Regular Session - April 4, 2024
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 April 4, 2024
11 12:11 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
3 will come to order.
4 I ask everyone to please rise and
5 recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Reading of
14 the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
16 Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Senate met pursuant
17 to adjournment. The Journal of Tuesday, April 2,
18 2024, was read and approved. On motion, the
19 Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 Messages from the Governor.
25 Reports of standing committees.
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1 Reports of select committees.
2 Communications and reports from
3 state officers.
4 Motions and resolutions.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good afternoon,
7 Madam President.
8 On behalf of Senator Persaud, I wish
9 to call up Senate Print 932C, recalled from the
10 Assembly, which is now at the desk.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
12 Secretary will read.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 111, Senate Print 932C, by Senator Persaud, an
15 act to amend the General Business Law.
16 SENATOR GIANARIS: I now move to
17 reconsider the vote by which this bill was
18 passed.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
20 Secretary will call the roll on reconsideration.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 53.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
24 bill -- yes, Senator Gianaris.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: I think you were
2119
1 right.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3 is restored to its place on the Third Reading
4 Calendar.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you. I
6 now offer the following amendments.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
8 amendments are received.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: Okay. At this
10 time, Madam President, we're attempting to pass
11 the extender to keep government funded as soon as
12 possible in today's session. So we will call an
13 immediate meeting of the Rules Committee and
14 stand at ease.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There will
16 be an immediate meeting of the Rules Committee in
17 Room 332.
18 The Senate will stand at ease.
19 (Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease
20 at 12:13 p.m.)
21 (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at
22 12:16 p.m.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
24 will return to order.
25 Senator Gianaris.
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1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
2 I believe there's a report of the Rules Committee
3 at the desk. Can we take that up, please.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 Secretary will read.
6 THE SECRETARY: Senator
7 Stewart-Cousins, from the Committee on Rules,
8 reports the following bill:
9 Senate Print 8970, by
10 Senator Krueger, an act making appropriations for
11 the support of government.
12 The bill reports direct to third
13 reading.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
15 the report of the Rules Committee.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
17 in favor of accepting the report of the
18 Rules Committee signify by saying aye.
19 (Response of "Aye.")
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
21 nay.
22 (No response.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The report
24 of the Rules Committee is accepted.
25 Senator Gianaris.
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1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please take up
2 the supplemental calendar at this time.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is a
4 substitution at the desk.
5 The Secretary will read.
6 THE SECRETARY: Senator Krueger
7 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Rules,
8 Assembly Bill Number 9762 and substitute it for
9 the identical Senate Bill 8970, Third Reading
10 Calendar 770.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER:
12 Substitution so ordered.
13 The Secretary will read.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 770, Assembly Print Number 9762, by
16 Assemblymember Weinstein, an act making
17 appropriations for the support of government.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
19 last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
21 act shall take effect immediately.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
23 roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
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1 I believe there's a message of necessity and
2 appropriation at the desk.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is a
4 message of necessity and appropriation at the
5 desk.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
7 the message.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
9 in favor of accepting the message please signify
10 by saying aye.
11 (Response of "Aye.")
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
13 nay.
14 (No response.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
16 message is accepted, and the bill is before the
17 house.
18 Read the last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
25 Ashby to explain his vote.
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1 SENATOR ASHBY: Thank you,
2 Madam President.
3 While I'm proud to support this
4 resolution and extender, and I note that there is
5 a piece of funding in here that extends for our
6 Homeless Veterans Pilot Program, I would also
7 like to point out that right now we have
8 tax checkoffs for veterans' programs -- to
9 include veterans remembrance and cemetery
10 maintenance and operation, homeless veterans
11 assistance, Veterans Home Assistance Fund, and
12 military family relief -- that haven't been paid
13 out in six years. That's $3.4 million that
14 haven't moved.
15 And while I applaud this body and
16 our state for helping to fund this Homeless
17 Veterans Pilot Program, I think we should all
18 agree that six years is a little too long. It's
19 a little too long to start funding these programs
20 that are already funded. Excuse me, the money is
21 already there. We don't have to ask for it.
22 It's sitting there. And what are we doing about
23 it? We should be doing more.
24 Thank you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
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1 Ashby to be recorded in the affirmative.
2 Announce the results.
3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 58.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 Senator Gianaris.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
8 Madam President.
9 Returning to motions and
10 resolutions, Madam President, can we take up
11 previously adopted Resolution 2057, by
12 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, read that resolution's
13 title, and recognize Senator Scarcella-Spanton.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
15 Secretary will read.
16 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
17 2057, by Senator Scarcella-Spanton, celebrating
18 the courage and bravery of New York State's
19 Korean War Veterans and recognizing the men and
20 women who served with dignity and honor during
21 this historic time period, at the Senate's Korean
22 War Veteran Celebration on April 4, 2024.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
24 Scarcella-Spanton on the resolution.
25 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON: Thank
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1 you, Madam President.
2 And thank you to our amazing
3 Korean War veterans who are here with us today,
4 in passing this resolution honoring their
5 courage, bravery, to the State of New York and
6 this country overall.
7 Today we recognize the men and women
8 who served with dignity and honor during that
9 historic time at the Senate's Korean War Veterans
10 Celebration. As we honor our Korean War vets
11 today, let us remember those who lost their lives
12 in this war and the many others who were called
13 home in the years that followed.
14 Despite being referred to as "the
15 forgotten war," the Korean War had a profound
16 impact on the lives of every veteran here today
17 and to every American who gets to enjoy their
18 freedoms because of veterans like you.
19 This year marks the 71st anniversary
20 of the Korean Armistice Agreement that brought an
21 end to the hostilities in Korea, and every one of
22 you played a part in making that happen.
23 We stand here to honor your
24 sacrifices and those of every Korean War
25 veteran -- those who courageously defended our
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1 freedoms and protected our nation. We owe you a
2 debt of gratitude that can never truly be repaid.
