Once Secretive Legislators Go Public

ALBANY — The hottest new trend among Legislature leaders is the public hearing.

At a meeting with state leaders yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno declared that he would hold public hearings on the issue of campaign finance reform. Moments later, the speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, was promoting his idea for public hearings to examine Mayor Bloomberg's anti-traffic tax plan.

"The real way to bring the public in is to invite them in and let them tell us what they think about it," Mr. Silver said.

The sudden popularity of the public hearing, a forum that allows elected officials to receive public input on important policy matters, may seem like a strange development in a place known for its commitment to secrecy.

Mr. Silver, a Democrat of Manhattan, and Mr. Bruno, a Republican whose district includes Rensselaer County, have their reasons.

Mr. Bruno, whose Republican conference balked at Governor Spitzer's proposal to tighten state campaign contribution rules, said he would hold public hearings on the state's experience with finance laws and try to determine if there is a "compelling" need for change. The hearings would also consider how the laws have been abused, he said.

While he did not point to any examples of abuse, Mr. Bruno may have some in mind. Albany insiders say the senator may seek to use the forum to try to embarrass the governor by focusing attention on Mr. Spitzer's past fund-raising practices, such as a 1990s episode, in which he was accused of concealing millions of dollars in contributions from his father, Bernard Spitzer, circumventing state law.

Mr. Spitzer did not appear to be bothered by the prospect of such scrutiny and commended Mr. Bruno for making "good progress."

For his part, Mr. Silver says public hearings are needed to give lawmakers a fuller sense of the public's concerns about Mr. Bloomberg's plan to impose "congestion pricing," a fee on motorists driving into the busier parts of Manhattan.

The hearings also give the Assembly speaker some breathing room. Mr. Silver said his Democratic conference would wait to take a position on the plan until the hearings take place. A date has yet to be set.

Saying the Assembly would convene another hearing today on legislation to expand the state's criminal DNA database, Mr. Silver said hearings were an important forum for guiding lawmakers on issues that affect many people.

Asked if he would hold public hearings on a proposed bill to legalize gay marriage, Mr. Silver said, "There are only so many public hearings that we're going to do."