FYI: Committee chairs Peter Vallone, Jr. and Philip Reed held a joint hearing Wednesday to vet a study in which half of hardware stores surveyed sold aerosol paint to minors and almost 90 percent of art stores sold broad-tipped, indelible markers to kids. New York City, of course, has long outlawed both types of sales in an effort to combat graffiti. So Vallone, Jr. and Reed are proposing laws stiffening penalties against scofflaw venders, forcing businesses to post signs noting the law, and adding etching acid to the list of forbidden goods. [11/15/02]