3 It was truly an honor to spend the
4 morning with you here today and now to honor you
5 on the floor of the Senate.
6 Thank you so much, and I proudly
7 vote aye.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
9 you, Senator.
10 Senator Harckham on the resolution.
11 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you very
12 much, Madam President.
13 First I wanted to thank
14 Senator Scarcella-Spanton for bringing this
15 resolution forward. I want to thank the
16 Majority Leader, and Senator Mayer for helping to
17 arrange the wonderful reception we had for our
18 brave heroes this morning and for all members who
19 attended.
20 I rise in support of this resolution
21 because we can never say thank you enough.
22 You know, my father served in combat
23 in World War II, was called back up in Korea, was
24 not sent over to Korea -- he actually trained
25 soldiers who went to Korea. I don't know if any
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1 of you were at Indiantown Gap, but that's where
2 he was stationed, so you may have run into him
3 during the Korean conflict.
4 But when I spoke to him about his
5 experiences in World War II, he said the heroes
6 were the ones who never came back. And that
7 always stuck with me.
8 But I've learned over the years to
9 have a little different spin, because many heroes
10 came back. And, you know, when you talk to a
11 veteran, they don't think of themselves as
12 heroes. But those of us who did not serve in the
13 military do think of you as heroes.
14 And what we want you to know --
15 particularly as some of us get on in years, you
16 know: Did my life have meaning? Did what I do
17 matter? And what you did mattered. It mattered
18 then. It matters now. It matters to world
19 history. It matters to American history. And it
20 matters to our children today.
21 So to all of you who are here, both
22 on the floor and in the gallery -- we have a
23 couple of veterans from my district, Donald King
24 and Dimitri Swick -- thank you for coming, and to
25 all the veterans for coming. But most
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1 importantly, thank you for your service. God
2 bless you. You've made a difference.
3 I vote aye.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
5 you, Senator.
6 Senator Mayer on the resolution.
7 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
8 Madam Speaker.
9 I'm so proud to speak on behalf of
10 this resolution and thank my colleague
11 Senator Scarcella-Spanton for bringing it to the
12 floor, and the Majority Leader.
13 And I want to give credit to the
14 veterans, both Vietnam and Korean War veterans,
15 of my Veterans Advisory Group that brought to my
16 attention the fact that in this chamber we had
17 not paid homage and recognition to Korean War
18 veterans, and their time was now. And that
19 happened about two years ago. Last year we
20 started for the first time.
21 It's extremely important to all of
22 us in this chamber, on both sides of the aisle,
23 that we acknowledge and honor your service and
24 ensure that you have a day, much as so many of
25 our other veterans do, that you are acknowledged
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1 and recognized by my colleagues.
2 So today it's our honor to have you.
3 I want to especially thank Chet Edwards, a
4 Vietnam-era veteran of my group that helped make
5 this happen. There's a number of veterans from
6 my district here. All of you have changed the
7 face of this Senate by making sure that your
8 service is spoken about and that your service,
9 once you came home, was spoken about.
10 So many of you have paid an
11 incredible amount of attention to the communities
12 where you live. You've engaged, you've been
13 fully present. And it's truly an honor and a
14 pleasure to stand here in support of this
15 resolution and to honor you for all you have
16 done.
17 Thank you, Korean War veterans.
18 Thank you, Vietnam-era veterans, for making sure
19 that these folks are not forgotten. And we are
20 committed to this annually, to make sure that the
21 Korean War veterans stand at the top of the list
22 of those we recognize in this chamber.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
25 you, Senator.
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1 Senator Hinchey on the resolution.
2 SENATOR HINCHEY: Thank you,
3 Madam President.
4 I rise in strong support of this
5 resolution, and to say a heartfelt thank you to
6 our Korean War veterans who are here today.
7 But I rise specifically to
8 acknowledge and thank Charles Boughton, who was a
9 Korean War veteran who was here with us last year
10 and tragically passed away just three weeks ago,
11 on Saturday, March 9th. I know he would have
12 tried to be here today if he was still with us.
13 But I had the incredible opportunity
14 to spend time with him on that Saturday night
15 before he passed at the East Kingston
16 Fire Department Banquet, where he was surrounded
17 by friends and family and had an incredible
18 evening.
19 He shared with me that night his
20 remembrance of being here last year for this day,
21 and shared that it was one of the best days of
22 his life. And how hearing his name in this
23 chamber, recognizing him and his fellow veterans
24 for their service, was something that he would
25 treasure forever.
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1 And I am so happy, I'm so honored, I
2 feel so proud that I was able to spend that time
3 with him on Saturday to hear that and to share
4 again our support for him and everything that he
5 had done.
6 And so I thank the sponsor for this
7 resolution. I thank my colleagues for continuing
8 this now for the second year. And I want to
9 thank Charlie and his family for their sacrifice.
10 And he will be forever remembered in this
11 chamber.
12 Thank you very much.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
14 Senator Hinchey.
15 Senator Ashby on the resolution.
16 SENATOR ASHBY: Thank you,
17 Madam President.
18 I want to thank our chairwoman for
19 her efforts today and every day in this
20 committee.
21 And I want to thank our Korean War
22 veterans for being with us today.
23 And, you know, it's a great way to
24 demonstrate our remembrance and our commitment to
25 have these veterans come in and share their
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1 stories and their experiences. Because right
2 now, in our country and our state, I sometimes
3 get the sense that public service has kind of
4 lost its shine.
5 And when you hear about some of
6 these experiences that these veterans went
7 through, like Paul O'Keefe -- and
8 Anthony Rabasco, who was at the Battle of Inchon,
9 40,000 infantry. And you hear the stories of
10 the -- we think it's cold outside today. We wish
11 that spring would come a little sooner. To hear
12 what these veterans went through -- and then they
13 came home and they continued to give back.
