Malliotakis says her bill takes Albany out of ‘Stone Age’

June 26, 2013 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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No more paper trail! Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) said she is pleased with the passage of a bill she co-sponsored to allow proposed legislation to be sent to state lawmakers digitally instead of on printed copies.

The bill, which Malliotakis said she has been pushing since she first arrived in Albany as a freshman legislator in 2010, would amend the state constitution to allow digital copies of bills to be delivered to legislators rather than requiring paper copies to be printed as the assembly currently does.

“Albany is operating in the Stone Age, and with modern technology, going digital is just common sense,” Malliotakis said.

Since the bill is proposing a constitutional amendment, it will have to be put to a voter referendum in 2014. For a change to be made to the constitution, legislation must pass both the senate and assembly during two consecutive legislative sessions and then be approved by voters in a referendum. The passage of the bill in both the assembly and the senate clears the way for a referendum. The bill was approved before the state legislature ended its session this week.

“Since joining the assembly, I have fought to end the practice of harming both taxpayers and the environment with the unnecessary practice of printing multiple copies of legislation for all 213 state legislators. I look forward to 2014 when the voters make their voice heard, letting taxpayers as well as Mother Nature off the hook for Albany’s antiquated ways,” she said.

It’s more than just a matter of paper, according to Malliotakis, who said printing copies of every bill that comes before the state’s 213 legislators also costs a lot of money. She estimated that going all-digital will save taxpayers $13 million a year.