Paulin Has Successful Legislative Season

Full-time legislator, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin of Scarsdale, annually ranks among the state's most successful lawmakers. Her diverse legislative agenda includes state government reform, children and families, domestic violence, sex trafficking, education, health care, animal welfare and gun control. As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Energy, Assemblywoman Paulin has worked to encourage renewable energy and ensure our electricity grid is reliable.

Paulin has served the 88th New York State Assembly District (Scarsdale, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Bronxville, Pelham, Pelham Manor, and parts of New Rochelle and White Plains) since 2001. She chairs the Assembly Committee on Energy. The New York State Assembly ended its session last Thursday and she is pleased to announce that 21 of the bills that she authored passed both the Assembly and the Senate and are awaiting the governor's signature. Some highlights include:

A421/S4751 Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse
Requires athletic coaches to report cases of child abuse. Coaches are in a unique position when it comes to gaining a child's trust. He or she would often be in a position to spot abuse and therefore should be required to report it rather than remain silent and uninvolved.

A8812/S6803 Sex Trafficking Victims Fee Waiver
Requires the court to waive any mandatory surcharge and crime-victim fees for sex trafficking victims. Imposing the surcharge and fee likely means the victim's trafficker will pay the amounts required, pushing the victims right back into the hands of the trafficker.

A2053/S1982 Unlawful Surveillance
Makes it a crime to record and share images of sexual acts without the knowledge of the participant.

A8785/S6718 Port Authority Transparency Bill
Mandates that the Freedom of Information Law and New Jersey Open Public Records Act apply to the Port Authority. This bill must pass through both state legislatures and is awaiting passage in New Jersey.

A6974/S7839 Veteran's Pension Buyback Bill
Recognizes the service of all of our veterans by allowing them to purchase up to three years of service credit in the state public retirement systems.

A8800/S6485 and A6367/S2383 Fuel Cells
Assure parity between fuel cells and other clean energy technologies.

A7896/S5500 Municipal Energy Aggregation Program
Authorizes a municipal energy aggregation pilot program in Westchester County, which allows a municipality or group of municipalities to pool together a large number of residents and solicit bids from energy services companies to supply their electricity and gas. This will save customers money, and also provide flexibility for the municipality to buy energy produced from alternative sources.

A8661/S6595 Online Public Bidding
Saves local governments and school districts money by allowing them to post bids on a statewide website. Costs will be reduced by attracting an increased number of bidders which will lead to increased competition and lower bids.

A9651/S7253 Adult Registry
Allows all healthcare practitioners who administer immunizations to access the statewide immunization information system and requires that they report immunizations of adults upon consent. This will avoid duplicate immunizations and provide information on which immunizations are due.

A2327/S7322 Scarsdale School District Health Insurance
Allows the Scarsdale School District to maintain a separate reserve fund for its self-insured health insurance plan, positioning them to manage yearly variations and claims.