14 These hardships last a lifetime
15 inside their memories, and yet they continue to
16 sacrifice on our behalf. And they come here
17 today to share these stories with us. And it's
18 something that I feel our younger generation
19 should hear every single day. Because despite
20 the polarization, despite the divide that we
21 have, we continue to have men and women who are
22 willing to step forward and potentially lay down
23 their lives for our country, just for the
24 opportunity for us to come together, not tear
25 ourselves apart.
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1 So I want to thank our veterans and
2 their families, in particular our Vietnam and our
3 Korean War veterans, especially today, for coming
4 here and reminding us what we stand for.
5 Thank you, Madam President.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
7 Senator Ashby.
8 Senator May on the resolution.
9 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 I also want to thank the sponsor of
12 this resolution. And as the proud daughter of a
13 Korean War veteran, I just thank you all for your
14 service and for being here today.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Kennedy on the resolution.
17 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
18 Madam President.
19 First let me start by thanking our
20 Majority Leader for bringing this resolution to
21 the floor, for our resolution sponsor,
22 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, for Senator Harckham
23 and Senator Mayer for their efforts in bringing
24 these heroes here with us today, these veterans
25 of the Korean War, what we've all been taught in
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1 my generation was referred to as "the forgotten
2 war."
3 I want you all to know I think what
4 we are demonstrating here today is the sacrifice
5 that you made, the sacrifice your families made,
6 and the sacrifice of over 36,000 United States
7 military men and women who paid the ultimate
8 sacrifice. The sacrifice they made will never be
9 forgotten.
10 Our generation, our country, our
11 world is better off today -- and it always was --
12 because of the sacrifice you made to put on that
13 military uniform for our great country and go to
14 serve in a far-off, distant land that many of you
15 at that time -- if any of you at the time knew
16 much about.
17 And you did it because our country
18 called on you to do so, and you did it with pride
19 and you did it with dignity and you did it with
20 great honor.
21 And we honor you all here today. I
22 want to take this moment also to join my
23 colleagues in thanking you for your service.
24 I also want to recognize a great
25 friend of ours who's no longer with us. His soul
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1 is looking over us. He was a dear friend of not
2 just mine, but I know Senator Gallivan and my
3 colleagues out in Buffalo, Western New York.
4 Former Erie County Sheriff Tom Higgins, who spent
5 his entire adult life after returning from Korea
6 making sure that the world knew about the heroes
7 that he served with during that difficult time in
8 global history.
9 And while he's not with us any
10 longer, his legacy lives on. He championed the
11 Korean War Memorial in downtown Buffalo at the
12 Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
13 And I was proud to know him. I was proud to
14 learn about the sacrifices of so many of you and
15 so many others on behalf of this great nation.
16 So once again, thank you.
17 Madam President, I'm proud to support this
18 resolution. God bless you all.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
20 Senator Kennedy.
21 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick on the
22 resolution.
23 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
24 Thank you, Madam President.
25 Thank you to the sponsor for
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1 bringing this to the floor. It's a great day
2 anytime we're thinking of our veterans who have
3 given so much and sacrificed so much, and their
4 families, to protect our rights, our freedoms,
5 our liberties that we hold so dear.
6 And I want to thank all of the
7 veterans who are here today and give a shout out
8 to my favorite Korean veteran, my dad, 90 years
9 young, Joseph Canzoneri, who served in the
10 Coast Guard and was part of Operation
11 Deep Freeze. And I'm so proud of him. He
12 continues to be my role model and shows us about
13 service to community.
14 So thank you, Madam President, for
15 that opportunity to speak.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
17 Senator Tedisco on the resolution.
18 SENATOR TEDISCO: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 Like my colleagues, I want to thank
21 our Korean veterans for their sacrifice, for
22 their service, for their contributions to this
23 great nation. And, by extension, thank all
24 veterans -- past, present and future.
25 You know, we have a saying sometimes
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1 when people do us a favor, our neighbor brings us
2 over a pie, we say "Thank you for everything."
3 Takes our kids to school or gives them a ride,
4 "Thank you for everything."
5 When we say that to the veterans,
6 our Korean veterans and all of our veterans, and
7 the sacrifice they make, it truly rings through.
8 We truly thank you for everything we hold dear.
9 Because you took an oath of office to sacrifice
10 everything you hold dear so we could have that as
11 a nation.
12 You know, we had some great founding
13 fathers. They created this document. It's the
14 Constitution of the United States of America. I
15 carry it with me every day. And it's a wonderful
16 document. Unprecedented, I think. But they
17 don't maintain and this document doesn't maintain
18 and keep us as the greatest nation in the world.
19 We were born into this world with inalienable
20 rights. Not only us, every citizen from every
21 part of the world. But you know what? Those
22 inalienable rights that we were given when we
23 were born don't make us and don't keep us the
24 greatest nation in the world.
25 We're the greatest nation in the
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1 world for one reason. Thank you for everything.
2 Because the men and women who did, have,
3 sacrifice everything keep us the greatest nation
4 in terms of liberty and freedom. We get to live
5 those liberties and freedoms at the highest level
6 of any group of citizens around the world.
7 If you look at the citizenship,
8 children, adults, families, any part of the
9 world -- they don't have what we have here in
10 this nation. And we maintain it because there
11 are men and women who are willing to wear the
12 uniforms that our Korean veterans have in the
13 past, that all our veterans have in the past.
14 So today I say to you: Thank you
15 for your supreme willingness to sacrifice
16 everything for us, along with your families. And
17 thank you for making us and keeping us the one
18 group in the whole world -- past, present and I
19 know in the future -- will keep us the greatest
20 nation in the world.
21 And that's because we get to live
22 those freedoms and liberties at the highest level
23 of any group around this world of citizens.
24 I thank the leadership for that, the
25 sponsor of this. Our ranker, Senator Ashby. All
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1 the committee people on that. And all my
2 colleagues for being willing to take this day --
3 something we should wake up every morning, and
4 before we put our feet outside of the bed we're
5 in, say a nice prayer of thanks for everything
6 you've done and sacrificed. So we can say to
7 you, in the true way, thank you for everything we
8 hold dear.
