Lavine Does Albany 101

New York State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, D-Glen Cove, stopped by on Thursday night to explain the state's lawmaking process, as part of the District's.

The purpose of the forum was to educate residents on how Bills are formulated, amended and finally voted into law, said Lavine.

"Bills have to be passed identically in both houses," he said. "Also, bills must include fiscal reports, which have become much more scrutinized in recent years, and I expect it to remain this way for probably about five years."

One of the difficulties, Lavine said, was that the NYS legislature is not year-round – a practice which dates back to when farmers were office majority and would work around harvesting seasons and New York's shifting climate. 

"When we go to pass the budget by April 1 every year, we go through thousands upon thousands of bills which must be read in a period of two and a half months," said Lavine.

Lavine – who said he identifies as a middle-progressive on social matters, and a middle-conservative on economics – also

The bill – which will amend the penal law in creating the crimes of Cyber Assault and Cyber Impersonation – has been referred to the Codes Committee, according to Lavine.

The lecture was interactive, as attendees were encouraged to ask questions, including the reason behind the differentiation in treatment of those over 19-years-old, and those under 18 in Lavine's Bill. Lavine said that in NYS youths 18 and younger are seen under the law as minors.

A hot topic were health care and education are NYS matters: "While the second-most complicated issue we deal with is education, the most complicated issue is healthcare," Lavine said. "We've never had a comprehensive plan. You'll hear very few politicians say this: nobody has any idea how it's negotiated."