Regular Session - April 26, 2023
2603
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 April 26, 2023
11 11:19 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR JAMAAL T. BAILEY, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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21
22
23
24
25
2604
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Major
9 Shawn S. Lee, regimental chaplain of the U.S.
10 Corps of Cadets, will deliver today's invocation.
11 Major Lee.
12 REGIMENTAL CHAPLAIN LEE: Thank
13 you, sir.
14 I invite you to join with me in
15 prayer.
16 Eternal God, steadfast Creator, our
17 help in ages past and our hope for years to come,
18 I thank You for the great State of New York and
19 this Senate.
20 You know the hearts of the millions
21 who call New York home, and I thank You for the
22 people of this diverse and blessed state, which
23 has helped form this nation from its infancy and
24 then welcomed immigrants for generations.
25 May each Senator here serve their
2605
1 people faithfully. Grant wisdom to each of the
2 63 of them to carefully deliberate and consider
3 the work set before them, strengthen the staff
4 who serve the Senate, that the fruit of their
5 labors would be justice and righteousness.
6 May their work and their words
7 bridge their differences and challenges. Grant
8 Your peace for each meeting, each hearing, each
9 committee, and each session, that New York State
10 would be led with prudence and with wisdom.
11 I thank You for New York's historic
12 relationship with the United States Military
13 Academy. May New York State long continue to
14 provide the nation with a challenging and fertile
15 ground to educate, train and inspire America's
16 future leaders.
17 Excelsior, I pray. Amen.
18 (Response of "Amen.")
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Reading
20 of the Journal.
21 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Tuesday,
22 April 25, 2023, the Senate met pursuant to
23 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, April 24,
24 2023, was read and approved. On motion, the
25 Senate adjourned.
2606
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Without
2 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
3 Presentation of petitions.
4 Messages from the Assembly.
5 The Secretary will read.
6 THE SECRETARY: Senator Breslin
7 moves to discharge, from the Committee on
8 Finance, Assembly Bill Number 3172A and
9 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 5889,
10 Third Reading Calendar 626.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: So
12 ordered.
13 Messages from the Governor.
14 Reports of standing committees.
15 Reports of select committees.
16 Communications and reports from
17 state officers.
18 Motions and resolutions.
19 Senator Gianaris.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good morning,
21 Mr. President.
22 I wish to call up the following
23 bills, which were recalled from the Assembly and
24 are now at the desk:
25 Senate Print Numbers 2060 and 1851.
2607
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
2 Secretary will read.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 231, Senate Print 1851, by Senator Hinchey, an
5 act to amend the Public Service Law.
6 Calendar Number 241, Senate Print
7 2060, by Senator Stavisky, an act to amend the
8 Education Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 SENATOR GIANARIS: Before we call
13 the roll, Mr. President, I move to reconsider the
14 vote by which the bills were passed.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
20 amendments are received, and those bills will
21 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
22 Senator Gianaris.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: I now offer the
24 following amendments on those bills.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
2608
1 amendments are received, and the bills will
2 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
3 Senator Gianaris.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now take
5 up previously adopted Resolution 705, by
6 Senator Skoufis, read that resolution's title and
7 recognize Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
9 Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
11 705, by Senator Skoufis, memorializing
12 Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 26, 2023,
13 as West Point Day in New York State.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Leader
15 Stewart-Cousins on the resolution.
16 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank you
17 so much, Mr. President.
18 And I want to thank Senator Skoufis
19 for continuing this great tradition of West Point
20 Day.
21 I also want to thank our newly
22 minted Veterans chair, Senator Scarcella-Spanton.
23 And also, of course, I want to thank
24 West Point for always being partners as we
25 elevate the service that we get from you who are
2609
1 serving and graduating from West Point.
2 I want to thank Major Shawn Lee, the
3 chaplain, for the beautiful prayer. Thank you so
4 much. We always need strong blessings, so I
5 appreciate it. And I know we will hear from
6 Lieutenant General Steven Gilland, the
7 61st superintendent of the United States
8 Military Academy.
9 We are a little bit tardy today. We
10 generally start on time because we understand
11 that it is important in your tradition, and
12 certainly we try and make it our tradition, to
13 get to work and stay focused, and we like to do
14 it on time. But today was one of those days that
15 there was a confluence of circumstances.
16 Today, for the first time, we've
17 honored Korean War veterans, and that happened in
18 The Well earlier. And the buses were a little
19 bit late, so they got here a little bit late.
