Emily DeSantis

Thoughts are my own

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#COELIGAtWork: The Commission released its 2025 Annual Report today! In line with its mission to increase accuracy and transparency in the reports filed by those who seek to influence government decision-making, the Commission identified $23.47 million in lobbying compensation discrepancies in 2025 and resolved 92.4% of the discrepancies. Additionally, final data shows spending to influence government decision-making rose slightly in 2025 to a record high of more than $384.8 million, up 0.69% from 2024 and the fourth consecutive year of record lobbying spending.

Read the full release and view the complete report here: https://t.co/3BW1Iw2eSj

“The people of New York are entitled to have a clear, accurate, and timely view of the efforts being made to influence government decision-making, and the Commission requires lobbying filings to be complete, accurate, and filed when due,” Executive Director Berland said. “Over the past four years, we have seen considerable growth in lobbying spending and activity. We have increased and adjusted staffing across the agency, tightened regulations, prioritized aggressive enforcement, and expanded outreach and training. Our objective is to increase the thoroughness and effectiveness of our agency in every area of its operations, and we believe we are achieving that.”

“Lobbying spending reached a new record level in 2025 led by spending on gaming and housing,” Chair Seymour W. James said. “With the increased lobbying spending, the agency’s efforts to ensure accuracy in lobbying reporting is more important now than ever. To that end, staff conducted hundreds of audits with thousands of findings and identified more than $24 million in discrepancies. The agency’s diligence resulted in amendments to hundreds of filings. COELIG continues to strive to foster public confidence in our state’s government.”

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

The Commission accepts tips concerning possible violations of law under its jurisdiction. Submit a tip anonymously by calling 1-800-87-ETHICS or visit https://t.co/HcDwHbkujm for more information.

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

Lobbying spending was up almost 20% in Jan/Feb this year. Read all about it.

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#NYLobbyingNews: The preliminary lobbying data from January-February 2026 shows lobbying spending totaled $77.62 million, up 18.9% from the same period in 2025, driven by a 145.4% increase in expenses. Detailed charts on January-February 2026 lobbying activity are now available.

Read the full news release https://t.co/V8XIeHOeDm

“Lobbying activity in 2026 was off to a robust start, as indicated by preliminary spending for January-February 2026, which was higher than any other bi-monthly spending total reported throughout 2025,” Executive Director Berland said. “The surge in overall spending seen for this reporting period underscores the intensity of lobbying efforts around the State Budget. As always, transparency remains a top priority for the Commission, and we will continue our work to ensure the public knows who is trying to influence state and local officials’ decision-making.”

“As expected, budget bills dominated the most-lobbied bills list for this reporting period,” Chair Seymour W. James, Jr. said. “The increased focus on budget bills, paired with an increase in lobbying spending, demonstrates the importance of timely and accurate filings in providing transparency and ensuring that the state government is acting in the public’s best interest. The Commission will continue to monitor these filings and deliver accessible, up-to-date lobbying data and trend information year-round.”

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

Happy Public Service Recognition Week from COELIG! Thank you to all New York State employees who keep the state moving forward- your hard work does not go unnoticed! #PSRW2026

[Reinvent Albany @ReinventAlbany]

Reinvent Albany Backs Governor Hochul’s Ban on State Employees Using Insider Information to Profit from Prediction Markets https://t.co/FWTvxUSmMm

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

Behold: Our first video for social media is out!

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#NYLobbyingNews: Preliminary lobbying data shows that total lobbying spending reached a new pinnacle in 2025 at $384.5 million, a 1.96% increase when compared with the $377.1 million preliminary spending in 2024! Read the full news release: https://t.co/x71sE46nJG

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

#MMSELFIE

[Reinvent Albany @ReinventAlbany]

See what earns a 👍️ / 👎️ / 😐️ in our take on New York's FY27 One-House Budgets: https://t.co/KRFNAgbs8c

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#COELIGAtWork: More than 266,000 executive branch employees completed the live CETC or the on-demand ethics training course in 2025, marking a 49.2% increase from 2024 and 78.7% increase from 2023. Read the full release at https://t.co/fssX7vMM5q

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#COELIGAtWork: The Commission reached settlements in three ethics cases recently, resulting in $26,800 in penalties and lost pay. The settlements will resolve matters relating to alleged violations of the Public Officers Law (POL). The Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Division investigated these matters. Read the full release by visiting https://t.co/3HYGBJcbDb

[Reinvent Albany @ReinventAlbany]

In our NYS General Government budget testimony today, we cover a lot of ground, but our main points: protect the Comptroller’s contract oversight, fund ethics oversight: https://t.co/UlYDKHYcb4

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

Thank you for supporting our mission!

[Reinvent Albany @ReinventAlbany]

We just sent a joint letter urging NY leaders to fully fund @NYSCOELIG:

✅ $9.1M for operations to fully staff COELIG
✅ Use new lobbyist fees to fund $750K in long-overdue tech upgrades

NY's first line of defense against corruption shouldn't be underfunded.

https://t.co/fN9zqFVZeb

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#NYEthicsNews: The Commission has reached a conclusion in the Klein investigation.

