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Galef Heralds Day One Of Electronic Chamber In Celebration Of Earth Day

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y -- Assemblywoman Sandy Galef thanks voters for passing a constitutional amendment last November that has allowed the New York State Assembly to transition away from the use of paper bills to an updated modernized chamber, where electronic versions of bills are used. 

Assemblywoman Galef with an electronic tablet.

Assemblywoman Galef with an electronic tablet.

Photo Credit: File

"I am so pleased that legislation I introduced almost twenty years ago has finally passed both houses of the state legislature and been approved by the people of New York as an amendment to our constitution," Galef said. "As we transition today to the use of stationary tablets on every member's desk, we will be able to move away from the masses of paper, printing ink and labor required to produce all the bills we review, that the law required to age on each member's desk. This will not only save our forests, but also save our taxpayers from this costly practice." 

In addition to the benefit of being able to review legislation, the tablets also will allow members access to a wide range of legislative information, including the daily session calendar, calendar briefing books, the ability to instantly look up a bill and other advanced bill search capabilities. 

This is the first phase of the transition, and the Assembly will use the remainder of this session to test the computer tablets before phasing out the use of printed bills. The new electronic bill system the Assembly is utilizing has extensive power backup capabilities and computer redundancies that meet the highest standards of dependability. It also is compatible with the electronic bill processing operations of the New York state Senate and the state Bill Drafting Commission and in compliance with the state constitution. 

"The extensive range of information that will now be available to members at their desks is truly historic and will enable us to have more productive legislative proceedings, to be more informed, and to make better use of our time in session, making us both more efficient and more effective," said Galef. "This is a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day."

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