20 And we'll hear more about them later.
21 But I thought it was also kind of a
22 great thing to happen, because it is reminding us
23 that service never stops. It is an
24 intergenerational celebration that we'll be
25 having today of service and valor.
2610
1 West Point and its 70-year history
2 of doing this, the idea of West Point dates back
3 to President George Washington. It was created
4 under President Jefferson, formalized by
5 Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer.
6 West Point has become synonymous
7 with Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Ulysses S.
8 Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, "Black Jack"
9 Pershing, and the first female graduate, who
10 shares my first name, Andrea Hollen. Here in our
11 chamber, our former Senator and Korean War
12 veteran who has since passed on, Bill Larkin, and
13 many others, including the brother of
14 Senator Breslin, Mike Breslin, who is here today
15 as well.
16 As I look at the class of young
17 cadets before us, we'll know your names. Because
18 I know you bring the same courage, the same
19 dedication, the same honor that West Point has
20 upheld for centuries. We commend you all for
21 taking the crucial action and to serve as a
22 beacon of hope even as we face immense
23 uncertainties.
24 You should all feel incredibly proud
25 of yourselves for answering your highest call,
2611
1 our nation's highest call, and finding your
2 passion so early in life.
3 On days like this, I'm reminded of
4 my own family members -- my dad, who served in
5 World War II; my brother, who served in Vietnam.
6 Their sacrifices and their service had a profound
7 effect on my own life. And it always serves as a
8 reminder to always put others first.
9 I know this is the same thing that
10 exists in the character of this class today. The
11 commitment that you've made for the greater good
12 shows that you have a conviction, a dedication,
13 and a drive.
14 Within every challenge that we face
15 lies an opportunity to strengthen our resolve and
16 to dig deeper on the values that we hold dear. I
17 wish all of you the strength going forward, and
18 offer this chamber's friendship and support for
19 what you do.
20 Even with my father and brother
21 being in the military during wartime, it will
22 always be hard for civilians like myself to truly
23 grasp the magnitude and the intensity and the
24 horror of war that exists every hour of every
25 day. We know that the cadets in this chamber are
2612
1 going to be on the front lines somewhere in this
2 world, keeping us safe and standing up for the
3 ideals that America holds so dear.
4 For the rest of your lives, our
5 state and nation will forever be in your debt.
6 The service you give cannot be repaid, but it
7 will always be honored. We're grateful for you,
8 for your families, and for everything you do and
9 will do on behalf of our country.
10 I pledge to you now to never
11 overlook your service or commitment, to continue
12 working on your behalf, and to always back our
13 appreciation with words and actions and
14 listening. Because what you experience, you
15 bring back to us. And if we can make it better
16 for the next set of cadets, that's what we will
17 do.
18 So again, I thank you so much for
19 continuing this great tradition and honoring our
20 chamber. And again, we will see you after all
21 the ceremonies for lunch, and you will be sharing
22 that lunch with our Korean War veterans again. I
23 think it will be a great and amazing
24 intergenerational celebration of service.
25 Thank you so much. And thank you,
2613
1 Mr. President.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
3 you, Madam Leader.
4 Senator Skoufis on the resolution.
5 SENATOR SKOUFIS: Thank you very
6 much, Mr. President.
7 And it's always a privilege to
8 follow the Majority Leader, on this day and any
9 day. But her words certainly ring so true about
10 the importance of this day and the importance of
11 the people that we're celebrating today.
12 Before I get to speaking on the
13 resolution and some remarks, I do want to
14 acknowledge the folks who made the trip up here
15 and make this day possible.
16 First, from West Point's
17 leadership -- and we'll hear from him in a
18 moment -- we have Lieutenant General Steven
19 Gilland, who's the 61st Superintendent of the
20 United States Military Academy. It's an honor to
21 have you up here today.
22 He's also joined by Lieutenant
23 Colonel Matthew C. Dawson, Executive Officer to
24 the Superintendent; Lieutenant Colonel Beth
25 Smith, USMA Public Affairs Officer.
2614
1 We heard from Major Shawn S. Lee,
2 Regimental Chaplain -- thank you for your
3 beautiful words earlier.
4 And we're also joined by
5 First Captain Lauren Drysdale, who I'm told is a
6 shining star in the ranks of the cadets. And we
7 look forward to what your future holds in store
8 for you.
