Under special session rules, the Legislature could not take up other issues until the ethics law was passed.
New York's ethics law has a very large escape clause for state employees.
White House officials said that ethics law required them to refer the matter to the department for a ruling.
Will Congress go home without passing a congressional ethics law?
The state Senate is the holdout on an important change in the ethics law.
A final package of ethics laws could take many forms.
"You'll see new campaign finance and ethics laws passed this year," he said.
Politicians can deal with ethics laws in one of two ways.
Another notable action of his term was a strict new ethics law.
"You know, before, I would have had to turn it in because of ethics laws."