Assemblyman Tom McKevitt announced that he, along with legislative leaders, has reached an agreement with Governor Spitzer to take the long overdue steps toward ethics reform.

The agreement comes three days after the State Legislature passed legislation, co-sponsored by McKevitt, to reform the dysfunctional state budget process.

The bipartisan agreement includes:

• Consolidating the Temporary State Commission on Lobbying and the State Ethics Commission into one agency empowered to provide oversight and investigate corruption;

• Banning gifts of more than nominal value to lawmakers from lobbyist and non-lobbyists;

• Creating a new 13-member state Commission on Public Integrity;

• Establishing an anti-nepotism policy for hiring staff; and

• Closing the "revolving door" loophole by prohibiting legislators and legislative aides from lobbying for two years.

"I am pleased we were able to reach a bipartisan agreement on these long overdue measures that will help restore accountability and integrity in state government," McKevitt said. "While these measures will make great changes in Albany, we must do more to restore public confidence in the system."