Regular Session - January 9, 2018
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 January 9, 2018
11 11:15 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR JOSEPH GRIFFO, Acting President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
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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: In the
10 absence of clergy, I would ask all to bow your
11 heads in a moment of silent reflection and
12 prayer.
13 (Whereupon, the assemblage
14 respected a moment of silence.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
16 reading of the Journal.
17 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
18 January 8th, the Senate met pursuant to
19 adjournment. The Journal of Sunday,
20 January 7th, was read and approved. On motion,
21 Senate adjourned.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Without
23 objection, the Journal will stand approved as
24 read.
25 Presentation of petitions.
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1 Messages from the Assembly.
2 Messages from the Governor.
3 Reports of standing committees.
4 Reports of select committees.
5 Communications and reports of state
6 officers.
7 Motions and resolutions.
8 Senator DeFrancisco.
9 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I move to
10 adopt the Resolution Calendar, with the
11 exception of Resolution 3284.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: All in
13 favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar, with
14 the exception of Resolution 3284, signify by
15 saying aye.
16 (Response of "Aye.")
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
18 (No response.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
20 Resolution Calendar is adopted as indicated.
21 Senator DeFrancisco.
22 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Will you
23 please take up the noncontroversial reading of
24 the calendar.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
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1 Secretary will begin to read the calendar.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 1,
3 by Senator Robach, Senate Print 365, an act to
4 amend the State Finance Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
8 act shall take effect on the 30th day.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
13 Krueger to explain her vote.
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you very
15 much, Mr. President.
16 So I think I've been debating this
17 bill maybe as far back as 2003, but I couldn't
18 find anything back that far. But I'm not
19 debating it today, I'm just continuing to point
20 out why it's a mistake for any state to put a
21 cap on spending into law.
22 If you go through the history,
23 there are some states who chose to do this back
24 in the '80s and early '90s. They've all
25 reversed themselves, because what they learned
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1 was none of us have a crystal ball and don't know
2 whether the next year there might be a giant dip
3 in revenue or an emergency situation or a loss of
4 federal funding where the state budget needs to
5 change by more than the 1, 2, or 3 percent that
6 we've been averaging.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
8 Krueger, we are on Calendar Number 1 right now,
9 which is Senate Bill 365, Senator Robach,
10 presently.
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, the spending
12 cap, correct? I'm on that bill also.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Okay.
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you. That
15 would be a spending cap on the State Budget.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Correct.
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: I believe that
18 was what I was speaking on. Thank you,
19 Mr. President.
20 So -- oh, wait. I'm sorry. Did you
21 still want me to hold, Mr. President?
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: No, I
23 just wanted to make sure you knew we were on the
24 rainy day fund. Go ahead.
25 SENATOR KRUEGER: Well, the rainy
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1 day fund is combined with a state spending cap,
2 so I was only specifically explaining why I
3 dislike the spending cap section of Senator
4 Robach's dual bill. Correct, thank you.
5 So again, on the spending cap,
6 states would tie their hands; the legislature
7 would remove themselves and the governor from the
8 process of making a determination that an
9 emergency happened, something radically changed
10 in federal spending in our state, something
11 radically happened in an emergency health crisis
12 in our state, a recession that triggered demands
13 on unemployment, on social safety net programs.
14 We don't have a crystal ball to look
15 into year in, year out. What we do have is a
16 budget process that allows us to evaluate, on an
17 annual basis, our revenue and our expenditures.
18 And I frankly don't think it's good
19 public policy to want to tie our hands and remove
20 the ability to determine the expenditure level of
21 the State of New York from year to year, which is
22 why I urge everyone to vote no. And I believe
23 this continues to be a one-house bill, so it's
24 more of an intellectual discussion.
25 I vote no, Mr. President. Thank
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1 you.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
3 you, Senator Krueger.
4 Senator Krueger will be recorded in
5 the negative.
6 Announce the results.
7 Senator Robach, do you want to
8 explain your vote?
9 SENATOR ROBACH: Yes,
10 Mr. President, just very quickly.
11 I would just say that I think this
12 is the fiscal restraint direction we need to go
13 to. Sometimes you have to be the responsible
14 parent, not the rich aunt or uncle and give away
15 money. And I would say not having this cap in
16 place and not having sufficient rainy day funds
17 is what got us into the fiscal problems we're in.
