Patrick Generally Pleased With DeLeo Ethics Reforms

As ethics reform moves forward on Beacon Hill, Governor Patrick says he's generally pleased with a plan from House Speaker Robert DeLeo that omits several parts of the governor's proposal.

"I want to commend the Speaker and the House for moving on ethics and lobbying reform," Patrick says. "I think they put some items in it as well on campaign finance which is terrific, and we're going to continue to work with the Speaker and the House and with the Senate as well to get a good bill."

While both plans increase penalties for ethics and lobbying violations, Speaker DeLeo's does include the expanded wiretapping authority and the ban on gifts to lawmakers the governor wanted.

"Too often, I believe the public has come to see people in government playing by a different set of rules than the rest of the world," says DeLeo. "Now after considerable work, I am proud to support a bill I believe will help restore the public's confidence in government."

But Patrick says negotiations on the new bill are not over.

"We proposed what we thought was right. There is an inevitable negotiation that will go on, but listen: this is what, 85 [or] 90 percent of what we proposed, so I feel really good about where we are right now."

The House is debating DeLeo's measure today, and is expected to vote on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a new Suffolk University Law School poll to be released Wednesday finds that 41 percent of residents surveyed believe the ethics reforms will have little or no effect on how state business is conducted.