The Pledge for Change
Citizens for Better Government in NY, Common Cause NY, Interfaith Alliance of Rochester, League of Women Voters of NYS, and NYPIRG are all teaming up to take on the legislative process in Albany (or lack thereof). Their movement is called the Pledge for Change. They highlight several of the procedural problems and have a number of very specific proposals. It may sound dry because most of it has to do with the details of how the legislature operates, but it’s in fact very important, because it affects how every one of the issues that we care about are dealt with in Albany.
The Pledge for Change addresses many aspects of the processes in Albany. “One-house” bills, which appeal to only one of the two parties, and thus only one of the two houses, but which have no chance of becoming law, need to be done away with. There needs to be more discussion, and the public should have more input into legislation that affects our lives. The Legislative Ethics Commission needs to be more open to the public and it acts as “an extension of the legislators’ own team of lawyers.” Something needs to be done about the undue influence of lobbyists and money in the political process.
The Citizens’ Petition reads as follows:
* Restore Faith In New York’s Ethics, by establishing a Legislative Ethics Commission and insuring that the Commission on Public integrity is independent and effective
* Make Elections Fair, by adopting public funding of election campaigns
* End the Practice of Legislators Choosing Their Voters, through the creation of an independent redistricting commission
* Open the Legislative Process and Let the People See and Participate by changing the way legislative committees operate
[...] a great article in the City paper this week about how we desperately need the things that the Pledge for Change advocates. It also mentions some of the candidates who signed the Pledge: Common Cause/NY and [...]