9 We also are joined by a number of
10 support personnel: Mr. Jim Fox, USMA Public
11 Affairs Office; Mr. Matthew D. Hintz, from the
12 same office, and who was -- a special
13 shout-out -- really a primary person that made
14 this day possible from West Point's end; as well
15 as Sergeant First Class Luisito Brooks and
16 Sergeant First Class Ryan J. Weiss.
17 From the Senate side, I do want to
18 thank, in addition to the Majority Leader and in
19 addition to my colleague who we'll hear from,
20 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, who is doing an
21 incredible job leading the Veterans Affairs
22 Committee, I also want to thank Shelley Andrews,
23 Jordine Jones, Shane Jones, and of course
24 Ale Paulino for helping make today possible.
25 I won't introduce by name
2615
1 individually the cadets. We will -- and my
2 colleagues, you all who represent each of these
3 cadets will have a chance to introduce them, and
4 so I will save that for you all.
5 So if I may now, on the resolution,
6 Mr. President, it is my great honor and privilege
7 to rise today as the Senator representing the
8 42nd District, home to the United States
9 Military Academy, on this 71st anniversary of
10 West Point Day, a cherished tradition here in the
11 halls of the Capitol and a moment of great pride
12 to all of my colleagues, no doubt, as well as
13 past Senators over that time, including, as was
14 mentioned before, my predecessor, Colonel Bill
15 Larkin.
16 As the oldest continuously occupied
17 Army post in the United States, the United States
18 Military Academy at West Point played a
19 substantial role, as you all know, in the
20 founding of this nation, and continues to produce
21 the kinds of leaders and defenders of American
22 democracy that we need today.
23 Perched proudly atop the west bank
24 of the mighty Hudson River, West Point stands as
25 a beacon to all who believe in our shared
2616
1 American ideals, a symbol of democracy and
2 freedom for those called to action, to honor, and
3 to our country. It stands as a looming reminder
4 to all who wind their way up the river that the
5 story of this great democratic experiment is a
6 document still being written, the subsequent
7 chapters of which are yet unknown.
8 Cadets, if you'll grant me a bit of
9 an aside, those who know me are likely aware of
10 my fascination with all things space -- the
11 possibility, the uncertainty, the expansive
12 nature of everything out there, and what it can
13 mean for those of us right here -- indeed, the
14 most iconic embodiment of the unknown.
15 To cast one's gaze into a void the
16 size of which we couldn't possibly fathom, and to
17 think "this unknown is worth knowing," is an
18 impulse rooted in bravery and human spirit. The
19 grit required to persist in the face of
20 unknowable odds at the edges of our abilities is
21 a quality I think more of us should strive for.
22 You cadets have exactly this
23 quality. It's what brought you to West Point in
24 the first place. By pursuing your education in
25 those hallowed halls, and the commitment to
2617
1 protect our nation and our values that is
2 forthcoming for all of you, you're boldly
3 proclaiming to the world that this democracy we
4 cherish, a story still being written right here
5 in this chamber, the future of which is yet
6 uncertain, is worth defending. It's worth
7 showing up for.
8 So today, my colleagues -- my
9 colleagues and I are honored to show up for you.
10 We are humbled by your grit and will never lose
11 sight of it. And we are so proud of the futures
12 you've yet to write for yourselves and to this
13 great country.
14 In remarks to the National Defense
15 Forum in December, our U.S. Secretary of Defense,
16 Lloyd Austin, himself a West Point grad, said:
17 "In this decisive decade, let us pledge again to
18 be the dreamers, the builders and the doers. Let
19 us forge a world of greater security, prosperity,
20 and liberty. And let us meet America's
21 challenges with confidence."
22 This is your charge. Greet the
23 unknown with decisiveness. Dream, build, and do.
24 Thank you, Mr. President.
25 And last but certainly not least, Go
2618
1 Army, and beat Navy! Thank you.
2 (Laughter.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
4 you, Senator Skoufis.
5 Senator Ortt on the resolution.
6 SENATOR ORTT: Thank you,
7 Mr. President.
8 I would like to thank Senator Andrea
9 Stewart-Cousins for continuing this tradition.
10 I certainly want to thank the
11 sponsor for continuing to carry the resolution.
12 He mentioned former Senator Bill Larkin,
13 Colonel Bill Larkin. We used to always call him
14 "Colonel." We never even called him Senator, he
15 was Colonel Larkin.
