Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday that he now supports Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's plan to provide greater public scrutiny of government's inner workings.
The Republican-led Senate had omitted $700,000 in funding for the "Project Sunlight" program in its state budget proposal, but Bruno said he will restore the money after discussing the issue with Cuomo.
"We wanted to understand more clearly what that related to, how it would function and how it would work," Bruno said. "And if it takes more funds, it ought to be requested."
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Separately, Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Thursday agreed to Cuomo's proposal to add "disclosure and accountability certifications" to contracts for future pork barrel grants given by individual lawmakers to community groups, local governments, hospitals and others. The recipients of the "member items," totaling $200 million annually, will have to disclose relationships they have with lawmakers, their legal standing and the public purpose of the funding.
Of course not, gentlemen. Of course not.