9 Thank you, Madam President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
11 Senator Tedisco.
12 Senator Mattera on the resolution.
13 SENATOR MATTERA: Thank you,
14 Madam President.
15 This is a very, very special day.
16 And I just want to thank Senator
17 Scarcella-Spanton for this special resolution for
18 Korean War Veterans Day.
19 I just want to thank all of our
20 Korean War veterans that are here today, that
21 actually made it up here today, and to thank you
22 for keeping us from harm's way and protecting us.
23 We even had our Vietnam veterans
24 also too that was down at the breakfast this
25 morning. And it was just a beautiful, beautiful
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1 breakfast. And Senator, thank you so much for
2 taking your time and making it very, very special
3 for everybody to come up here today.
4 They are true heroes, true
5 Americans, all of our veterans. I'm from the
6 Second Senate district, and we have somebody here
7 today also too, Paul Fitzsimmons that is
8 attending here today, that I met, from Northport
9 and East Northport. And, you know, we had a
10 special conversation today.
11 And one thing that I've been proud
12 of is that any time -- especially being a union
13 leader, and we got calls that the VFW halls and
14 all of our American Legion halls needed help.
15 This chamber, we need to help. The money should
16 be there so we can go and fix up their buildings
17 and make sure that they have a beautiful home to
18 go to to tell their stories.
19 And that's one thing that I'm so
20 proud of with the trades, with the union trades,
21 that we went, we donated money, especially over
22 in the Smithtown area at the VFW Hall and to go
23 fix a roof, a roof that was leaking for years.
24 And you know what? We all got together and we
25 did this.
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1 And one thing that's special to me
2 is that when I go to a store, when I go even to
3 my 7/11 and I see -- we see those hats and we see
4 the veteran hats, no matter what war it is, I
5 always say: Thank you so much for your service.
6 Thank you for protecting us from harm's way. And
7 can I please buy you that cup of coffee and that
8 roll.
9 And so to my special -- like I said
10 this last year also, to my Uncle Louie, I have an
11 Uncle Louie Maters. Right now he's at the Vets
12 Home at Stony Brook. And he's the mayor, I will
13 tell you. He's the mayor there, and he's still
14 -- he's 92 years old, feisty like you wouldn't
15 believe, goes around, he has an electric chair
16 that he goes -- but I that's -- I think the
17 electric chair is actually ran on green hydrogen.
18 But --
19 (Laughter.)
20 SENATOR MATTERA: To my
21 Senator Krueger.
22 (Laughter.)
23 SENATOR MATTERA: So there's my
24 Uncle Louie, he goes with that electric chair all
25 over the place. And he's the mayor, he just
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1 makes everybody feel good. Yeah, he did have a
2 little fight with one of his roommates, but we
3 won't get --
4 (Laughter.)
5 SENATOR MATTERA: We won't discuss
6 that today. You know, him being the Marine.
7 But him being a somebody that I
8 looked up to, a mentor to me, that I looked up
9 to. And you know what, when Uncle Louie spoke,
10 you listened. And I'm very, very proud.
11 But, you know, there's a gentleman
12 named Fred Sganga that's the director at the
13 state's home over at Stony Brook that does an
14 amazing job. It should be the model to all state
15 homes and to all homes for anybody.
16 The VA Home at Northport, with Joe
17 Sledge doing a great job, and how proud I am that
18 we go there Thanksgiving, giving out turkeys and
19 how proud, you know, with all of our veterans.
20 But today, this is about our
21 Korean War veterans that protected us, that were
22 there, true Americans. And I just want to say
23 God bless every single one of you. God bless
24 every veteran. God bless our military. And
25 especially God bless the United States of
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1 America.
2 Thank you.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
4 Senator Mattera.
5 Senator Krueger on the resolution.
6 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you very
7 much, Madam President.
8 I'm so appreciative of this day
9 because it's reminding me of my deceased uncle
10 Stuart Krueger, who was a Korean War veteran.
11 And I know that he would have loved the
12 opportunity to come here with you if we had
13 started this a few years earlier. But
14 unfortunately that was not to be.
15 And since he lived on Long Island,
16 he would tell my dear friend Senator Mattera he's
17 very worried about climate change --
18 (Laughter.)
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: -- and the
20 destruction to Long Island, because we're not
21 doing enough fast enough. So a green hydrogen
22 electric chair might be a start, but it isn't the
23 end.
24 So thank you very much. And thank
25 you all for your service to this country.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
2 Senator Krueger.
3 Senator Rolison on the resolution.
4 SENATOR ROLISON: Thank you,
5 Madam President.
6 And thank you to the sponsor for
7 bringing this forward.
8 Last year I was honored to rise to
9 thank this body for honoring our Korean War
10 veterans, and it gave me, you know, the
11 opportunity to remember my dad, who served during
12 the Korean War. My uncle Bill Sherry, my
13 godfather, my dad's best friend -- they went to
14 Providence College and were roommates together,
15 they served together, and lifelong friends.
16 And during our time together, which
17 was many, many years, we -- I didn't ask anything
18 about the Korean War. I only knew that my dad
19 had some unit medals or insignias that I would
20 play with as a kid. And I also said last year
21 that my Uncle Bill and my dad were the best of
22 friends who spent so much time together. Every
23 Friday night they'd be over at the house or
24 they'd be at Uncle Bill's playing bridge. I
25 never heard them talk about it either.
2145
1 So this morning I was at the Well,
2 and I heard stories, stories that I never heard
3 from my father or my godfather. And as Senator
4 Ashby said, those are important stories. And we
5 say, so often and importantly -- and I'm glad
6 that we do, and I'm glad that I have the
7 opportunity to do it too, thanking our veterans.
