Regular Session - May 11, 2015
2454
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 May 11, 2015
11 3:54 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR JOSEPH GRIFFO, Acting President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
20
21
22
23
24
25
2455
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask all present to please rise
5 and join with me as we recite the Pledge of
6 Allegiance to our Flag.
7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Today's
10 invocation will be offered by the Reverend
11 Nathaniel Demosthene, senior pastor at
12 First Timothy Christian Church in Spring Valley.
13 Reverend.
14 REVEREND DEMOSTHENE: Thank you
15 for this opportunity. Let's bow our heads.
16 {In English and French} Father
17 God, we thank You for the fact that we are here
18 gathered today on this momentous occasion.
19 We want to thank You, first and
20 foremost, for our men and women in service
21 defending our freedom right now. We want to
22 thank You also for our police officers.
23 And we ask, Father God, that You
24 bring unity and healing to our communities, so
25 that we can work together with our law
2456
1 enforcement and so there can be harmony in our
2 communities.
3 Father God, we pray for, right now,
4 all the decisions that have to be made in this
5 chamber. We thank You for the opportunity to
6 come and commemorate Haitian Unity Day.
7 We know that Haitian Unity Day is
8 not just about Haitians, but it's about how
9 New York embraces its very diverse heritage and
10 how so many different ethnic groups come
11 together under one umbrella. And under this
12 umbrella, Father God, we learn to work with each
13 other, love each other, and help each other.
14 We pray for the families of the
15 representatives here today, the Senators. As
16 they do their job, we ask that You protect their
17 homes, protect their loved ones, and guide them
18 so they can have the support in the home that
19 they need to do the job here well.
20 We pray today, although it is
21 Haitian Unity Day, we pray for our momentous
22 leadership change, and we ask that this be a new
23 day and a new dawning for our Senate. We ask
24 that we can move forward from the corruption and
25 the problems of the past, and let bygones be
2457
1 bygones, but work to work hand-in-hand across
2 the aisle and so we can work as one for this
3 great state, the Empire State, and for this
4 great country, our country, the United States of
5 America.
6 And every single Haitian that is
7 here present, let us all be proud that we have
8 come to this land and found opportunity, and
9 that we have found love and we have found a
10 calling.
11 We pray in the name of our Savior,
12 amen. Amen.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
14 reading of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Friday,
16 May 8th, the Senate met pursuant to adjournment.
17 The Journal of Thursday, May 7th, was read and
18 approved. On motion, Senate adjourned.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Without
20 objection, the Journal will stand approved as
21 read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 Messages from the Governor.
25 Reports of standing committees.
2458
1 Reports of select committees.
2 Communications and reports of state
3 officers.
4 Motions and resolutions.
5 Senator DeFrancisco.
6 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Mr.
7 President, there is a resolution by Senator -- me
8 at the desk, and I ask that the resolution be
9 read and move for its immediate adoption.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
11 Gianaris, why do you rise?
12 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President, I
13 believe there's a substitute resolution at the
14 desk. I ask that the title be read, and I move
15 for its immediate adoption and ask for the
16 opportunity to be heard.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
20 by Senator Gianaris, providing for the election
21 of Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Temporary President
22 and Majority Leader of the Senate for 2015-2016.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
24 Gianaris.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
2459
1 Mr. President.
2 I offer the substitute resolution
3 for the purposes of electing Andrea
4 Stewart-Cousins the Temporary President of the
5 Senate for the remainder of our 2015-2016
6 session.
7 And normally the election of a new
8 leader in this body is cause for celebration and
9 congratulations. But today is not that day. And
10 while we certainly wish well to our expected new
11 leader and commit ourselves from this side of the
12 aisle to working across the aisle for the
13 betterment of the state, it's also important to
14 note that this is a sad occasion today, where
15 this body is taking a necessary step, but only a
16 step.
17 We should not forget what brought us
18 here, and we should not forget what we need to do
19 in the remaining weeks -- indeed, in the
20 remaining year and a half before this session is
21 out.
22 Everybody knows why we're standing
23 here today. And we have much to do to restore
24 the reputation of this body. What we should be
25 electing as leader is someone who supports real
2460
1 ethics reform, real campaign finance reform,
2 closure of the LLC loophole. Someone who stands
3 for our public schools and for the children who
4 attend those schools. Someone who stands for the
5 tenants in our state and not only for the monied
6 interests.
