Report: NYS Lawmakers Receiving Stipends For Committees They Don't Run

Three Democrats in the New York State Senate are receiving extra pay that they shouldn't be, The New York Times reported Friday.

The stipends consist of thousands of dollars that usually go to committee chairmen — even though the senators are not running committees. All three are members of the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, which caucuses with the Republicans who run the Senate.

"The natural question arises, Is the stipend payment some sort of enticement?" said Jesse McKinley, the Albany Bureau chief for The Times, who broke the story. "It is a source of great speculation in Albany."

In an update Friday morning, The Times added that three Republican senators also benefited from the scheme.

In this interview, WNYC Host Jami Floyd talks with McKinley about the latest intersection of money and politics in the state capitol.