Not even New York’s lawmakers have an adequate understanding of just how long it takes to get anything done in the state they help govern.

Last year, state lawmakers passed a law mandating that any business applying for a liquor license has to post a notice in pink ink within 10 days of filing the license application and keep the notice posted until the date of a hearing or public meeting specified in the public notice. The posting specifies the application date, type of license, identification number and how to contact the state Liquor Authority.

The problem was that businesses couldn’t comply with the law because the information the state was mandating businesses post typically isn’t available in the time frame the state Legislature was requiring. The state Assembly in late February passed A.8958, a technical amendment to the pink sign law clarifying that any identifying number assigned by the state Liquor Authority can be used for the notice.

“It turns out that the original bill required that posting to include an Alcoholic Beverage Control number that often is not available at the time the posting would occur,” state Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, R-Jamestown, said on the Assembly floor to explain why he voted in favor of the amendment after speaking out against the original bill for its micromanagement of such notification last year.

“So we were asking for a fluorescent pink posting that could not be done under the law. So this is a small technical amendment and because it’s such a small technical amendment, even though I’m not a big fan of fluorescent, neon or luminiscent pink nor do I even have any pens of that color, I will support this minor amendment.”

The technical amendment passed the state Assembly 125-7 with both Goodell and Assemblyman Joe Giglio, R-Gowanda, voting in favor. State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, joined with the rest of the state Senate to give unanimous approval in the state Senate. The law will take effect on March 19.