Newswise — ALBANY, NY — Since 1954, ethics enforcement in New York has been tenuous. In July, the New York Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government became the State’s latest ethics oversight agency.

The Government Law Center (GLC) at Albany Law School examines the structure and responsibilities of the new commission—and the 2022 law that created it—in its latest explainer, “Explaining the Ethics Commission Reform Act of 2022.”

“The Ethics Commission Reform Act of 2022 fundamentally changed the structure of the entity enforcing New York State’s ethics laws,” said author and Government Lawyer in Residence Bennett Liebman.

In the explainer, Liebman illustrates how the State’s new ethics commission differs from JCOPE, including who may or may not serve on the commission, how it will function, what New Yorkers can expect, and what remains unknown.

Read the explainer here.

The explainer is the latest in a series from the GLC that concisely map out the law that applies to important questions of public policy. The GLC has also created explainers on a variety of topics, including state constitutional amendments, voting rights, government ethics reform, political redistricting in New York, immigration, aging, and policing policy, among others.

Read more here.

Albany Law School is a small, private school located in the heart of New York State’s capital where it has educated leaders since 1851. The institution offers students an innovative, rigorous curriculum taught by a committed faculty. It has an affiliation agreement with University at Albany that includes shared programs, and access for students and faculty to learn from one another. Students have access to New York's highest court, federal courts, the executive branch, and the state legislature. With approximately 10,500 alumni practicing across the country and several continents, Albany Law’s graduates serve as a vital community and resource for the school and its students. The school offers the J.D.—the traditional law degree—along with residential and online Master’s and LL.M. programs, as well as online advanced certificate programs.

The Government Law Center helps state and local governments better serve their communities while training the next generation of leaders in public service. We are a diverse and inclusive group of practitioners, students, and scholars working together to produce high-quality, reliable, nonpartisan legal research and analysis.