ALBANY - The State Assembly on Monday released a list of its 2012 expenditures from the part of its budget that was used to pay a secret sex harassment settlement this summer.
The move represented an effort by the Assembly to appear more transparent as it grapples with criticism over its handling of a sex harassment scandal centered around one of its most prominent members, Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic chairman. Previously, the Legislature had balked at releasing electronic records detailing its expenditures.
The records included a $103,080 payment to Cuti Hecker Wang, a law firm that represented two women who accused Mr. Lopez of harassment. The payment is listed under “legal services†even though it was a settlement payment.
There were also payments of roughly $2,400 to Jams Inc., a company that was hired to mediate between the Assembly and the lawyers representing the women who accused Mr. Lopez of harassment.
The vast majority of expenditures appeared to be mundane, covering things like shipping and laundry bills for uniforms worn by maintenance workers. The report also included: $30,000 in payments to Don Lebowitz, a housing consultant used by the Assembly who also serves on the board of the State of New York Mortgage Agency; $100 honorariums to a number of rabbis, ministers and an imam, most likely for delivering invocations before legislative sessions; nearly $25,000 in vehicle maintenance and repair expenses; and nearly $69,000 in custodial expenses.
The Assembly's overall budget is about $102 million a year. This portion of the budget, which covers miscellaneous and contractual services, tallied nearly $10.3 million from Jan. 1 to Sept. 7, and included more than 11,000 entries.
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