16 This was his pride and joy. This
17 day was his proudest day as a New York State
18 Senator, each and every year -- not just because
19 West Point was in the district, but because of
20 what West Point meant to New York State, to the
21 country and, I would argue, the world.
22 Senator Gallivan and I were
23 conversing, and he mentioned -- and I think this
24 is true -- he said, "Look how young the cadets
25 look." And that's important, I think, because a
2619
1 lot of times when people think of combat, combat
2 leaders, they think of fighting men and women,
3 they do not think of 22-year-olds, 21-year-olds.
4 They don't think of their children, they think of
5 sort of a grizzled older person who has lived a
6 full life, maybe.
7 And the reality is our fighting is
8 and always has been done largely by young people,
9 people who today we would call kids.
10 In many situations we think about
11 young people today and we think about maybe
12 they're aimless, they're looking for themselves,
13 they're trying to find themselves, who are they
14 really. These cadets here do not have that
15 problem. They know exactly who they are. They
16 know exactly that they're being trained to do.
17 And the Academy at West Point, the
18 Military Academy at West Point is not just to
19 produce second lieutenants for the Army, although
20 that's the 50-meter target, but in the big
21 picture it is there to create, to make, to
22 educate the future leaders of the United States
23 military. Future joint chiefs, future, you know,
24 two-, three-, four-star generals. That is what
25 the Military Academy at West Point was designed
2620
1 to do: To create the future leaders of the
2 United States Army and the United States
3 military.
4 And it does. And it has done that.
5 And you are now, you are now the heirs to that
6 legacy. And it's a legacy that continues to be
7 important, continues to be questioned as to the
8 role of the United States not only abroad in an
9 increasingly hostile world where other countries
10 and other powers are trying to challenge the role
11 of the United States, the role of free,
12 democratic government. And you are what
13 underlies that.
14 It's not words, it's not documents,
15 it's not speeches -- although those are all part
16 of it -- but at the end of the day, it is young
17 people like yourself who are willing to say, I
18 will put my life on the line for the idea that is
19 the United States of America, for the ideals that
20 are embodied in our Constitution. You make them
21 a reality. Your presence here is a reminder to
22 all of us of the real cost that it takes to
23 govern and defend a republic.
24 And I applaud you for your
25 commitment. I applaud you for being here today.
2621
1 It's an honor for me. It's an honor for all of
2 us. We have several veterans in this room, in
3 this chamber: Senator Stec, Senator Walczyk,
4 Senator Ashby, I know Senator Sanders. I'm not
5 sure if I'm missing anybody. But all of us have
6 worn various uniforms in our nation's military.
7 I think Senator Sanders was a Marine. Senators
8 Walczyk and Ashby and myself were Army. And
9 don't hold this against him, but Senator Stec was
10 Navy.
11 (Laughter.)
12 SENATOR ORTT: So -- and I'll close
13 on a little lighter note, but you should know
14 each year Senator Stec and I have a bet on the
15 Army-Navy football game. The winner gets to
16 display the flag of the winning school in our
17 conference room, where it is for the remainder of
18 the year. So you will know that the West Point
19 Army flag proudly is displayed right now in our
20 conference room, thanks to your excellent victory
21 last year. And I hope that it will not be going
22 anywhere after this year.
23 But it really is a pleasure to
24 welcome you here, knowing what you're going to
25 do. And I will remind people that the greatest
2622
1 way to preserve peace in the world, you're
2 looking at them right now. That's really what
3 you're there for. Not to -- yes, you're there to
4 fight wars if they happen. But really you exist
5 to preserve peace. And I think your presence in
6 the United States military has done that over its
7 history and you, again, are heirs to that
8 history.
9 So thank you for being here. Thank
10 you for your service.
11 Go Army, beat Navy!
12 (Laughter.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
14 you, Senator Ortt.
15 It is now my honor and pleasure to
16 introduce Lieutenant General Steven Gilland, the
17 61st Superintendent of the United States Military
18 Academy.
19 (Standing ovation.)
20 WEST POINT SUPERINTENDENT GILLAND:
21 All right, thank you. Thank you, everyone.
22 Ladies and gentlemen, it is an
23 absolute honor to join you here today. Senator
24 Stewart-Cousins, Senator Ortt, members of this
25 distinguished Senate, good morning and thank you
2623
1 so much for having us, the United States Military
2 Academy, here. And thank you all for your
3 service to the State of New York.
