I was very happy to see the Aug. 21 story "Report tracks N.Y. 'soft money' " take on the state Legislature for our inaction on long overdue campaign finance reform in New York. However, the article merely scratched the surface.

Not only are there loopholes in how political organizations and legislators like myself raise campaign funds, but the rules outlining how those funds can be spent are among the most lax in the country.

For instance, Howard Mills, former U.S. Senate candidate, was using campaign funds to pay for car and cell phone bills a year after his campaign was over, and long after Gov. Pataki had named him as the state's supervisor of insurance. Mills is just one example of a systemic problem.

It is no wonder that the New York Public Interest Research Group and the Brennan Center have faulted the Legislature for our loose campaign finance laws and labeled us the "most dysfunctional legislature" in the country.

Assemblyman Pete Grannis and I have introduced legislation (S.8004/A.11510) to ensure increased transparency and accountability in how campaign funding operates. If passed, it would add specific examples, and generalities where appropriate, that will draw a bright line regarding what state legislators can and cannot do with money we raise.

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