18 So whether we want to protect
19 important programs or want to move in the right
20 direction, which I think we are incrementally,
21 while I fully understand it will make some
22 difficult choices on what we fund, I think this
23 is very necessary.
24 And to my colleague Senator
25 Krueger's comments, which I listened to,
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1 sincerely, I think if we get to a point where
2 we're flush, we can always take caps off and do
3 things differently at that time.
4 But clearly, in my district and
5 across many parts of the state and the business
6 community, what we're talking about right now --
7 affordability, opportunity and those things --
8 the budget practices we've used without this cap
9 and rainy day fund have not been working.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Excuse
11 me, Senator Robach.
12 SENATOR ROBACH: So I applaud my
13 colleagues for supporting this, and I think it
14 will be greatly appreciated by many New Yorkers
15 all across this great state.
16 Thank you, Mr. President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Robach in the affirmative.
19 Can we have some order in the house,
20 please.
21 Announce the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
23 Calendar Number 1, those recorded in the negative
24 are Senators Alcantara, Avella, Bailey, Comrie,
25 Dilan, Gianaris, Hamilton, Hoylman, Kavanagh,
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1 Krueger, Montgomery, Parker, Peralta, Persaud,
2 Rivera, Sanders, Savino, Serrano, Stavisky and
3 Stewart-Cousins.
4 Ayes, 41. Nays, 20.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
6 is passed.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 2,
8 by Senator Flanagan, Senate Print 1207, an act to
9 amend Chapter 97 of the Laws of 2011.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Krueger to explain her vote.
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 I have also debated this bill in the
22 past, so for time's sake, this year I'll simply
23 explain why I'm voting no.
24 Property taxes are the only
25 taxes that the State of New York, in theory,
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1 allows localities to determine themselves without
2 coming to Albany. But several years ago, at the
3 request of many localities, they came to us and
4 they asked us to create a cap bill, to some
5 degree protect them from doing harm again. They
6 still, of course, can limit their own spending at
7 any level below the 2 percent cap.
8 My dilemma is I think it's a mistake
9 to make permanent a cap that is still to this day
10 questionable as far as its impact on our local
11 school districts. Again, it doesn't apply to
12 New York City, although each year this house
13 proposes that it apply to the city as well, which
14 would continue my argument against. But we have
15 learned that over the years that this tax cap has
16 been in effect, we've had in any given year as
17 many as 90 separate school districts on the verge
18 of what they call fiscal stress because they have
19 inadequate money from their property tax level to
20 cover their expenses.
21 I personally think we should
22 reevaluate the entire model of taxation in this
23 state so that property taxes aren't the driving
24 force in educational revenue policy. We're not
25 an agrarian state, although we have agrarian
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1 areas, and it shouldn't be based on property
2 value as opposed to income levels or other
3 evaluations.
4 But continuing a flawed policy as a
5 permanent policy is not going to get us there, so
6 I will vote no, Mr. President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
8 Krueger to be recorded in the negative.
9 Senator Young to explain her vote.
10 SENATOR YOUNG: Thank you,
11 Mr. President.
12 And I want to thank my colleague
13 from Manhattan for her comments on property
14 taxes. But I will tell you, if you live in an
15 area where there are residential homes, this is
16 one of the major issues that our citizens face
17 across the state, heavy property taxes.
18 We have put the brakes on
19 double-digit property tax increases over the
20 years because of the leadership of this house,
21 this conference, and we need to make that
22 permanent. Every day we hear impassioned pleas
23 from our constituents about property taxes, and
24 we need to do something about it. We've made
25 great progress, but this would make this very
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1 effective tool permanent. Already it has saved
2 New Yorkers over $23 billion for the taxpayers.
3 And I would like to remind my
4 colleague that at the same time that we have had
5 the property tax cap in place, this body, this
6 Legislature and the Governor have provided record
7 increases to education -- just last year, a
8 $1.1 billion increase to education. And we've
9 taken other initiatives such as eliminating the
10 terrible Gap Elimination Adjustment that was put
11 into place several years ago.
12 So we continue to invest in our
13 children, invest in their futures, and at the
14 same time we need to make New York State a more
15 affordable place to live and work.
16 Thank you, Mr. President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Young to be recorded in the affirmative.
19 Senator Bonacic to explain his vote.
20 SENATOR BONACIC: Yeah, on the
21 bill.