7 I am proud to stand here and
8 nominate Andrea Stewart-Cousins because I know
9 her to be that person, someone who in her
10 personal life has unquestioned integrity, someone
11 who as a leader has taken our conference to
12 heights that it has not seen before.
13 And I think members on both sides of
14 the aisle can agree that she would be a very
15 capable and able leader for all of us, regardless
16 of our party, our race, our gender, or any of the
17 various differences we may have in this state.
18 And so I thank my colleagues for the
19 opportunity to substitute the resolution and
20 encourage everyone to support Andrea
21 Stewart-Cousins to be the Temporary President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On the
23 substitution of the resolution offered by
24 Senator Gianaris, all those in favor signify by
25 saying aye.
2461
1 (Response of "Aye.")
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed,
3 nay.
4 (Response of "Nay.")
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The nays
6 have it, and the resolution is defeated.
7 Senator Valesky.
8 SENATOR VALESKY: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 I believe there's another substitute
11 resolution at the desk. I ask that the title of
12 the resolution be read and move for its immediate
13 adoption.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
15 Secretary will read.
16 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
17 by Senator Valesky, providing for the election of
18 Jeffrey D. Klein as Temporary President and
19 Majority Leader of the Senate for 2015-2016.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: You may
21 be heard.
22 SENATOR VALESKY: Thank you,
23 Mr. President.
24 It was not so many years ago that
25 the Senate of the State of New York became known
2462
1 across the nation for dysfunction, for chaos, for
2 an inability to get the business of the people
3 done.
4 And very shortly after that
5 tumultuous period in our state's history,
6 Senator Klein and myself and a handful of other
7 Democratic Senators came together in a new way,
8 in a way that had never been done before in this
9 State Capitol, to change the status quo, to break
10 with tradition, to say that there can be a better
11 way for the 20 million people of New York State
12 and for their government to get their business
13 done.
14 And in January of 2011, we elected
15 as our leader of the Independent Democratic
16 Conference Senator Jeff Klein.
17 Senator Klein and I had been friends
18 and colleagues for many years before that, and I
19 had come to know Jeff as one of the most
20 hardworking, dedicated public servants that I had
21 ever met, whether it be for his constituents in
22 his own Senate district or well beyond the
23 district boundaries.
24 And in the four-plus years that we
25 have had an opportunity to work together,
2463
1 Senator Klein, myself, and three other members of
2 the Independent Democratic Conference, we have
3 played a critical and significant role in
4 bringing about stability to a Senate that had
5 been known for instability, bringing about order
6 to a Senate that had become known for chaos.
7 And so as I proudly stand here today
8 and offer this substitute resolution, it has been
9 Senator Klein and it will continue to be
10 Senator Klein, through his leadership of the
11 Independent Democratic Conference, that stands
12 for sensible government, a government that works
13 for the people.
14 And for that reason, I encourage an
15 aye vote for Senator Jeff Klein as Temporary
16 President.
17 Thank you, Mr. President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On the
19 substitute resolution offered by Senator Valesky,
20 all those in favor signify by saying aye.
21 (Response of "Aye.")
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
23 (Response of "Nay.")
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The nays
25 have it. The resolution is defeated.
2464
1 On the original resolution as
2 proposed, the Secretary will read.
3 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
4 by Senator DeFrancisco, providing for the
5 election of John J. Flanagan as Temporary
6 President of the Senate for the remainder of the
7 2015-2016 session.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
9 DeFrancisco.
10 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I move the
11 nomination of Senator John Flanagan.
12 I just want to say a few things.
13 There's no doubt that I had sought
14 support from the Senators to try to become the
15 next leader. And I said from day one, as long as
16 Dean Skelos is leader, I'm not in any way going
17 to indicate what is going to happen thereafter.
18 And I didn't, because I didn't know.
19 And we had an open discussion.
20 There was no indication of any hard feelings by
21 one against the other or among the Senators. And
22 I can tell you, although we may have had
23 different followers when we started this process,
24 we don't have different followers thereafter. We
25 all follow John Flanagan.
2465
1 And we'll do it as a unit, because
2 we in our conference are doing the right thing in
3 making government affordable and trying to bring
4 jobs to our communities. And to make sure the
5 right decisions are made, not the ones that
6 necessarily are the most popular.
7 I also want to just add, while all
8 of you are sleeping in your beds, John Flanagan
9 and I have been for many years working out at the
10 gym. And to some of you, I believe it would be a
11 good idea that you do the same thing.
12 (Laughter.)
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: So I know
14 he's not only a great Senator, he's a great man,
15 and I'm proud to move his nomination.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
17 you, Senator DeFrancisco.
