New York has a law about retired legislators doing business with their former colleagues. Legally, they are forbidden from lobbying the legislature for 2 years after leaving office.

But there's nothing stopping a retired lawmaker from lobbying the executive branch, and that's a loophole that must make Joseph Bruno -- the former Republican leader in the NY Senate -- happy.

Just four days after leaving office, Bruno has found a new job as the chief executive for an information technology firm:

Mr. Bruno’s new employer, CMA Consulting Services, has contracts with the offices of the attorney general and comptroller, as well as the Office of General Services.

And while Bruno can't take the trip down to Albany, the firm he now runs has plenty of business at the state house:

State records show that CMA has hired lobbyists to represent its interests in Albany. In 2007, it spent almost $95,000 lobbying for two bills that never became law. One would have set up a pilot program to monitor traffic in Nassau County using cameras similar to those that CMA sells.

CMA will also put Bruno in a position to continue to help state Republicans. Last cycle, the firm gave more than $5,000 to the New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee. I'm guessing that number might even go up a bit next this year.

While Bruno hasn't disclosed what he'll make running the firm, we do know that he's entitled to a Senate pension of between $90,000 and $100,000 a year. Money he'll continue to make as he lobbies the state.

Can't really blame him, though. All that extra cash ought to come in handy with his legal bills...

Finally, it's worth mentioning that the likely reason for Bruno's retirement has to do with Democratic chances in the fall. We believe that we have a great opportunity to pick up the NY Senate, and I've heard a lot of people say that Bruno left office because he had no desire to serve in the minority.

It would be fantastic if he didn't recognize quite as many people when he is cleared to start lobbying for CMA.