In his State of the State address today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) called for a sweeping government reform package that includes public financing of elections for the state legislature. His "Clean Up Albany" agenda also calls for outlawing “pay to play” to limit the impact of special interests in the legislative process. Public Campaign President Nick Nyhart praised the Governor: “Gov. Cuomo drew a line in the sand today for lawmakers in Albany and the Congressional leadership in Washington, D.C.—it’s time to put voters back in charge of our elections. After a national election that saw unprecedented levels of special interest influence over our political process, this is a welcome relief.”   New York City already has a popular and successful public financing system in place, which reformers in the state are pushing as a potential model for state legislative elections. For years Albany has been plagued with the reputation as a place where special interest lobbyists and big money donors hold all the sway. Gov. Cuomo's backing of public financing in his reform package is a big step forward to changing that reputation and returning control in Albany to the voters, where it belongs. Read Gov. Cuomo's full plan by clicking here.