Scarnati: Senators Don't Have Financial Interests in Offices

WARREN--There are no members of the Senate who currently rent their district offices from firms in which they or their family members have a financial interest, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.

Scarnati mentioned he recently had the Senate’s Chief Clerk send a formal letter to all senators asking them to declare if they have leases for district offices that involve a family member.

“I am pleased to report that all the members have notified our Chief Clerk that neither they nor anyone in their immediate family has an equity interest in any of their district offices,” Scarnati said. “Our next step is to prepare a resolution to ensure that this practice is prohibited in Senate rules as we move forward.”

Scarnati’s resolution would prohibit the Senate from leasing property in which a senator or any immediate family member has a financial interest. Immediate family members would include in-laws and other relatives beyond language in the state ethics law. The resolution must be approved by the full Senate.

“Our goal is to ensure that we are operating in the highest ethical fashion and to prevent even the perception of a conflict of interest,” Scarnati said. “We have made a number of reforms to the Senate rules to make our operations more open and accountable, and this is an extension of that ongoing effort.”