Kelly Williams and Andrew Stengel of the Brennan Center call out Albany lawmakers for shooting down ethics bills that could address major areas of concern for New York Voters. The pair chides state legislators for watering down recent ethics bills and encourages a number of reforms including full public financing of campaigns, like the Clean Elections program enjoying success in neighboring Connecticut.

A group of Republican legislators in Utah are putting ethics reform at the top of their list for this year with the goal of revising the guidelines on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers, the transfer of funds from one legislator's campaign account to another, and the "personal expenses" that a lawmaker may legally cover using campaign funds. It's not a Clean Elections proposal, but it's a step towards greater transparency and accountability in the legislature.

Candidates in New Jersey's 14th District, which is participating in the state's Clean Elections pilot program, have found campaign finance and ethics prominent topics of debate on the campaign trail, and in this article several share their opinions on what needs to be done to clean up government and restore voter faith in government and in elections.

So, the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a revised ethics and lobbying overhaul bill yesterday and Gilbert Cruz at Time asks "how much good will this do?" That attention has been focused on the outsized influence of lobbyist money is undoubtedly a good thing, but assuming this bill passes the Senate (and several Senators are trying to stop it) it really is just the beginning.

The News Record of North Carolina laments the spate of dishonest lawmakers it feels has tarnished the state's reputation for honest government and exhorts the public to take a stand against dishonest leadership when it comes time to vote. The paper mentions the public financing legislation being explored to curb corruption, but says the burden is on citizens to hold officials accountable.

In the Orlando area?  The Orlando Sentinel is running an open invitation for anyone interested in campaign finance and ethics reforms in Florida to attend a meeting this coming May 31st by the Orange County Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform.