Tagged: New York State Legislature

Faced with the possibility of being expelled from the state legislature as soon as next week, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez, a Democrat from Brooklyn, today said he would resign on June 20th at the end of the legislative session and run for a seat on the New York City Council. 

There have been a number of ideas and suggestions on how to improve the New York State Legislature, especially after the recent arrest of two lawmakers on corruption charges. One of the ideas is changing the job from part-time to full time. That’s not a new thought, in fact it was suggested more than 100 years ago, in 1910, by then newly-elected State Senator Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

The second half of New York’s legislative session begins Monday. It's likely to be dominated by the response to on going bribery and corruption scandals that came to light while lawmakers were on spring break.  

Governor Cuomo, and one of the Co-Leaders of the State Senate have already taken some preemptive action before the legislature’s scheduled return to the Capitol,  following federal bribery charges against a State Senator and an Assemblyman, as well as other officials. 

Just two days after State Senator Malcolm Smith of New York City was charged with bribery, another state lawmaker is facing the same charge in an un-related case.