed to outright restricting or limiting their potential donations.

"If the public has an interest in knowing when there are meetings, of course they should know when there’s money," commission vice chair Ava Ayers said.

For the proposal to have a chance of success, Ayer said, it would need financial support from the state to build out and maintain a new database with the information. 

The initiatives drew substantial feedback from good government — positively — and industry groups — negatively — in recent days.

"The commission was wise to identify the nexus between lobbying and campaign contributions," Ben Weinberg, director of public policy at Citizens Union, testified at a Sept. 25 public hearing.

Weinberg turned to the way New York City logs campaign contributions from lobbyists as a model worthy of the commission’s attention.

"New York City already requires such reporting, and even though compliance and enforcement there remain inconsistent, these disclosure rules allow the public, the media, and civic watchdog like ours to shine light on lobbying activities that began or developed around campaign services and fundraising," Weinberg said in his testimony to COELIG. 

Good government groups called for restrictions and reporting requirements on fundraising activities of lobbyists acting on behalf of campaigns, but industry groups pushed back against the ideas.

The National Federation of Independent Business said in a memo that restrictions on lobbyists making campaign contributions "will in no way improve integrity, transparency, or trust in government." Instead, the industry group said, it would be in "violation of an individual's own freedom to engage in the political process."

Empire State Society of Association Executives said that "requiring registrants to list their individual contributions would be onerous, duplicative and unnecessary."

The proposal is a part of COELIG’s development of a comprehensive review of its laws, which it has been undertaking since its formation in 2022. The commission, ushered in by Hochul,  replaced the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which was often ridiculed by critics as acting under the thumb of the executive branch.

 The proposal is also a part of the commission’s contemplation of its legislative agenda next year, which will be in the background of Hochul running for reelection.

Legislation requiring lobbyists to disclose campaign contributions has languished in committee in the state Senate since 2009. The legislation is carried by state Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat.