Congressman Ritchie Torres to Gov. Hochul: Sign Transparency Legislation Now

On Sunday evening, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) wrote to New York Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the urgent need to pass transparency legislation for state contracts.

Earlier this month, Rep. Torres wrote to the NY Inspector General and the HHS Inspector General, calling upon them “to investigate alleged attempts by the Hochul Administration to put the $9 billion CDPAP program in the hands of a single out- of-state vendor with a questionable track record and to do so under false pretenses.”

The letter sent to the Governor reads as follows (full PDF available here):

“I am writing to convey profound disappointment that you have yet to sign legislation that would bring greater transparency to contracts that have been exempt from review by the Comptroller.

“Your Administration made the shocking decision to exempt the award of a 9-billion dollar contract from review by the Comptroller—an unprecedented assault on the independence of the Comptroller and the integrity of New York government writ large. The legislation before you is an occasion to partly rectify the injustice that your Administration has done to the People of New York, who rightfully expect good government.

“There is legislation, awaiting your signature, that would require greater reporting about contracts that have been exempt from review by the Comptroller. If you are sincere in your commitment to combating both the appearance and the substance of corruption in contracting, you should sign the legislation, release all communications with PPL, release all the bids for the single statewide FI, and otherwise show the world that you have nothing to hide. Nothing less than radical transparency would restore public confidence in the integrity of your administration, which has been marred by a sworn affidavit accusing you of rigging a multi-billion dollar procurement process. Do not tell New Yorkers you are a friend of good government. Show us.

“Beyond signing the legislation, your Administration should adopt a policy and practice of respecting the independence of the Comptroller. Depriving the Comptroller of the authority to review a multi-billion dollar contract, as you have done in the case of CDPAP, should never be allowed to happen again. A fully empowered Comptroller is critical to combating corruption in contracting. Be on the side of good government. Sign the bill.”