Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell (D-Theresa) said Wednesday that she is encouraged by the ethics reform agreement reached Tuesday between the Assembly and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Russell said the agreement would go a long way towards cleaning up Albany.

Russell represents the 116th “River District,” which includes all St. Lawrence County towns along the St. Lawrence River townships, plus the towns of Canton, Potsdam, Rossie, Macomb, and DePeyster, and part of Jefferson County, including Watertown.

“I’ve supported these measures in the past and I continue to support these ethics reforms today – increased transparency and disclosure will strengthen state government and curb unethical behavior by those who look to personally gain from their elected office,” Russell said.

The reform package includes tighter requirements for lawmakers to disclose the sources of their outside income, particularly those who practice law, and a provision that would strip legislators who are convicted of felonies of their state pensions.

"In the Assembly we're leading the charge on meaningful ethics reform,” Russell said.

“I urge the Senate to step up and join the agreement so that we can fully focus on other important tasks, including passing a responsible, on-time budget that fairly funds our schools, repairs to our local infrastructure and increases employment in the North Country,” Russell said.