NY S07852

Repeals Article 5 of the Legislative Law, eliminating the separate Legislative Ethics Commission effective January 1, 2013

Reduces the Joint Commission on Public Ethics from 14 to 5 members appointed by the Governor with advice and consent of the legislature, using a nominating panel composed of the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, President of the New York State Bar Association, and Executive Director of Common Cause

Transfers all ethics oversight functions for legislators, legislative employees, and legislative candidates from the defunct Legislative Ethics Commission to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, including financial disclosure review, complaint investigations, and enforcement

Establishes a new nominating panel process to select commission members without regard to political affiliation, replacing the previous system of appointments by legislative leaders and the Governor

Requires the Joint Commission to prepare and publicly release substantial basis investigation reports within 45 days and issue final dispositions within 90 days, with limited ability to withhold reports only when requested by law enforcement due to ongoing criminal investigations