4 And on behalf of our amazing team at
5 the United States Military Academy, we absolutely
6 thank you for this recognition as we talk about
7 what this day represents, and 71 years in the
8 running. And I absolutely am committed to
9 continuing our part of this tradition.
10 Senator Stewart-Cousins, ma'am,
11 thank you for the opportunity to address this
12 chamber.
13 And Senator Skoufis, sir, thank you
14 for hosting us today. It's been an absolute --
15 it's been wonderful so far as we've come in and
16 had the short tour and such. And I know that,
17 you know, the constituents of this great state,
18 our cadets that are over here, they're learning a
19 lot and they are thankful to have this
20 opportunity.
21 And to Senator Scarcella-Spanton,
22 ma'am, thank you and your committee for all you
23 do for our veterans and our service members in
24 this great state.
25 There is a very special group I'd
2624
1 like to acknowledge, and that's the distinguished
2 group of veterans of the Korean War right up
3 here. Gentlemen, thank you all. I think I've
4 got some over here.
5 (Standing ovation.)
6 WEST POINT SUPERINTENDENT GILLAND:
7 Gentlemen, I salute you. And it's our honor and
8 privilege to have you here today.
9 This year marks the 70 years since
10 the signing of the armistice that brought that
11 war to an end. And as we do, it's a humble
12 privilege to recognize this incredible group for
13 their service and sacrifice, as well as all the
14 men and women who have bravely -- who so bravely
15 fought there, and to those who made the ultimate
16 sacrifice.
17 In the words of one of West Point's
18 most esteemed graduates, President Eisenhower,
19 they "went to that far-off land to prove once
20 again that only courage and sacrifice keeps
21 freedom alive upon the earth."
22 Our mission at the United States
23 Military Academy is to educate, train and inspire
24 the future leaders of character for our Army and
25 our nation. And these young men and women are a
2625
1 representative sample of those incredible young
2 future leaders of our Army and our nation.
3 And I can't think of anything more
4 inspiring for us than to be in the presence of
5 these amazing Americans. Gentlemen, we're
6 honored to share the chamber with you today, and
7 we thank you for your selfless service and
8 devotion to duty.
9 All right, so I would ask everyone,
10 another round of applause for our Korean War
11 veterans.
12 (Standing ovation.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: So since
14 that cold January day in 1778 when General
15 Samuel Parsons and his brigade crossed the frozen
16 Hudson River to its west banks to establish a
17 strategic defensive outpost against the British,
18 West Point has been an important thread in the
19 fabric of New York and, indeed, our nation.
20 So too have New Yorkers been an
21 important thread in the fabric of West Point, the
22 United States Military Academy, and the
23 United States Army.
24 From John Livingston, New York's
25 first graduate in the Academy's second class, in
2626
1 1803, to our West Point cadets joining us here
2 today, they are representative of the men and
3 women who call the Empire State home and have
4 been an important part of the Corps of Cadets and
5 the Long Gray Line, honorably serving our nation
6 as leaders of character, not only in our Army but
7 in our government, business, academia, and more.
8 And that's to say nothing of the
9 countless New Yorkers serving as soldiers in the
10 United States Army, the citizen soldiers of the
11 National Guard and the Army Reserve. And our
12 Army veterans and retirees, our soldiers for
13 life, who continue to serve in various ways long
14 after hanging up their uniform for the last time.
15 And as I mentioned a few moments
16 ago, the mission of the United States Military
17 Academy is to educate, train and inspire: To
18 develop highly trained, disciplined and fit
19 leaders of tremendous character, prepared to
20 support and defend the Constitution of the
21 United States and to serve and to protect the
22 United States of America.
23 The Chief of Staff of the Army,
24 General James McConville, speaks of the "gold
25 standard." And he says when America looks to
2627
1 what right looks like, they look to the
2 United States Military Academy at West Point.
3 That is what we owe you, the citizens of our
4 nation. That is my obligation, as the
5 superintendent of the United States Military
6 Academy, to deliver to you every single year.
7 And that mission would not be
8 possible without the tremendous support of our
9 state leaders here in Albany, as well as from our
10 neighbors throughout New York, Orange County, and
11 the Hudson Valley region. So on behalf of the
12 West Point community, we greatly appreciate that
13 support. At West Point we say it takes a village
14 to develop leaders, and we are honored to have
15 you all as part of that village.