8 But behind every veteran is a story. And these
9 stories are not known as well as they should be
10 to educate others, including ourselves, on how
11 important your service was, the service is, and
12 will be going forward.
13 Because as has been said many times
14 in this room, without that service and without
15 that sacrifice of our veterans and our men and
16 women who are serving today, someplace in this
17 world, we would not be standing here. We would
18 not have those freedoms.
19 So again, thank you. Thank you to
20 the sponsor for once again giving me the
21 opportunity just to get up here and think about
22 two individuals in my life, my dad and my
23 Uncle Bill, but to every single veteran that
24 has served.
25 Thank you, Madam President.
2146
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
2 Senator Rolison.
3 Senator Weber on the resolution.
4 SENATOR WEBER: Thank you,
5 Madam President.
6 And I rise in support of this very
7 important resolution as well. And I thank the
8 sponsor. I thank the Majority Leader for
9 allowing this to come to the floor today.
10 And I thank our Korean War veterans
11 that are here today, that are at home in my
12 district in Rockland County, for your bravery and
13 for everything that you did for us, for our
14 generation.
15 You know, as mentioned earlier, the
16 Korean War was always referred to as "the
17 forgotten war," but you're not forgotten. You're
18 remembered every single day by not only everyone
19 in this chamber but everyone, especially in my
20 district and I know in all of my colleagues'
21 districts.
22 You know, I'd like to -- and I'd be
23 remiss not to mention and remember someone who
24 was very important to this chamber, Lieutenant
25 Colonel Bill Larkin -- World War II, Korean War
2147
1 veteran, someone who spent many years in war and
2 spent many years in distinguished service of this
3 State Senate, someone who respected Haverstraw, a
4 section of my district, North Rockland section of
5 this district, someone who I looked up to as
6 someone, you know, rising through and thinking
7 about politics, someone who I think really led me
8 to want to get into public service as well, and I
9 know someone who worked well with everyone in
10 this chamber on both sides of the aisle.
11 So I'd like to just remember him as
12 well today on this day.
13 So thank you, Madam President. And
14 I vote aye.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
16 Senator Weber.
17 Senator Weik on the resolution.
18 SENATOR WEIK: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 I just want to say welcome to all of
21 our Korean War veterans who are here today. I
22 thank you so much for making the trip up to share
23 your stories with us and to be here with us.
24 I thank you for your service to our
25 country. I thank you for your dedication to all
2148
1 of our communities and to the veterans who
2 followed after you. Thank you so much for
3 everything.
4 May God bless you all.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
6 Senator Weik.
7 Senator Ortt, Minority Leader Ortt,
8 on the resolution.
9 SENATOR ORTT: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 I do want to thank and echo the
12 comments of colleagues. I want to thank the
13 Majority, I want to thank the sponsor for
14 bringing this resolution to the floor.
15 As was mentioned, the Korean
16 conflict often is -- is sometimes referred to as
17 "the forgotten war." And maybe in some ways, you
18 know, not surprising. It's sandwiched between
19 World War II, which literally was fought for the
20 preservation of liberty and freedom across the
21 globe, and then the Vietnam War, which divided
22 America as never before.
23 And just last week we recognized our
24 Vietnam veterans and we talked a lot about how
25 they were treated when they got home and how we
2149
1 endeavor every day to make sure that never
2 happens again, that veterans never are treated
3 that way when they return. Because for that
4 generation, that's their hallmark. That's the
5 scar that they bore after the conflict.
6 But I think something even worse
7 than being maybe treated poorly or maybe not
8 fully recognized is to be forgotten. And
9 especially when you put your life on the line,
10 especially when you know people who died in that
11 conflict, to be forgotten I think is something
12 that all of us would never want, and certainly
13 for our veterans.
14 I think it is important that we
15 recognize all of our veterans, but obviously each
16 individual conflict. But each individual
17 conflict is unique. Each individual conflict has
18 certain unique hallmarks for that generation, for
19 those veterans, whether they were young men or
20 women or whether they were battle-hardened
21 veterans out of World War II who then also fought
22 in Korea, where I know many did.
23 I remember taking a group of
24 veterans to Washington, D.C., to see the
25 monuments. And we went to World War II -- we
2150
1 took the World War II veterans to the
2 World War II Monument, we took Vietnam veterans
3 of course to the Wall. The Korean Monument is a
4 really ghostly and unforgettable monument in
5 Washington, D.C. The sculptures of soldiers
6 marching through -- you know, through what would
7 be Korea in their gear from that time and their
8 ponchos and their K-Pots.
9 It is a ghostly feeling. You almost
10 feel like you're looking at real visages of
11 human beings, of veterans, of soldiers right
12 there in the Mall in Washington, D.C.
13 And I know the Korean War veterans
14 who attended that, who laid a wreath at that
15 monument, I think, I hope it brought them some
16 measure of closure. And I hope that these kinds
17 of recognitions bring them not only some closure,
18 but the understanding that it is not forgotten.
19 And of course we know that the --
20 the echoes of that conflict are still with us
21 today. There are still 38,000 U.S. servicemen
22 and -women who are in Korea today at the DMZ,
23 protecting our ally South Korea, but also
24 protecting the hard-fought gains that American
25 servicemen and -women died for back in 1951 to
2151
1 '53. That's what they're there to do, to protect
2 South Korea but to also protect what I would
3 consider hallowed ground where American
4 servicemembers spilled their blood.
5 And again, we know the very real
6 dangers posed by a regime like North Korea. And
7 we hope and I think we work towards hopefully
8 making sure that we never have to send hundreds
9 of thousands of U.S. servicemembers back to
10 Korea. And that would be the real reason to
11 remember their service, is to make sure that
12 their grandkids or their great-grandkids don't
13 have to go back and die at Inchon or somewhere
14 else over on the Korean peninsula.
15 So again, thank you to the sponsor.
16 Thank you to all my colleagues for supporting
17 this resolution.
18 Madam President, thank you for your
19 indulgence.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator Ortt.