18 Senator Lanza.
19 SENATOR LANZA: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 It is my distinct privilege to
22 second Senator DeFrancisco's motion to elect
23 Senator John Flanagan Temporary President of the
24 Senate.
25 There's no one smarter, more
2466
1 dedicated, more hardworking in public office in
2 the State of New York. His wisdom is really well
3 beyond his years, although he's not as young as
4 he looks.
5 He has a firm grasp, as we all know,
6 of the very complex and important issues that
7 matter most to the people of our great state.
8 And because of the work he's done both here in
9 this house and in the Assembly over the years, he
10 really has earned the admiration and respect from
11 both Republicans and Democrats here and from one
12 end of the state to the other.
13 I can assure you he cares deeply
14 about the institution of the New York State
15 Senate. He cares deeply about this legislative
16 body and the checks and balances that are so
17 important for us to govern and deliver results
18 for the people we represent. With Senator
19 Flanagan as Temporary President of this state, I
20 can assure you that this Senate and our state is
21 in good hands.
22 And so it is my honor to second the
23 nomination of Senator John Flanagan as Temporary
24 President of the New York State Senate.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
2467
1 you, Senator Lanza.
2 Senator LaValle.
3 SENATOR LaVALLE: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 It gives me great joy, great pride
6 to second the nomination of John Flanagan as our
7 Temporary President.
8 John Flanagan has great intellect,
9 great energy, and he has a wonderful, wonderful
10 demeanor that brings people together -- not only
11 within our conference, but he probably has
12 traveled this state more than any of our
13 colleagues here, wanting to lend a helping hand,
14 particularly in the area of education.
15 John, your children are very proud
16 of you. Your mother, Barbara, very proud of you.
17 Your dad, John Flanagan, who served in the
18 Assembly, his buttons are popping today because
19 he could not be more proud of you to not only
20 have followed his footsteps but also to have
21 become the Temporary President of the Senate.
22 So, Mr. President, it gives me great
23 honor to second this motion.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
25 you, Senator LaValle.
2468
1 Senator Robach.
2 SENATOR ROBACH: Yes,
3 Mr. President, let me too rise to second this
4 nomination.
5 And I would agree with what my
6 colleagues said. Senator Flanagan has always
7 gone a little bit of an extra step, in my
8 opinion, above and beyond his core constituency.
9 And I can tell you, leading on
10 education issues -- you know, you can't make this
11 up -- people from Rochester and where I live come
12 here and tell me how impressed they are with the
13 scope and breadth of knowledge, whether it's
14 school board people, whether education people,
15 because Senator Flanagan not only meets with his
16 own constituency, but everyone's.
17 And I won't say -- I know some
18 members don't even meet with their own
19 constituents. This one goes above and beyond and
20 really goes above that.
21 So I think it does uniquely qualify
22 him for this job, because we are a diverse state,
23 and there's a lot of issues. And you need
24 someone who has a lot of knowledge, energy, and
25 willingness to listen to a lot of people.
2469
1 And I really feel that we have made
2 a good choice here with Senator Flanagan to be
3 that leader and that person, not only because of
4 who he is but what he's proven he's willing to do
5 through past performance.
6 So I'm happy to second that
7 nomination, Mr. President.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
9 you, Senator Robach.
10 The question is on the resolution.
11 All in favor signify by saying aye.
12 (Response of "Aye.")
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: Show of hands,
14 please.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: A show of
16 hands has been requested and so ordered.
17 All those in the affirmative please
18 raise your hand.
19 (Show of hands.}
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Results?
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 32.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
23 resolution is passed.
24 Congratulations, Senator John
25 Flanagan.
2470
1 (Extended standing ovation.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
3 Flanagan, I would now ask that you step forward
4 to receive the oath of office as Temporary
5 President of the Senate, to be administered by
6 the Secretary of the Senate, Mr. Frank Patience.
7 Please come to the center of the
8 chamber.