16 Likewise, we are committed to being
17 good neighbors, not only with our local
18 communities, but statewide. And we're always
19 looking for ways to connect, build relationships,
20 and work together on opportunities that will not
21 only enhance the leader development experience
22 but also benefit the community.
23 On behalf of the United States Army,
24 we thank you for your continued help and support
25 in inspiring a renewed call for service in our
2628
1 young people, to help them see the Army as a
2 place of possibilities and opportunity where they
3 can be all that they can be.
4 So thank you for your continued
5 support and for honoring us today. Go, Army!
6 (Laughter.)
7 (Standing ovation.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank you
9 for those words, Lieutenant General.
10 Senator Scarcella-Spanton on the
11 resolution.
12 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON: Thank
13 you, Mr. President.
14 Thank you, Senator Skoufis, for all
15 the work that you've done in the State Senate to
16 recognize this historic institution of
17 West Point.
18 This prestigious organization has a
19 long and storied history of producing leaders who
20 have served our nation with distinction. But
21 West Point is not just a training ground for
22 military leaders, it is also an institution that
23 instills in its cadets a deep sense of duty,
24 honor and country.
25 The young men and women who attend
2629
1 West Point are some of the best and brightest
2 that the country has to offer. They come from
3 all corners of the country right here to
4 New York, united by a shared commitment to
5 serving their country and protecting our
6 freedoms.
7 As we recognize West Point Day, let
8 us also recognize the sacrifices that cadets make
9 in order to attend this prestigious institution.
10 They commit to serving in our military and
11 putting their lives on the line to defend our
12 freedoms.
13 Thank you so much to the cadets of
14 West Point who are preparing to serve our
15 country. Your dedication to duty, honor and
16 country is an inspiration to us all. And as the
17 wife of an Army grunt -- not a West Point
18 graduate -- Go, Army!
19 Thank you. I proudly vote aye.
20 (Applause.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
22 you.
23 Senator Mannion on the resolution.
24 SENATOR MANNION: Thank you,
25 Mr. President.
2630
1 It is a great day here in the
2 chamber. And as the grandson of a World War I
3 veteran who came to this country with the hopes
4 and dreams that would meet his expectations of
5 all America had to offer, this confluence of
6 generations is inspiring, it's meaningful. And
7 as the grandchild of a veteran, I thank all of
8 our veterans who are here today and thank our
9 cadets for their service to our country.
10 Thank you.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
12 you, Senator Mannion.
13 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
14 SENATOR STAVISKY: Thank you,
15 Mr. President.
16 And thank you to everybody. I'm not
17 going to repeat the names.
18 But each year when we have
19 West Point Day -- and there have been, I think,
20 71, and I've been here for a number of them -- I
21 still visualize Colonel Larkin sitting in the
22 back row, describing his experience in various
23 locations throughout the South and when he was in
24 Korea, and we are here to make sure that the
25 Korean War is not the forgotten war. We do
2631
1 recognize our friends from -- who helped to save
2 democracy in that part of the world, and we thank
3 you for your service.
4 Aside from Colonel Larkin, we also
5 recognize Major Breslin, the brother of our
6 esteemed State Senator, and a former Albany
7 County Executive.
8 But I'm here today to recognize a
9 constituent. His name is Arbin Hoque, and he
10 lives in my Senate district in Queens Village.
11 He is in his first year at West Point, a proud
12 graduate of the public high school in -- that's
13 at York College.
14 But his story, I must say, is a
15 really compelling story. He was born in
16 Bangladesh. And when he was about six years old,
17 his father was with some friends in Dhaka, and
18 they were buying lottery tickets. Now, I know we
19 know our New York Lottery. But he was in
20 Bangladesh, he bought a lottery ticket, and he
21 won.
22 And what did he do with his
23 earnings, with his winnings? He and his family
24 came to the United States.
25 The opportunity, the public
2632
1 education system that we have in the
2 United States -- and I chair the Committee on
3 Higher Education, so I have a special interest in
4 higher education. And while we don't consider
5 West Point as a state institution, it still is
6 public education that offers opportunity.
7 And I can only visualize how proud
8 his family will be in four years or three years
9 when he graduates. His father and grandfather
10 served in the military, and he will join the
11 Long Gray Line.
12 We met the Majority Leader, and I
13 thank her for her comments, and Senator Skoufis.
14 But there were two presidents of the
15 United States who graduated from West Point:
16 Ulysses S. Grant, and of course Dwight
17 Eisenhower. Who knows who the third president is
18 going to be? It's going to happen.
