ALBANY — County lawmakers backed broad new regulations on pawn shops, secondhand dealers and jewelry stores Monday night aimed at staunching the flow of stolen goods — despite an 11th-hour plea from an industry group for a 30-day reprieve to fine-tune the legislation.

The law, which takes effect in 90 days, will require any business that buys precious metals or deals in secondhand goods to obtain a license from the county and submit to a detailed electronic reporting scheme through which they supply Albany police with a written description and photograph of every item they buy within two days.

Modeled in part after legislation already on the books in the city of Albany, the measure also requires licensed dealers to post a $5,000 bond and hold onto purchases for at least 10 days to provide police a window to catch up with any suspected stolen merchandise.

But the Albany County Dealers Association — a trade group that represents everything from pawn shops to fine jewelers and that says it supports the measure in principle — urged lawmakers to delay voting on it for another 30 days to allow time to address their remaining concerns, including what they called the onerous requirement that dealers file a written description of every item they buy when they are also required to submit a photo.

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then why do they have write everything out?" Jason Pierce, the group's president, said, noting much of what dealers buy lacks defining characteristics that set it aside from similar pieces. "An 18-inch rope chain is an 18-inch rope chain."

Some lawmakers backed the push for a delay, prompting an unusually caustic public exchange between the law's sponsor, Legislator Gary Domalewicz, and fellow Albany Democrat Christopher Higgins when Higgins moved to table it for another month.

Domalewicz pointedly accused Higgins of selling out to the industry in exchange for contributions to Higgins' Assembly campaign.

"You took the blood money. They did a nice fundraiser for you," Domalewicz said, noting that he had already made more than two-dozen changes to the legislation at the suggestion of the association and Pierce. "In 30 days it'll be something else."

Higgins called Domalewicz's accusations baseless, pointing out that he ultimately voted along with 24 others in favor of the law after his push for a delay failed. He also said neither the dealers association nor Pierce has never donated money to his campaign, the first public financial disclosures for which aren't due until next week, but acknowledged Pierce's business had provided an in-kind contribution to a recent fundraiser.

Virtually all of the 11 dissenting votes came from members of the legislature's Republican minority, who said they understood the motivation but feared it amounted to more business-strangling regulation.

"I agree with the intent of the law," Colonie Republican Peter Tunny said, "but the cost to the businesses — I'm just not sure."

Domalewicz hailed the passage as victory for crime victims.

"The good guys won one," he said.

In other business, the legislature also approved a new contract with nearly 250 nursing home workers belonging to 1199 SEIUUnited Healthcare Workers East in which the union members — who range from nurses to maintanence staff — agreed to retroactive zero percent raises in 2010, 2011 and 2012 with the possibility of new talks for a raise in 2013, the pact's final year.

Lawmakers also approved the creation of two new investigators' jobs in County Executive Dan McCoy's office. The posts are meant to find ways to save the county money, including contract compliance, and will pay $45,000 and $50,000 annually. Meanwhile, a measure backed by some lawmakers to establish an immediate county hiring freeze was sent to committee.

jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com • 518-454-5445 • @JCEvangelist_TU