Watchdogs Support Two Key State Bills Curbing NYS Pay-to-Play

Reinvent Albany joins watchdogs and public policy groups who are urging the Legislature to pass two bills that would help curb pay-to-play in New York State. Both bills are modeled after New York City’s doing-business restrictions, which require contributors to candidates for city elected offices to disclose their employers and limit contributions from contractors.

S2362 (Rivera) / A6542 (Carroll) requires people who contribute $100 or more to a candidate for state office to disclose their employer. This bill is supported by Reinvent Albany and ten watchdogs and advocacy groups. Campaign contributors have long been required to disclose their employers to federal and New York City political candidates.

Currently, state law allows executives or owners of companies with or seeking state contracts to donate up to $18,000 to candidates for Governor. S6247 (Myrie) would ban such contributions for most contracts of $100,000 or more. This bill is supported by Reinvent Albany and three other watchdogs.

The bills are on the Senate Elections Committee agenda for Tuesday, May 9th. The memo of support for the bill requiring employer disclosure is here, and supporting doing-business restrictions is here.