22 I agree with everything that Senator
23 Young said about affordability and property
24 taxes, but I want to comment on what -- on a
25 broader-based tax.
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1 I think it's time that we seriously
2 look at structural changes with respect to the
3 property tax system. So how do you get there?
4 I've advocated for a broader state income tax.
5 Over a five-year period, wean off the property
6 taxes, wean off it. Out on the Island, their
7 property taxes are brutal, anywhere from $15,000
8 to $30,000 a year. Families have to decide,
9 Should I pay the property taxes or should I pay
10 my mortgage? That's how bad property taxes have
11 gotten. People leave this state because of the
12 heavy burden of property taxes.
13 So this cap slows the problem. Slow
14 growth, no more than 2 percent. But if we're
15 serious, go to a broader-based tax; mandate
16 relief; get rid of the abuses of not-for-profits,
17 tax-exempts, a huge problem. That would be a
18 three-pronged attack to start diminishing the
19 high value of property taxes.
20 I vote yes on the bill. Thank you
21 very much, Mr. Speaker.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
23 Bonacic to be recorded in the affirmative.
24 Announce the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
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1 Calendar 2, those recorded in the negative are
2 Senators Comrie, Hoylman, Krueger, Montgomery,
3 Parker, Persaud, Rivera, Sanders and Serrano.
4 Also Senator Dilan.
5 Ayes, 51. Nays, 10.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 5,
9 by Senator Akshar, Senate Print 7277, an act to
10 amend the Highway Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
15 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 10,
23 by Senator Alcantara, Senate Print 7282, an act
24 to amend the Social Services Law.
25 SENATOR VALESKY: Lay it aside for
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1 the day.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
3 is laid aside for the day.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 17,
5 by Senator Croci, Senate Print 7289, an act to
6 amend the Military Law.
7 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Lay the bill
8 aside for the day.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
10 is laid aside for the day.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 27,
12 by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 7299, an act to
13 amend the New York State Urban Development
14 Corporation Act.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Lay it aside.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Lay it
17 aside.
18 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Lay it aside
19 for the day.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Lay it
21 aside for the day.
22 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: At the
23 request of the sponsor.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: At the
25 request of the sponsor.
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1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 30,
2 by Senator Hamilton, Senate Print 7302, an act to
3 amend a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
5 last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
7 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
8 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 33,
16 by Senator Gallivan, Senate Print 7305, an act to
17 amend the Executive Law.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
19 last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
21 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
22 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
24 roll.
25 (The Secretary called the roll.)
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1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60. Nays, 1.
2 Senator Sanders recorded in the negative.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
4 is passed.
5 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 38,
6 by Senator Peralta, Senate Print 7310, an act to
7 amend the General Business Law.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
9 last section.
10 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
11 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
12 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
14 roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
18 is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 41,
20 by Senator Kennedy, Senate Print 7313, an act to
21 amend the Social Services Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
25 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
119
1 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60. Nays, 1.
6 Senator Little recorded in the negative.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 45,
10 by Senator Tedisco, Senate Print 7317, an act to
11 amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 55,
23 by Senator Hannon, Senate Print 7327, an act to
24 amend the General Business Law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
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1 last section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
3 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
4 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2017.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
6 roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
10 is passed.
11 Senator DeFrancisco, that completes
12 the noncontroversial reading of today's
13 active-list calendar.
14 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Could we now
15 take up Resolution 3284, by Senator Golden, and
16 read it in its entirety, and then call on
17 Senators Golden and Akshar thereafter.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
19 Secretary will read.
20 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
21 Resolution Number 3284, by Senator Golden,
22 memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
23 proclaim January 9, 2018, as Law Enforcement
24 Appreciation Day in the State of New York.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Can we
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1 have some order in the chamber, please.
2 Thank you. The Secretary will
3 continue.
4 THE SECRETARY: "WHEREAS, New York
5 State has long been committed to supporting its
6 law enforcement professionals; and
7 "WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is
8 justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M.