22 Majority Leader Andrea
23 Stewart-Cousins on the resolution.
24 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank you
25 so much, Madam President.
2152
1 And of course I rise to pay tribute
2 to our heroes, our Korean War heroes. And I know
3 I have Vietnam veteran heroes as well.
4 We talk about this not being a
5 forgotten war. And it can't be, not with 37,000
6 who were lost, paid the ultimate sacrifice. Not
7 with over 90,000 wounded, 8,000 missing. It
8 could not be forgotten.
9 But as always, actions speak louder
10 than words. We say we didn't forget, but we did
11 not have this moment to honor you in this chamber
12 before two years ago. And so this action I hope
13 permeates not only the Capitol, but allows you to
14 know that, like you -- certainly not on the level
15 that you took action -- but we are willing to
16 back up our words with action.
17 I do want to thank Chet Edwards, who
18 brought this to the attention of you,
19 Madam President, Senator Mayer, who then brought
20 everyone to our office. And the very, very
21 moment that we realized that we could do
22 something meaningful, we resolved to do it.
23 Last time we did our celebration, it
24 was with West Point Day. And it was quite
25 extraordinary, because the new soldiers had a
2153
1 chance also to join us in honoring you. And they
2 were inspired by you. And I know brand-new
3 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, who took over the
4 committee, was trying to figure out how this
5 would be juggled. And it was juggled so
6 beautifully, as it was this year, by honoring you
7 in the morning and then all of you that
8 afternoon. It is something we will never, ever
9 forget.
10 You are also sitting next to State
11 Troopers, who I'm sure are in awe of you as we
12 begin to elevate a superintendent historically in
13 this chamber.
14 So every time you're here, something
15 extraordinary happens, and we all benefit from
16 your presence. We all grow in our understanding
17 of your sacrifice. And we all get a chance to
18 spend as many, many moments, hours, as necessary
19 to tell you you're not forgotten, we honor you,
20 we honor your service, we will never forget.
21 And I am so proud to be in a house
22 where, you know, we have a lot of different
23 conversations, a lot of complexities, a lot of
24 things we agree to disagree on. No one disagrees
25 with the honor that you have brought to us and
2154
1 the recognition that you deserve today and
2 every day.
3 Thank you for honoring us. Thank
4 you for coming up to spend the day with us. I'm
5 sorry I didn't do better with the weather; I will
6 not take responsibility for the snow. But
7 despite that, you're here anyway, the way you
8 would be any time you're called to be of service.
9 You represent so many.
10 And again, God bless you. God bless
11 America and our state. Thank you.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
13 Leader Stewart-Cousins.
14 To our guests, our Korean War
15 veterans, especially Anthony Rabasco, a Korean
16 War veteran from my district who's over there. I
17 welcome you on behalf of the Senate. We extend
18 to you the privileges of the house. We're so
19 very pleased to have you here today. Please rise
20 and be recognized.
21 (Lengthy standing ovation.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
23 resolution was previously adopted on April 3rd.
24 Senator Gianaris.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
2155
1 there's a report of the Finance Committee at the
2 desk. Can we take that up, please.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
4 Secretary will read.
5 THE SECRETARY: Senator Krueger,
6 from the Committee on Finance, reports the
7 following nomination:
8 As Superintendent of the Division of
9 State Police, Steven G. James.
10 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
11 the report of the Finance Committee and ask that
12 you recognize Leader Stewart-Cousins on the
13 nomination.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
15 in favor of accepting the report of the
16 Finance Committee signify by saying aye.
17 (Response of "Aye.")
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
19 nay.
20 (No response.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The report
22 of the Finance Committee is accepted.
23 Leader Stewart-Cousins on the
24 nomination.
25 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank you
2156
1 so much, Madam President.
2 I could not help but somehow weave
3 the service into the conversation. I wanted our
4 vets to know that they are here on a historic
5 day. And I wanted them to also know that the
6 reason why so many were here in uniform was
7 because there is more service to be applauded,
8 and certainly a day where we have the honor of
9 elevating one of the New York State Troopers'
10 finest to the position of superintendent.
11 I got a call from the Governor
12 before the announcement was made, and the
13 Governor said: "I have an announcement of the
14 superintendent of the State Police tomorrow.
15 And, you know, he's amazing, and you're going to
16 be thrilled." And because I am who I am, I said,
17 What's his name? Who is he? She told me the
18 name. And I said okay, let's see.
19 During the next day, week, I spent
20 my time doing my homework and finding out who
21 Steven James is and who he was to the State
22 Police.
23 Thirty-two years of service. And in
24 the conversation I had with everyone, there was
25 no one who had anything but glowing reviews about
2157
1 his and your service. From courage to integrity
2 to being willing to do everything possible to
3 uphold the values of not only the state but the
4 Troopers, everyone applauded the Governor's
5 nominee.
6 It's so incredibly refreshing to
7 know that you've come up through the ranks and
8 somehow, in 32 years, you didn't make anybody
9 angry.
10 (Laughter.)
11 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: I don't
12 know how you did that. And if you did, nobody's
13 talking.
14 And then to have been retired for
15 four years -- and we talked about that. I got a
16 chance to spend some time with him, because he
17 did come to the office -- and decompress, think
18 about what you've done. I'm sure you thought
19 you'd be spending life on the beach until you got
20 that phone call and recognized that what he had
21 to bring to this moment during this, again,
22 complex time was something that not only was rare
23 but very much needed.
24 And despite the fact that you have
25 all the options that you should be afforded,
2158
1 having invested so much time in service and the
2 protection of your fellow citizens in the state,
3 you've returned to take on the mantle of
4 leadership of this very important and prestigious
5 organization of Troopers. And you are making
6 history as the first African-American
7 superintendent.
8 I am so honored to be able to stand
9 here and congratulate you, to thank you for not
10 only your past service but the service that you
11 continue to bring.