9 THE SECRETARY: I, John J.
10 Flanagan --
11 SENATOR FLANAGAN: I, John J.
12 Flanagan --
13 THE SECRETARY: -- do solemnly
14 swear --
15 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- do solemnly
16 swear --
17 THE SECRETARY: -- that I will
18 uphold the Constitution of the United States of
19 America --
20 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- that I will
21 uphold the Constitution of the United States of
22 America --
23 THE SECRETARY: -- and the
24 Constitution of the State of New York --
25 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- and the
2471
1 Constitution of the State of New York --
2 THE SECRETARY: -- and that I will
3 faithfully discharge the duties --
4 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- and I will
5 faithfully discharge the duties --
6 THE SECRETARY: -- of the office of
7 Temporary President of the New York State
8 Senate --
9 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- of the office
10 of Temporary President of the New York State
11 Senate --
12 THE SECRETARY: -- to the best of
13 my ability --
14 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- to the best
15 of my ability --
16 THE SECRETARY: -- so help me God.
17 SENATOR FLANAGAN: -- so help me
18 God.
19 THE SECRETARY: Congratulations.
20 (Standing ovation.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: I present
22 to you now the Temporary President and Majority
23 Leader of the New York State Senate, Senator John
24 Flanagan.
25 SENATOR FLANAGAN: Thank you very
2472
1 much, Mr. President.
2 And you know, as much as I'm used to
3 speaking in public, you don't always plan for a
4 day like this, you certainly don't expect it,
5 given certain circumstances. But my point is I
6 don't have a lot of things written down, but I do
7 have things that I would like to say.
8 First, I want to thank Frank
9 Patience, the Secretary of the Senate, who I
10 consider to be a very dear friend. He was kind
11 enough to swear me in, as opposed to swearing at
12 me, which I deeply appreciate.
13 (Laughter.)
14 SENATOR FLANAGAN: But he's
15 characteristic of many of the good people that we
16 have working here in the Senate. We're very
17 fortunate in that regard.
18 I want to thank Tom Libous. I hope
19 everyone continues to pray for his good health.
20 He joined us in conference today via telephone,
21 but he is convalescing in the beautiful sunny
22 atmosphere of Florida, and I know he would like
23 to be here. But please continue to keep him in
24 your prayers. He's a leader in the State of
25 New York, and we miss him.
2473
1 I want to thank Senator Skelos for
2 decades of public service. This gentleman has
3 devoted his entire adult life to the service of
4 the people of the State of New York. He's done a
5 fantastic job. He's had many, many, many, many
6 legislative accomplishments.
7 And I'm going to only highlight one,
8 which I happened to mention earlier. Many of our
9 colleagues take credit for the enactment of
10 Megan's Law a number of years ago. The real
11 architect, the real author is this gentleman
12 sitting right here.
13 (Applause.)
14 SENATOR FLANAGAN: And for any of
15 you who have been here for the last couple of
16 years, you see a transition. Dean's life came
17 full circle by having grandchildren. He's got
18 that iPad, and for anyone who hangs out with him,
19 he'll talk to you, he'll send you emails and
20 stuff like that, but he'll be like "Look at this,
21 look at this, take a look at these pictures."
22 It's all about his family, and rightfully so.
23 And that's something I respect and admire.
24 So, Senator Skelos, thank you.
25 I also want to mention some of our
2474
1 legislative leaders who are here and outside of
2 this chamber.
3 Senator Klein, you've done a great
4 job on behalf of the IDC, working with our
5 conference and certainly Senator Skelos. I look
6 forward to that continued good, solid working
7 relationship, because Lord knows we have plenty
8 of business to take care of.
9 Senator Stewart-Cousins, who I have
10 adored really for a long time. She's a lady in
11 every sense of the word. She's an assertive
12 leader on behalf of her conference, advances
13 strong ideas. There are days where we agree, and
14 hopefully there will be a lot more of those than
15 not. But she does a fantastic job on behalf of
16 her conference.
17 So, Senator Stewart-Cousins, I have
18 already had the pleasure of working closely with
19 you, and I look forward to that in more detail.
20 Outside of here there is the
21 New York State Assembly. And as Carl Heastie
22 ascended to become the Speaker of the Assembly, I
23 thought, boy, this is a real challenge.
24 And he's a gentleman. He's
25 well-liked, he's studious, he's being a lot more
2475
1 inclusive in terms of things going on in the
2 Assembly. And I think he's doing well. And that
3 bodes well for the Assembly, and by extension
4 that bodes well for the people of the great State
5 of New York.
6 So when we look at this, it may be
7 about us individually in our districts, it may be
8 about our individual chambers, but at the end of
9 the day it's about the people of the State of
10 New York and how we treat them.
11 So Assemblyman Heastie, among many
12 texts -- you can imagine, I got a bunch of
13 texts -- I got a very nice text from him before
14 we came in here today.
15 I have also had the good fortune and
16 pleasure of working with the Governor, who has
17 worked very, very closely with our conference and
18 Senator Skelos. Governor Cuomo has done many,
19 many, many good things in the State of New York,
20 and I wish him continued success.