9 Cuomo to proclaim January 9, 2018, as Law
10 Enforcement Appreciation Day in the State of
11 New York, in conjunction with the observance of
12 National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day; and
13 "WHEREAS, Throughout the State of
14 New York, various law enforcement advocacy
15 organizations will be observing this
16 well-deserved day of appreciation of our law
17 enforcement members; and
18 "WHEREAS, It is increasingly being
19 recognized that the jobs which these
20 professionals face in their lines of duty are
21 both dangerous and difficult; and
22 "WHEREAS, The Day of National Law
23 Enforcement Appreciation is a time to recognize
24 and reflect on the sacrifice which so many of our
25 friends, families, and fellow New Yorkers make on
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1 a daily basis to keep us safe in our homes,
2 places of work, and on the streets; and
3 "WHEREAS, Recognizing the importance
4 of the work that law enforcement conducts on a
5 daily basis, whether it be tackling petty crime
6 or taking down foreign terror operations to keep
7 New Yorkers safe, these professionals are among
8 the best our state has to offer, being highly
9 skilled, disciplined, and well-trained to execute
10 their duties with courage and bravery; and
11 "WHEREAS, It is increasingly
12 dangerous to perform these jobs in a world where
13 law enforcement are targeted for the uniforms
14 they wear and the duties they perform in the line
15 of service; and
16 "WHEREAS, By focusing on the
17 importance of those who serve in law enforcement,
18 we would hope to bring attention to the
19 difficulties their jobs present and the bravery
20 so many exude in their everyday lives; we may
21 also highlight that too often New York law
22 enforcement professionals from across our great
23 state are not appreciated and give them a moment
24 to know that New York stands behind them; now,
25 therefore, be it
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1 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
2 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
3 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim January 9,
4 2018, as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in the
5 State of New York, and to applaud those who have
6 dedicated their lives to keeping New Yorkers safe
7 from criminals, terrorists, and those who would
8 otherwise do harm to them; and be it further
9 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
10 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
11 the Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the
12 State of New York."
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
14 Golden.
15 SENATOR GOLDEN: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 Today is a sad day, yesterday was a
18 sad day, and we have a number of sad days
19 throughout the year for law enforcement. Today
20 we're honoring New Yorkers who take serving the
21 public to a level few of us can truly understand.
22 January 9, 2018, is Law Enforcement Appreciation
23 Day in the great State of New York.
24 Many of you know, just outside our
25 building here, the New York State Police Officers
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1 Memorial has 1453 names on it. Each of those
2 names served this state with pride. Each one has
3 a story. Each one of those names has a family.
4 In fact, on January 2nd of this year, a New York
5 State Trooper became another member of law
6 enforcement to die of a 9/11 illness. We lost a
7 shining star when Trooper Michael Anson passed
8 away. Many of us remember Trooper Anson. He was
9 assigned to help New York City and search during
10 the recovery efforts after the attack.
11 Well, yesterday, ladies and
12 gentlemen, Lieutenant Paul Murphy -- he too, a
13 lieutenant in New York City Police Department,
14 was buried in Brooklyn. He too had a story, a
15 family, and his life cut much too short at
16 50 years of age.
17 And it's fitting today is named Law
18 Enforcement Appreciation Day, because it's also
19 the day that Trooper Anson, at 11 o'clock this
20 morning, is being buried.
21 We should all take a moment to pause
22 and to reflect on our heroes, the public servants
23 who give us peace of mind and are dedicated to
24 keeping us safe wherever we are. They keep us
25 safe at home, at our places of worship, places of
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1 employment, on the road, wherever we are across
2 this great state. They are dedicated public
3 servants and some of the most talented
4 individuals in the country. Their levels of
5 training, discipline, and commitment are the
6 best.
7 The reason we are the greatest state
8 in this great nation is that we have the greatest
9 law enforcement. And I'm honored to sponsor this
10 resolution, and I hope you will join me in
11 honoring New York's greatest public servants and
12 our biggest heroes, the men and women of law
13 enforcement. God bless them and God bless their
14 families, and God bless this great, great state
15 and this great nation for their service.
16 Thank you, Mr. President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Akshar.
19 SENATOR AKSHAR: Mr. President,
20 thank you for your indulgence.
21 Senator Golden, thank you for
22 putting forth this resolution. I think it's
23 incredibly important.
24 I for one am very proud to be
25 standing here today to pay special tribute to the
126
1 men and women in blue. As many of you know, I
2 had the distinct pleasure of serving as a member
3 of law enforcement before I was elected, and I
4 can tell you firsthand that our law enforcement
5 officials care very deeply for our community.
