New York State Bar Association Suppports Expansion of Ethics Training for Local Government Officials

New York State Bar Association Suppports Expansion of Ethics Training for Local Government Officials

1.17.2025

By Jennifer Andrus

The New York State Bar Association is proposing an expansion of the ethics training requirement to more local leaders in an effort to bring greater accountability and integrity to government.

The association is proposing that local ethics board have four hours of ethics training – the same requirement that exists for town and village planning and zoning board members. The House of Delegates, the association’s governing body, approved the report at its meeting on Friday Jan. 17 in New York City.

“Public confidence in government has eroded at every level, and that undermines the effectiveness of our democratic institutions,” said New York State Bar Association President Domenick Napoletano. “We need to increase integrity in government through expanded ethics training for all those who serve.”

The report details that many members of local ethics boards have no training in interpreting or applying standards of conduct found in state law. As a result, a number of local boards of ethics rarely meet, lack independence and are ill equipped to offer advice that is consistent with state law.

Under the proposed legislation, any ethics board member who fails to meet the four-hour training requirement would not be eligible for reappointment to that position. This issue is one of several state and federal legislative priorities of the New York State Bar Association. A list of priorities can be found here under the NYSBA Legislative Priorities Tab.