21 And I always say where we are in
22 agreement, we should all stand up and embrace him
23 and applaud his efforts. Where we're not, we
24 have a corresponding ability to say -- and
25 obligation, in my estimation -- to speak to our
2476
1 differences. Diplomatically, cordially,
2 professionally, but with the people's business
3 always in mind.
4 So that I think is important. I
5 look forward to working with him and have worked
6 on a wide variety of issues that I'm sure now
7 will get even more expansive.
8 For those who are perhaps outside
9 looking in, I think it's important to take more a
10 panoramic view and not necessarily look at the
11 members who serve here but all the people who
12 happen to be in the back. These are some of the
13 finest people that I have met in my life. These
14 are some of the most dedicated people that you
15 could possibly imagine.
16 So while there are many times and
17 opportunities where people will denigrate public
18 service and the work that gets done in
19 government, I don't do that. Do we have our
20 problems and our challenges? Yes, we do. But we
21 have an obligation to speak highly and speak well
22 of people who are doing a good job.
23 So some of the finest people I've
24 met in my entire life serve in government. We
25 need to bring more people in, attract them in,
2477
1 keep them, because that's good for the State of
2 New York.
3 So to all the staff who work here,
4 on both sides of the aisle, and many people who I
5 know very closely, I want to thank you for the
6 work that you do, what you've done, and where
7 we're going to go thereafter.
8 Just a couple of things about the
9 state. You know, it's interesting, the
10 Republican Conference gets accused of being sort
11 of monolithic, no diversity, we don't -- you
12 know, we all think alike, we're all cut from a
13 cookie cutter. Just come to one of our
14 conferences and you can see that that is not the
15 way it goes, just as people make suppositions and
16 guesses about what happens in various
17 conferences.
18 Our conference is diverse, and I'm
19 very happy to say that we have some
20 extraordinarily talented people who are serving
21 in our conference, just as I know it happens in
22 the Democratic Conference. We have seven new
23 members of diverse backgrounds who have added
24 greatly to the skill set and talent pool that we
25 have in our conference, and I'm grateful for all
2478
1 their input and activity.
2 So we have disparate interests and
3 we have unity of interest. You know, in
4 education, what do people want? Full public
5 funding of education, we want the same
6 opportunities for every kid across the State of
7 New York. And yet we have our differences.
8 There are regional differences that need to be
9 respected.
10 And I've had conversations with a
11 number of my colleagues upstate, and I want to
12 make it clear to them that I will do everything
13 conceivable to respect our geographic
14 distinctions and recognize that we are one state
15 no matter where the venue may be.
16 I've been to -- I've been to
17 Chautauqua, Jamestown, Plattsburgh, basically all
18 over, visiting colleagues. Heck, I've even been
19 up in Senator Stewart-Cousins' district, hanging
20 out with her and Senator Latimer, talking about
21 education issues.
22 So I know what it means to travel.
23 But one of the coolest things about traveling in
24 the State of New York is you get a chance to see
25 how unbelievably great the State of New York is.
2479
1 Now, I know Senator Gallivan can
2 attest to this. One of my favorite places in the
3 world is Letchworth State Park. It's a hidden
4 jewel. It's called "the Grand Canyon of the
5 East" in upstate New York. Check it out, go
6 there and visit. It's just one small example of
7 the offerings that we have here in the State of
8 New York.
9 And I think of basic things. The
10 Empire State. I think of our state motto,
11 "Excelsior," "ever upward." Those are things
12 that we should be striving for. And I know
13 that's what we want to do in our conference every
14 day.
15 So I have listened to a number of my
16 colleagues, and I'm not going to belabor any of
17 these points now. I know what it is to travel, I
18 know what it is to be around.
19 And I have had the good fortune of
20 now being in the Legislature 29 years, and I'm
21 proud to be in public service. I'm going to make
22 it very clear, I'm proud to be in public service.
23 I still think it is a noble endeavor and we
24 should all be proud of the work that we do.
25 I spent 16 years in the Assembly, in
2480
1 the minority. I'm now in my 13th year in the
2 Senate, two of which were in the minority. And I
3 learned a lot being in both venues. So I had a
4 chance to serve in a number of different
5 capacities over there.
6 But we talk about things in
7 conference. You talk about the people of the
8 State of New York. It's about jobs, it's about
9 taxes, it's about economic development, it's
10 about quality of life. And after that, I think
11 everything can fall into place.
