Bill To Release Trump's Tax Returns Passes NY Legislature

NEW YORK — Both houses of the New York Legislature have passed a bill allowing officials to hand over President Donald Trump's state tax returns to Congress, putting the coveted documents within an arm's reach of federal lawmakers.

The state Assembly overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday that would authorize the Department of Taxation and Finance to hand over tax returns to any of three congressional committees. The chamber also passed an amendment to the bill narrowing its scope to a particular set of elected and appointed officials.

The state Senate approved the original legislation two weeks ago and also approved the amendment on Wednesday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has expressed support for the measure, meaning it is all but certain to become law.

The move marks an effort by the Democratic-controlled Legislature to help their counterparts in Congress who are investigating Trump. It comes amid a battle between the Trump administration and federal lawmakers over whether Congress should have access to the president's federal tax returns, which he has declined to release.

"Transparency is essential, especially when it comes to conflicts and potential conflicts of interest with regards to those who craft" policies, said Assemblyman David Buchwald, a Westchester County Democrat who sponsored the bill.

The legislation initially allowed the state to hand over any New Yorker's tax return to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation.

But the amendment limits its reach on the federal level to the president, vice president, presidential staffers, cabinet officials and New York's members of Congress. The bill also applies to New York's statewide elected officials, state legislators, state employees, judges, political leaders and local elected officials.

The Department of Taxation and Finance could only release returns if the congressional committee's chair submits a written request indicating that they need them for a legitimate legislative purpose and that they have sought related information from the U.S. Treasury secretary.

The department would also have to redact any federal returns attached to the state returns, along with the taxpayer's personal information, the legislation says.

Democratic lawmakers have cast the legislation as an important transparency measure that would help Congress scrutinize the Trump administration.

"It is about transparency and making sure that we have folks governing us who are not circumventing the law," Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, a Bronx Democrat, said on the Assembly floor.

But Republicans argued that the Legislature was using its lawmaking powers to target one of its political enemies. Some cited the Assembly's passage of a bill that would allow the state to prosecute certain people if Trump pardoned them.

"Today it's the president and the first lady and years in the future it could be the governor and his girlfriend," said Assemblyman Doug Smith, a Long Island Republican.

To some Republicans, the purportedly narrower version of the bill was still quite broad because it covered state employees and local officials.

"I don't know how far down it goes, but it’s still a lot of people," said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, an upstate Republican.