Two-thirds of state legislators won’t feel a pinch if their outside income is limited because they don’t have that much to lose, according to a report Monday.
In all, 35 of 53 state senators and 97 of 134 Assembly members made less than $20,000 last year outside of their legislative salaries, the New York Public Interest Research Group found.
Blair Horner, director of the good-government group, said a cap on outside income would follow the model set by Congress and is the easiest way to solve Albany’s rampant corruption scandals.
“It may well be the members don’t know until today that the vast majority of them already live voluntarily under a system like the congressional model,” said Horner.
“This is New York’s Watergate moment.”
Gov. Cuomo has linked passage of the state’s budget to his proposed ethics reforms, which would require lawmakers to disclose their private clients, restrict their campaign spending and limit their travel expenses.
“That, I think, is the single most important thing we can get done this year.”
But he did not propose a cap on outside income.
Horner argued that’s needed to keep legislators in line ethically.
“Our view is, what he is proposing doesn’t solve the problem as we see it,” said Horner.