6 They work long hours to keep us safe, they work
7 tirelessly to stop the drug epidemic that is
8 plaguing so many communities throughout this
9 great state, and they're the first to put
10 themselves into danger, whether it's responding
11 to a domestic violence call or a traffic stop.
12 And unfortunately today, protecting
13 the community from crime and danger, of course,
14 is on the forefront of their minds, but in recent
15 years the scope of their job has expanded to
16 other disciplines. They now have to be mental
17 health professionals, they have to be addiction
18 specialists. But it doesn't matter. Because
19 whenever they're called, they answer, 24 hours a
20 day, seven days a week.
21 And sometimes I think that society
22 forgets, and I think it's incredibly incumbent
23 upon us that we remind society at large that
24 behind the uniform, law enforcement officers are
25 just men and women who want to work hard.
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1 They're men and women who want to keep our
2 communities safe, and they're men and women who
3 want to make it home at the end of the day to
4 their families. And at a time when their jobs
5 are becoming more dangerous and unpredictable,
6 they certainly need our support.
7 And I firmly believe that regardless
8 of our politics and regardless of what side of
9 the aisle we sit on, everybody in this house
10 agrees with us today that we should be looking
11 out for members of our law enforcement.
12 I can't help but think of the Codes
13 meeting yesterday where Senator Bailey and I were
14 discussing a piece of legislation. And we
15 happened to disagree on that particular piece of
16 legislation, but at the end of the day what we
17 did agree upon was that the members of law
18 enforcement were pillars in our community and we
19 needed to do everything we possibly could to
20 support them.
21 So that is a good feeling, to know
22 that regardless of our politics and regardless of
23 which side of the aisle we sit on, we all believe
24 that those members of law enforcement deserve our
25 support.
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1 So I, for one, of course am happy to
2 support this particular resolution. I am proud
3 to have been afforded an opportunity to share in
4 that brotherhood. I will forever bleed blue, and
5 so long as I am in this house, I will always
6 support the members of law enforcement.
7 Thank you, Mr. President.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
9 Gallivan.
10 SENATOR GALLIVAN: Thank you,
11 Mr. President.
12 Like Senator Golden and Senator
13 Akshar and many of colleagues in the room, I have
14 great respect and admiration for the men and
15 women in law enforcement. Like my colleagues,
16 I'm a former law enforcement officer. And as a
17 former state trooper and sheriff of Erie County,
18 I understand the dangers and challenges that
19 police officers face on a daily basis.
20 At a moment's notice, these
21 dedicated public servants must confront
22 life-and-death situations. They assist those who
23 are hurt and injured, they protect those in
24 danger and pursue those who would do us harm.
25 Their job is dangerous and difficult. We've seen
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1 instances when police officers have been targeted
2 for no other reason than the uniform they wear
3 and what it represents. We must consider an
4 attack on any member of law enforcement as an
5 attack on our entire community and our way of
6 life.
7 I'll continue to support law
8 enforcement officers across New York, to ensure
9 that they have the tools, resources and training
10 to perform their duties. They are, after all,
11 our first line of defense in protecting our
12 citizens and our communities. They deserve our
13 thanks, our support, and our respect. And I
14 thank all of you for honoring them today.
15 Thank you, Mr. President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
17 question is on the resolution. All in favor
18 signify by saying aye.
19 (Response of "Aye.")
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
21 (No response.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
23 resolution is adopted.
24 The resolution is opened for
25 cosponsorship. If you wish to be a cosponsor,
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1 please notify the desk.
2 Senator Ritchie, that completes the
3 reading of the Resolution Calendar.
4 SENATOR RITCHIE: There will be an
5 immediate meeting of the Transportation Committee
6 in Room 710 of the LOB.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There
8 will be an immediate meeting of the Committee on
9 Transportation in Room 710 in the LOB.
10 Senator Ritchie.
11 SENATOR RITCHIE: Is there any
12 further business at the desk?
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There is
14 no further business before the desk.
15 SENATOR RITCHIE: So can we adjourn
16 until Tuesday, January 16th, at 3:00 p.m.,
17 intervening days being legislative days.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On
19 motion, the Senate will stand adjourned until
20 Tuesday, January 16th, at 3:00 p.m., intervening
21 days being legislative days.
22 The Senate is adjourned.
23 (Whereupon, at 11:41 a.m., the
24 Senate adjourned.)
25