[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/EW-09-20-13-NYS-Legislature-Paper.mp3|titles=EW 09-20-13 NYS Legislature & Paper]
This fall, New York State residents will have the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that would save countless trees.
The New York State Legislature has twice approved a measure that would allow bills to be presented to lawmakers electronically. But an arcane provision in the State Constitution specifies that bills must be printed, so an amendment is needed before the change can take place. Final say will rest with voters on the statewide ballot in November.
This vote is a no-brainer. New York State is already behind the times when it comes to minimizing its paper use. More than half of all state legislatures have already gone paperless or taken action to reduce waste. And many provide legislators with iPads or other tablets to use for proceedings.
As it stands, the New York State Legislature prints 19 million sheets of paper every two years. Stacks upon stacks of paper are wheeled into the chambers on carts and left on lawmakers’ desks, where they are rarely read.
The proposed amendment would finally put an end to thiswaste. Aside from saving trees, hundreds of thousands of dollars could be saved on paper and ink.
The amendment would not change anything else about the lawmaking process – legislators would simply peruse bills electronically rather than on paper.
People often complain about state government and its inability to get things done. But with this ballot measure, voters can pass an amendment that will have a real, demonstrable impact on both the Legislature and the environment.
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Albany, Long Buried in Paper, Resolves to Save a Small Forest
Photo, taken on May 28, 2007, courtesy of Jim Bowen via Flickr.
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