12 And I just want you to know that
13 this body -- and I'm sure if the Assembly had the
14 privilege of being able to vote on your elevation
15 as well, they would join me in saying you have
16 partners in these legislative bodies. We can
17 work together to make sure that the safety and
18 the integrity of the work that we all do inures
19 to the benefit of all New Yorkers.
20 I want to congratulate you. I thank
21 you again for your service. And again, I look
22 forward to working with you.
23 Thank you so much, Madam President.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
25 Majority Leader.
2159
1 Senator Krueger on the nomination.
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you very
3 much, Madam President.
4 And obviously the leader's words
5 pretty much cover everything. I just wanted to
6 go on the record that the new commissioner --
7 superintendent of State Police had a full meeting
8 with the Finance Committee and the Codes
9 Committee yesterday. Very well attended, endless
10 questions. And I'm not sure we've ever seen a
11 candidate go through so smoothly and with I
12 believe unanimous support.
13 So I also want to thank the Governor
14 for finding us such an excellent nominee to move
15 through to the floor. And I want to thank him
16 for his willingness to continue to serve. And I
17 know he will do all New Yorkers extremely proud
18 in his new position.
19 Thank you, Madam President.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator Krueger.
22 Senator Gallivan on the nomination.
23 SENATOR GALLIVAN: Thank you,
24 Madam President.
25 I rise to support the nomination of
2160
1 Steven James as the next superintendent of State
2 Police. I'm very proud to do so. Many know I
3 was a State Trooper. My father was. My uncle
4 was. And I of course have a special place in my
5 heart for the State Police -- not because of my
6 family or me personally, but because of what they
7 do and what they mean to the 19 million
8 New Yorkers that they serve.
9 It's very unique. A police agency
10 like that is so many different things to the
11 different people across the state. But they're
12 as important to somebody in the most rural of
13 areas as they are in the biggest city in New York
14 State.
15 So the job of superintendent is very
16 challenging. And despite all the challenges that
17 the State Police has had over the years, they
18 remain one of the most -- if not the most --
19 respected law enforcement agencies in the
20 country.
21 Certainly they have challenges in
22 modern times. And Steven James I believe is up
23 to the challenge to lead this agency, having come
24 up through the ranks. I applaud the Governor for
25 recognizing the importance of nominating somebody
2161
1 to lead the agency that knows the agency. He has
2 served in every single position, from trooper up
3 to deputy superintendent -- and now, of course,
4 superintendent.
5 So I look forward to working with
6 him -- I hope the rest of this body does as
7 well -- as we work to make New York State safer
8 and our communities safe throughout the state for
9 all of the citizens, and we deal with the
10 challenges of modern times.
11 So I congratulate the
12 superintendent, the members of his new executive
13 staff who are here today. They have challenges
14 ahead of them, but no doubt they're in good
15 hands.
16 So congratulations, and I vote aye.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
18 Senator Gallivan.
19 The question is on the nomination.
20 Call the roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
23 the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: I'd like
2162
1 to announce that our nominee, Superintendent
2 Steven James, the new superintendent of the
3 State Police, is confirmed.
4 Please rise and be recognized.
5 (Standing ovation.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Gianaris.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
9 Madam President.
10 Returning to resolutions, can we
11 take up previously adopted Resolution 2067, by
12 Senator Ramos, read that resolution's title, and
13 recognize Senator Ramos.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
15 Secretary will read.
16 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 2067, by
17 Senator Ramos, memorializing Governor
18 Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 31, 2024, as
19 Cesar Chavez Day in the State of New York.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
21 Ramos on the resolution.
22 SENATOR RAMOS: Thank you,
23 Madam President.
24 You know, Cesar Chavez Day was
25 March 31st, but it is meaningful that this
2163
1 resolution should fall on April 4th, today, which
2 is the anniversary of Dr. King's assassination.
3 It provides this body, and our state as a whole,
4 with an opportunity to reflect on how change
5 exactly comes to be.
6 Dr. King and Cesar Chavez were both
7 championing the rights of the essential working
8 people our country many times took for granted.
9 At the time of his assassination, Dr. King was in
10 Memphis visiting striking sanitation workers, and
11 Chavez was leading Mexican and Chicano
12 farmworkers against the grape growers of
13 California, inspired by Filipino strikers.
14 Though on opposite coasts, their
15 voices were one. They would resist oppression,
16 degradation, and disrespect through nonviolence.
17 The boycott, the strike, the blocking of bridges
18 and highways, and the push for fair and free
19 elections were their tools.
20 Chavez famously said his organizing
21 was never really about grapes. Similarly, for
22 Dr. King, it was not about lunch counters or
23 buses. They demanded that the country built by
24 the blood and sweat of Black and brown people be
25 recognized.
2164
1 The American tradition of civil
2 disobedience should not be dismissed. The same
3 peaceful tactics of withholding your labor and
4 your pocketbook, sitting in the way and
5 disrupting the flow of commerce, were used to win
6 the right to vote, the right to a day off, the
7 rate to work safely, and the end of child labor.
8 In 1990 Cesar Chavez again invoked
9 Dr. King when talking about the dangerous use of
10 pesticides in the fields worked by his union
11 members at UFW. He said the same inhumanity
12 displayed at Selma, in Birmingham, and so many of
13 Dr. King's battlegrounds is displayed every day
14 in the vineyards of California.
15 Even today, efforts to roll back the
16 rights of farmworkers have a home right here in
17 the vineyards of New York State. And so as
18 employers fight to take away hard-won rights from
19 the workers who make their harvest possible, I'll
20 share my favorite quote from Cesar Chavez:
21 "Once social change begins, it
22 cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the
23 person who has learned to read. You cannot
24 humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot
25 oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.
2165
1 We have seen the future, and the future is ours."
2 Thank you.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
4 Senator Ramos.
5 The resolution was previously
6 adopted on April 3rd.
