On the brief side...
Crowley Fights To Reduce Unwanted Pregnancies

Citing the United States' high rate of unwanted pregnancies and cuts in family planning aid, Congressmember Joseph Crowley joined with colleagues and NARAL Pro-Choice America officials recently in support of four bills to reduce unwanted pregnancies and improve women's health.

Crowley (D-Queens/The Bronx), the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip, declared, "Instead of cutting family planning aid and putting additional money into unproven abstinence-only education, we should be supporting successful family planning programs and promoting the over-thecounter sale of emergency contraception to reduce unwanted pregnancies."

The four bills supported by Crowley to achieve this goal would provide comprehensive sex education, promote the over-the-counter sale of Plan B for emergency contraception, ensure that all emergency rooms in United States hospitals have emergency contraception available for rape victims, and require health insurance plans to cover prescription contraceptive drugs. Avella Continues Zoning Reform Campaign

City Councilmember Tony Avella, who waged a successful campaign during his first term to halt overdevelopment and out-of-character construction, has discussed other changes he hopes to make in zoning throughout the city in talks with City Planning Commission officials.

In one case, he has recommended that a new R1-2A zoning district be created similar to the R2A classification he helped create in Northeast Queens, which eliminates loopholes that allow "McMansions" to be built.

Avella is also championing a Queens Civic Congress (QCC) proposal to create new R2B zoning, which would be designed to protect single-family attached row houses from overdevelopment.

"I have also advised the Department of City Planning that dramatic changes need to be made to the 'Faculty Housing' part of the zoning code, whereby bulk bonuses can be given for developing faculty housing off-site from an institution," he stated. Unscrupulous developers use the bonus provision to build structures bigger than anything else on a block, the Bayside lawmaker said. Quinn Supports LGBT's In St. Pat's Parade

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, faced more than the usual pressure over whether gays should be allowed to march under their own flag in the [Manhattan] St. Patrick's Day Parade, was trying to work out an agreement even as the parade approached.

Quinn (D-Manhattan) had said before the annual celebration, "As a proud Irish-American lesbian, I certainly hope to be able to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with the Irish LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in a way that allows us to openly celebrate our heritage and identity."

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, which runs the parade, over the years has refused to let the LGBT community march under their own flag. This position was backed up by a court order in 1993. Eliminate 5-Year Statute Limit On Rape Cases

Citing advances in forensic technology and the creation of national DNAdatabases, state Senators Toby Ann Stavisky and John Sabini called last week for elimination of New York State's five-year statute of limitations on rape case prosecutions.

The senate has already passed a bill eliminating the five-year statute and the bill is pending in the Assembly.

Under the bill, prosecutors would have more time to use technology to bring rapists to justice, no matter when their crimes were committed. Group Cites Padavan

State Senator Frank Padavan recently received the Meritorious Effort Award from the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities in recognition of the Bellerose lawmaker's extraordinary efforts for the disabled in Queens and throughout the state.