The 1st New York State Animal Advocacy Day launched by Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga) and Sen. Greg Ball (R,C-Patterson) has already reaped results.
It’s a very significant thing that this animal advocacy [day] proved its worth in just a couple weeks, said Tedisco. `Bills that languished for many years are now passed.`
The first bill in a series of proposed legislation to strengthen Buster’s Law (created in 1999) passed the legislature and awaits action by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The bill, sponsored by Tedisco and Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn) increases criminal penalties for animal fighting.
The bill targets animal fighting events, making it a crime to even attend as a spectator. According to Tedisco, the penalty for spectators at animal fighting events has been increased to a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine for the first offense, and up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine for second offense.
`This bill was at the top of the list for people to lobby their legislators and now sends a message that if you engage in the department of fighting animals there will be a felony penalty for that,` said Tedisco. `That sends a message we’re not going to put up with animal cruelty.`
The next bill Tedisco hopes to pass would require that anyone convicted of Buster’s Law undergo a psychiatric evaluation and be placed on a registry of animal abusers.
`[Animal cruelty] is a bridge crime. We know that people who abuse and hurt animals in this way go on to hurt human beings,` said Tedisco.
Tedisco hopes the passage of the animal fighting legislation will pave the way for future bills.
`I think this might open the flood gates to send a heightened message that we’ll have to continue to do those things to protect our companion pets,` said Tedisco.
The passed bill also sends a message that the legislature can effectively juggle multiple tasks.
`We balanced a budget, closed a $10 billion deficit, had the property tax cap, mandate relief this shows we can do both at the same time,` said Tedisco.
Tedisco also announced the passage of legislation he co-sponsored and lobbied hard for during the budget debate that would begin New York State’s transition to go paperless.
The bill, which was passed by the legislature and awaits review and action by Cuomo, amended the constitution to stop the placement of paper copies of bills on the 212 legislative desks and instead permit a digital copy to be acceptable.
`This is a major step in the right direction, not only for more efficiency and effectiveness but the third leg is to protect Mother Earth,` said Tedisco.
Tedisco said this legislature could expect to save around $60 million by going paperless.
`About $15 million or more was spent n just printing and $45 to $50 million for the Office of General Service, which we found out during the debate on the budget that 80 to 90 percent of waste is paperwork we put on our desks as stipulated by the constitution,` said Tedisco.
Legislators who wish to obtain a paper copy of bills would still have access to them by requesting a printed copy. The money savings come from the fact that bills will no longer be printed by the thousands and sit in the document room for pick-up, they’ll be printed on a request basis.
Bills will be read in an unalterable electronic format in a computer system that already exists in the Senate and Assembly; but now legislators can access the system at their desks.
`There’s a computer system, we’ll have computers built into our desks that several other states do, and it would be printed like a legislative bill would be printed except we’d bring it up on a computer system and the memos would be in the computer system,` said Tedisco.
The legislature also passed a bill co-sponsored by Tedisco that allows real property documents to be filed electronically, something the current law does not permit.
`This bill, which cuts down on paper usage and promotes greater government efficiency, is very much in synch with our holistic approach to encouraging government to go digital to protect the environment and save taxpayer dollars,` said Tedisco.
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