7 Senator Gianaris.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
9 the resolutions' sponsors would like to open them
10 up for cosponsorship.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
12 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
13 you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify
14 the desk.
15 Senator Gianaris.
16 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please take up
17 the calendar.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Secretary will read.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 118, Senate Print 5724, by Senator Kennedy, an
22 act to amend the Highway Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
24 last section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
2166
1 act shall take effect immediately.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 232, Senate Print 3052, by Senator Stavisky, an
12 act to amend the Education Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
14 last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect on the first of July.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
18 roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
21 the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2167
1 240, Senate Print 5554, by Senator Comrie, an act
2 to amend the General Municipal Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
13 Calendar 240, those Senators voting in the
14 negative are Senators Borrello, Brisport,
15 Gallivan, Griffo, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara,
16 Ortt, Stec and Tedisco. Also Senator Weber.
17 Ayes, 48. Nays, 11.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Forgive me. Also
21 Senator Rolison as well.
22 Ayes, 47. Nays, 12.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2168
1 331, Senate Print 5169, by Senator Mannion, an
2 act to amend the State Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 398, Senate Print 3531A, by Senator Skoufis, an
17 act to amend the Executive Law.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
19 last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
21 act shall take effect immediately.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
23 roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
2169
1 the results.
2 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
3 Calendar 398, those Senators voting in the
4 negative are Senators Borrello,
5 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Helming, Mattera,
6 Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads,
7 Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Weber and Weik.
8 Ayes, 43. Nays, 16.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
10 is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 438, Senate Print 6635, by Senator Ramos, an act
13 to amend the Workers' Compensation Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
15 last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
17 act shall take effect on the first of January.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
19 roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
22 the results.
23 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
24 Calendar 438, those Senators voting in the
25 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
2170
1 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
2 Lanza, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt,
3 Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Weber
4 and Weik.
5 Ayes, 40. Nays, 19.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 528, Senate Print 2924, by Senator Cleare, an act
10 to establish the Marshall Plan for Moms
11 Interagency Task Force.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Cleare to explain her vote.
21 SENATOR CLEARE: Thank you,
22 Madam President.
23 We call this bill the Marshall Plan
24 for Moms, and it recognizes a key principle. The
25 COVID pandemic, which was declared in this state
2171
1 over four years ago and which killed over
2 1.2 million people in the United States alone,
3 had a disproportionate impact on mothers.
4 Mothers were often the first who had to quit or
5 leave their job, the first who had to deal with
6 childcare, the first who had to tend to ailing
7 friends or family.
8 And all these statements rang true
9 in the time that preceded the pandemic. In fact,
10 the unique needs that women and mothers face as
11 caregivers was recently extensively researched by
12 AARP, who concluded that the state needs to step
13 up in a multidisciplinary way to empower these
14 superwomen.
15 Mothers need thoughtful and targeted
16 assistance. They have a real job to do --
17 oftentimes multiple jobs -- and they need our
18 support.
19 I am grateful that the AFL-CIO has
20 indicated support for this bill.
21 I urge an aye vote, and I proudly
22 vote aye.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
24 Cleare to be recorded in the affirmative.
25 Announce the results.
2172
1 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
2 Calendar 528, those Senators voting in the
3 negative are Senators Borrello, Gallivan, Griffo,
4 Helming, Lanza, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker,
5 O'Mara, Ortt, Stec, Tedisco and Weber.
6 Ayes, 46. Nays, 13.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 712, Senate Print 3582, by Senator Hinchey, an
11 act to amend the Tax Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
23 is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 731, Senate Print 2376A, by Senator Persaud, an
2173
1 act to amend the Penal Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 7. This
5 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
6 shall have become a law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Brisport to explain his vote.
9 SENATOR BRISPORT: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 I rise to vote no on this
12 legislation, respectfully, as I voted no in years
13 past. But I feel compelled to speak on it today
14 because today is yet another day and another year
15 in which we have not passed the New York Health
16 Act.
17 And while this bill addresses the
18 crime of stealing of health insurance, it does
19 not address the much greater crime of denying
20 health insurance to over 1 million New Yorkers.
21 And New York State, with our $2 trillion
22 economy -- on par with Canada, which has
23 universal health insurance -- our $2 trillion
24 economy, larger than many industrialized nations
25 which guarantee universal healthcare, we choose
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1 not to make sure every single person in this
2 state has health insurance.
3 And this bill now puts uninsured and
4 underinsured New Yorkers in an impossible
5 situation where, if you don't have health
6 insurance, you can go into crippling medical debt
7 if you're sick, or you can face jail time for
8 stealing health insurance.
9 And it is our fault that they are
10 uninsured. It is our fault they are
11 underinsured. We have the money to guarantee
12 health insurance to every single person in the
13 state. We have the power to do it. We cannot
14 blame the federal government. We have no one to
15 blame but ourselves.
16 So I urge this body to pass the
17 New York Health Act. I urge us to think
18 differently about how we approach the uninsured
19 and underinsured. And I respectfully vote no.
20 Thank you.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
25 Brisport to be recorded in the negative.
2175
1 Announce the results.
2 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
3 Calendar 731, Senator Brisport in the negative.
4 Ayes, 58. Nays, 1.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
6 is passed.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 738, Senate Print 252, by Senator Serrano, an act
9 to amend the Parks, Recreation and Historic
10 Preservation Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect on the first of January.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
19 the results.
20 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
21 Calendar 738, voting in the negative:
22 Senator Helming.
23 Ayes, 58. Nays, 1.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
25 is passed.
2176
1 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
2 reading of the calendar.
3 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
4 further business at the desk?
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is
6 no further business at the desk.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: I move to
8 adjourn until Monday, April 8th, at 11:00 a.m.,
9 with the intervening days being legislative days.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: On motion,
11 the Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
12 April 8th, at 11:00 a.m., with the intervening
13 days being legislative days.
14 (Whereupon, at 1:18 p.m., the Senate
15 adjourned.)
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