Cuomo Proposes Harsher Punishment for Corruption: Report

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a “public trust act” that would give district attorneys the ability to prosecute state-level corruption and make failure to report corruption a misdemeanor, NY 1 reported.

The proposal follows arrests of several elected officials on the city and state level last week, including Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, and State Sen. Malcolm Smith, D-Jamaica, who have been accused of attempting to rig the mayoral election by getting Smith on the Republican line.

“New York State has a zero tolerance for public trust violations,” the governor said. “The people demand nothing less. That is the way it must be and that is the way it will be.”

Cuomo wants to expand the state’s bribery statue, enact for the first time penalties for failing to report corruption, increase penalties for corruption and institute a lifetime ban from government for those who are convicted in corruption cases, NY 1 reported.

However, the state attorney general would not be granted new authority, such as subpoena power, under Cuomo’s proposal. The proposal will be introduced as part of a package that also includes campaign finance reform and the possible repeal of Wilson-Pakula, which allows cross-party endorsements.