ALBANY, N.Y. -- One day after signing his fourth ethics bill into law since taking office as governor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday there's still more work that's needed to be done.
"Ethics in many ways like other activities in life. it's an ongoing pursuit," said Cuomo, D-New York. "That old line, 'you can never be too rich, you can never be too thin.' Well, you can never be too ethical."
The law Cuomo approved this week would require new disclosure for independent expenditure committees, lobbyists and political consultants. It's been knocked by good-government groups for its potential to impact non-profit charities and for not going to the root cause of corruption in Albany.
"This isn't doing anything about the LLC loophole, lowering campaign contributions or any of the pay-to-play," said Barbara Bartoletti, League Of Women Voters.
Even state lawmakers who approved the new disclosure law back in June, like state Sen. John DeFrancisco, say some of the measures are going too far.
"We struggle to find what's fair and sometimes we go overboard," DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, told Capitol Pressroom. "I think some of the disclosure laws are ridiculous. The only thing I don't put on my disclosure sheet is the blood type of my grandchildren."
After a year in which both legislative leaders in the Senate and Assembly were tossed from office because of corruption convictions, Cuomo says any ethics-related measures are needed.
"They needed an ethics reform so people knew they could trust Albany and this is a great first step," Cuomo said.
Cuomo over the course of the legislative session had been pressured by good government reformers to address broader issues with corruption in Albany. Cuomo says his law, however, will address the impact of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
"If people don't trust the system, the system can't function," Cuomo maintained. "We passed a law which is the first in the nation that has unprecedented disclosure of donors."
In a related development on Thursday, disgraced former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was granted bail in the ongoing appeal process for his November 2015 corruption conviction.