View the Commission’s letter at https://t.co/i0spieBQEZ

[Reinvent Albany @ReinventAlbany]

Stronger Ethics Commission and Laws, Stronger Public Trust. Our testimony for the @NYSCOELIG annual hearing today lays out Reinvent Albany's top 5 proposals for COELIG to support, along with our comments on dozens of their other proposals (plus a nifty chart!). https://t.co/Uo06OYMleJ

[David Lombardo @poozer87]

Good government activists are weighing in today on the possible legislative advocacy by @NYSCOELIG in 2026.

https://t.co/jRKJ9J6xDI

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

40+ potential proposals to improve ethics and lobbying laws and regulations. Let us know what you think!!!

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

The Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) is now accepting public comment until Oct. 2 on dozens of potential proposals to strengthen the state’s ethics and lobbying laws and regulations. The Commission is conducting a yearslong Comprehensive Review Process to gauge the effectiveness of New York’s ethics and lobbying laws, regulations, and advisory opinions and to assess whether modifications are needed. The potential proposals are preliminary and aimed at achieving full compliance with the state’s ethics and lobbying laws and to increase public confidence in the integrity of state government. Read the full release at https://t.co/wzgVvdCXWb

“The Commission is called upon to assess the consistency and effectiveness of New York’s ethics and lobbying laws, regulations, and advisory opinions and to determine whether changes are needed,” Executive Director Berland said. “Democracy cannot flourish without public confidence in the integrity of government, and any process aimed at improving compliance with the state’s ethics and lobbying laws must include input from the public and all affected and interested communities. We want the public’s help in evaluating the breadth of potential recommendations, both those we received, and those staff has tentatively formulated. Our singular objective is to ensure that we have the tools and resources to carry out our responsibilities as efficiently and as effectively as possible and to make our mission – improving public confidence in the integrity of state government - a reality.”

“The key to the Comprehensive Review is taking an educated and unfettered look at everything being done currently and at everything that can be done to advance the Commission’s work across the agency to ensure compliance with the state’s ethics and lobbying laws,” Chair Seymour W. James, Jr. said. “Part of that process is seeking public input on the spectrum of ideas and proposals that have emerged in the course of staff’s far-reaching review process.”

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

Report: WNY communities spent $1.54M lobbying the state since 2021 https://t.co/EnPFr1OVC6 via @TheBuffaloNews

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

Lobbying data for last session is out! Overall lobbying spending is up year-over-year but notably, spending on expenses in down 20%.

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

#NYLobbyingNews: The Commission has released preliminary lobbying data from the January-June CSA and May-June Bi-monthly reports! Read the full release and related charts by visiting https://t.co/F6Fr9Mon4F

“The preliminary January-June CSA data shows that lobbyist compensation and total spending increased year-over-year while expenses declined,” Executive Director Berland said. “At the same time, the preliminary data from May-June 2025 shows a dip in spending when compared with January-February and March-April due to a decrease in expenses. These fluctuations underscore the importance of providing the public timely awareness of lobbying activity and associated spending as efforts to influence state and local decision-making shift throughout the year.”

“Promoting transparency in lobbying activity and spending is not an option; it is a crucial step in building public trust in state and local government. The public is entitled to know on a timely basis who is being lobbied, who is doing the lobbying, what is being lobbied on, and who is paying for the lobbying,” Chair Seymour W. James, Jr. said. “The continuous publication of up-to-date lobbying data allows the public to gain a clearer picture of lobbying activity in New York State.”

[Emily DeSantis @ekdesantis]

I am honored to have worked closely with Commissioner Cardozo over the past two and a half years. A true legend in his field. He will be missed.

[NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Govt @NYSCOELIG]

Statement by Chair Seymour W. James, Jr. and Executive Director Sanford N. Berland on the passing of former Commissioner Michael Cardozo:

Commissioner Michael A. Cardozo’s astute and incisive legal mind and breadth of knowledge and experience made him an indispensable part of the Commission from its inception. His passionate vision of what ethics in New York government can and should be helped shape COELIG.

Even more so, it was Michael’s sharp wit, incomparable intelligence and innate kindness that made him an immediate and treasured friend and colleague.

Michael’s accomplishments are legendary. He excelled as the longest-serving Corporation Counsel in New York City history, the President of the 21,000-member New York City Bar Association, and a distinguished attorney who represented the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer. 

As Chair of the Commission’s Communications and Legislative Committees, Commissioner Cardozo played a leading role in crafting the Commission’s priorities. With his tireless energy and acumen, he helped us forge positive working relationships with our major constituencies and with our many and varied communities of interest.

We feel Michael’s loss deeply and hope his wife Nancy, children, grandchildren, extended family, friends, and all who knew and loved him are comforted by wonderful memories of a legal giant who generously gave of himself.

View the statement online: https://t.co/dELchgwNKj

[Robert Gavin @RobertGavinBN]

And @NYSCOELIG, which @GovKathyHochul created in 2022 to replace JCOPE, reported that for the 3rd consecutive year, NYS lobbying spending rose to a record high of $382.1 million.

“New York’s lobbying industry continues to defy economic gravity,” said Blair Horner of @NYPIRG