A bill passed earlier this week in Albany will allow several Westchester communities to use the old lever-style voting machines for upcoming elections on March 15.

Village clerks in Larchmont, Port Chester, Scarsdale,Hastings, Bronxville,Tarrytown, Tuckahoe and Pleasantville had asked a contingent of Westchester State Assemblymembers to support and pass the legislation citing the cost and availability of the new electronic voting machines which feature optical scanning technology.

Westchester Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has introduced legislation designed to combat bullying in schools. The bill requires that school administrators report all cases of school bullying.

It   also creates the crime of Aggravated Harassment of Teachers and School Personnel and requires that students be educated about the effects of bullying.

State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins says the State Transportation Committee passed legislation designed to establish protection for cyclists. In January, Stewart-cousins introduced  a measure that would require a three foot buffer zone between a motor vehicle and a cyclist traveling in the same direction. The bill is known as "Merrill's Law," in memory of Merrill Cassell, an avid cyclist and safety advocate fatally struck by a Bee Line Bus while cycling in Greenburgh on route 119 in Tarrytown in November 2009.

Meantime, in the State Assembly, Westchester has introduced a similar bill in the Assembly. The three foot clearance, she says, will give motorists a margin of error when passing cyclists in case either the motorist or cyclist is suddenly required to change course. The legislation is getting the thumbs up from David Wilson, President of the 1,400-member Westchester Cycle Club and co-founder of the Westchester-Putnam Bike Walk Alliance. Wilson says "The three-foot rule will create a much needed safety buffer between cars and cyclists." At least 17 states, including Connecticut have passed similar laws.

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef and Senator Suzi Oppenheimer joined the Westchester Putnam School Board Association and local school board members at a press conference today at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown to call for the repeal of the Wicks Law, which requires public construction projects to issue four or more contracts to separate contractors for plumbing, electrical, heating and genera

A bill sponsored by Westchester Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has been passed in the Assembly that expands the definition of 'sexual contact' to include the emission of ejaculate by a person upon any part of a victim. Advocates for victims say these kinds of attacks are a problems on campuses, subways and trains.

There have been such attacks on college campuses, including an incident in Connecticut, where similar legislation was passed. If the bill becomes law, it would allow police to charge offenders under harsher sexual abuse laws.

Assemblymembers Sandy Galef, Amy Paulin and George Latimer are renewing their call for no member item spending in the 2010-2011 NY State Budget. By cutting such expenditures for member items the state can save an estimated $140 to $200 million in this year's budget.

Westchester State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has announced that Governor Paterson is including a library cooperative bidding bill in his amendment to the budget that was sponsored by Paulin and State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer (D,WF)

The legislation permits public libraries and library systems to engage in cooperative bidding for shared services, equipment and supplies. Currently public libraries are not permitted to pool their services, equipment and supplies together for cooperative bidding purposes.