12 What kind of structure are we
13 creating to make sure that people have an
14 entrepreneurial spirit and they can grow a
15 business and make it thrive and survive and
16 prosper in the State of New York? What's our
17 regulatory framework like? What are we doing to
18 create jobs in every part of the state? How are
19 we investing in public infrastructure? Because
20 that's a real investment.
21 So those are things that we should
22 be concentrating on. And yet I know that we have
23 some very vexing issues to deal with before the
24 end of the session. I believe people of good
25 spirit and goodwill and faith who are willing to
2481
1 compromise, we can come to an accord on a lot of
2 the things that are very important to people in
3 every community across the State of New York.
4 I'm going to close on two things.
5 One, I want to greatly, greatly, greatly thank my
6 colleagues for their support. It is humbling.
7 It's making me a little nervous. But it is
8 definitely something that I am so proud to be
9 able to stand here before you and say that I have
10 the opportunity to serve in this new position.
11 Senators Addabbo and Avella, I don't
12 know what we're going to do about the
13 Education Committee, but we're going to have to
14 figure something out.
15 The last thing I want to mention is
16 family. You know, when we're sitting in the
17 members' lounge -- and other people, no matter
18 what the venue -- when you get right down to it,
19 people care about their families. And I think
20 most of us look at that and say, if I'm going to
21 do this for my family, how do I make things
22 better for other people's families?
23 And we have a wide diversity of
24 people here: people who are grandparents, people
25 who are not parents, people who are young
2482
1 parents. And that's part of the great melting
2 pot of the State of New York.
3 In my own life, I have been very
4 blessed and very fortunate to have grown up in a
5 very solid, stable family, which I recognize not
6 a lot of people have the opportunity to do. In
7 my own life I've had a great life as someone who
8 is married, I have three beautiful children, my
9 mother is still alive, thank God. She was here
10 last week, 77, still working full-time, still
11 full of vim and vigor, energy.
12 And for all of you -- some of you
13 have no idea who my father was. But for those
14 who are still here, when I got elected in 1986, I
15 came in at a tragic time, but I had a proverbial
16 leg up. My father was highly respected for his
17 intellect, for his collegiality, and for his
18 ability to get things done. So I've always used
19 that as a benchmark.
20 And, you know, when I think about
21 this, I'll just close and say I am so
22 extraordinarily grateful. And if I can try to
23 continue to be half the man that my father was,
24 I'll be able to say I've done a darn good job in
25 this position.
2483
1 So for all my colleagues, thank you
2 from the bottom of my heart. We have real work
3 to do, so let's get to the people's business.
4 Thank you very much.
5 (Lengthy standing ovation.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
7 DeFrancisco.
8 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Could we go
9 back to motions and resolutions.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: We will
11 return to motions and resolutions.
12 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: On page 22, I
13 offer the following amendments to Calendar Number
14 303, Senate Print 4298, and ask that said bill
15 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
17 amendments are received, and the bill shall
18 retain its place on third reading.
19 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: On page 28, I
20 offer the following amendments to Calendar Number
21 401, Senate Print 1479, and ask that said bill
22 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
24 amendments are received, and the bill shall
25 retain its place on third reading.
2484
1 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: On page 16, I
2 offer the following amendments to Calendar Number
3 209, Senate Print Number 3353A, and ask that said
4 bill retain its place on the Third Reading
5 Calendar.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
7 amendments are also received, and the bill shall
8 also retain its place on third reading.
9 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: And lastly,
10 on page 15 I offer the following amendments to
11 Calendar Number 183, Senate Print 3472, and ask
12 that said bill retain its place on the Third
13 Reading Calendar.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
15 amendments are received, and the bill shall
16 retain its place on third reading.
17 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: You have the
18 calendar and the active list dated Monday,
19 May 11, 2015. Please lay that all aside for the
20 day. If you would do that, that would be nice.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
22 active-list calendar before the desk is laid
23 aside for the day.
24 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Is there any
25 further business at the desk?
2485
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There is
2 no further business before the desk, Senator
3 DeFrancisco.
4 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: In that case,
5 on motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
6 Tuesday, May 12th, at 3:00 p.m.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: We
8 congratulate Senator John Flanagan and wish him
9 Godspeed.
10 On motion, the Senate will stand
11 adjourned until Tuesday, May 12th, at 3:00 p.m.
12 The Senate will stand adjourned.
13 (Whereupon, at 4:28 p.m., the Senate
14 adjourned.)
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