Given the Legislature’s reputation for secrecy and scandals, Governor Cuomo is absolutely right to want it to open up its processes to public scrutiny — in fact we’ve been saying the same thing for some years now. It would take little more than deleting four words from the Freedom of Information Law:
…”Agency” means any state or municipal department, board, bureau, division … except the judiciary or the state legislature.
The governor wasn’t quite right when, referring to details of a settlement between the Assembly and alleged sexual harassment victims, he said the public “have no vehicle to get these confidentiality agreements.” Arguably, the information should be made available based on the Court of Appeals decision in Weston v. Sloan, 84 NY2d 462.
Nevertheless, putting all governmental entities in the same boat sure seems like the fair, judicial approach.
Speaking of fair, while he’s at it, why doesn’t he let Senate Republicans know that he wants them to pass the pension disclosure bill — which, without action, will expire at the end of the year?
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