19 And we have such great opportunity
20 for our cadets who are here today, and we thank
21 them not for coming so much as for what they are
22 going to do.
23 So again, Mr. President, I thank
24 you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
2633
1 you.
2 Senator Tedisco on the resolution.
3 SENATOR TEDISCO: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 It's my pleasure to welcome from the
6 44th Senate District, in the Town of Niskayuna,
7 West Point Cadet Avaneesh Benki.
8 Cadet Benki intends to serve the
9 U.S. Army in intelligence and infantry. At
10 West Point he's studying applied statistics and
11 data science. At Niskayuna High School,
12 Cadet Benki ran track, played tennis, and was a
13 member of the boxing team. And it's important to
14 note that in his past year at West Point, he won
15 a national championship I believe at the
16 119-weight measure, and congratulations to him on
17 that unbelievable achievement, national
18 achievement, championship.
19 I'm proud to welcome Cadet Benki and
20 all our West Point cadets who truly represent and
21 are a big part of the best, the brightest, most
22 courageous and compassionate fighting force for
23 good on earth, the men and women of the
24 United States armed forces.
25 Congratulations to all our cadets
2634
1 and to Cadet Benki.
2 Thank you, Mr. President.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
4 you.
5 Senator Thomas on the resolution.
6 SENATOR THOMAS: Welcome to the
7 Capitol, West Point cadets.
8 It's so nice -- it's an honor for me
9 to stand up here and introduce my favorite
10 constituents from District 6, Moses Green and
11 Carly Woelfel.
12 Cadet Green was born and raised in
13 Uniondale, New York, and attended high school
14 overseas in China, becoming fluent in Mandarin,
15 and then returned home to attend West Point. He
16 majored in sociology and intends on joining the
17 air defense artillery.
18 Cadet Woelfel is a Rockville Centre
19 native who is passionate about giving back and
20 enjoying life. As a mechanical engineering
21 major, Carly proved herself a fierce competitor
22 as an engineer for the Steel Bridge Competition
23 Team and intends on becoming a full-time bridge
24 engineer or national park ranger.
25 Moses and Carly, you make
2635
1 Senate District 6 so proud. And I know there are
2 other Long Islanders among you as well; we are so
3 proud of all of you.
4 And as you and your fellow graduates
5 embark on your careers in the military, know that
6 you have our utmost respect and gratitude. Your
7 dedication, hard work and unwavering commitment
8 to serving our country have brought you to this
9 incredible milestone.
10 You are the best and brightest of
11 our nation's future leaders, and I have no doubt
12 that you will continue to demonstrate the highest
13 levels of integrity and excellence and will
14 continue to make us so proud, like you already
15 are.
16 Once again, congratulations. May
17 God bless you, and may God bless the
18 United States of America.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
20 you.
21 Senator Rhoads on the resolution.
22 SENATOR RHOADS: Thank you,
23 Mr. President.
24 And I want to thank Senator Skoufis
25 for introducing this resolution; our
2636
1 Majority Leader for being our gracious host today
2 for our cadets and for our Korean War veterans.
3 And I can certainly understand why
4 Colonel Larkin felt as though this was his
5 favorite day every single year to be here in this
6 chamber.
7 As having the honor of being a
8 member here in the Senate for just under four
9 months, I can certainly tell you it is my
10 favorite day. Because this is an opportunity for
11 us as New Yorkers and for us as Americans to
12 count our blessings.
13 Because from the battles of
14 Lexington and Concord before our nation was a
15 nation, to the hills of Afghanistan and far-off
16 places around the world today, we have been
17 blessed. We've been blessed because every
18 generation has produced men and women of
19 exceptional courage and character who have worn
20 the uniform of this country and served in defense
21 of freedom both here at home and across the
22 world.
23 And today we have the opportunity to
24 welcome the next generation of those who are
25 willing to make that sacrifice. And I am honored
2637
1 to have one such individual from the 5th Senate
2 District; that is Cadet Gregory Kies.
3 Cadet Kies actually comes from
4 Plainview. And I have had the opportunity for
5 the last 10 years to be the youth minister at
6 St. Pius Church in Plainview, serving the
7 Plainview-Old Bethpage community. And although I
8 didn't have the opportunity to know Gregory, I
9 had a couple of kids in my program who do know
10 Greg, and I was able to ask them about him.
11 It is no surprise that he is here
12 today, no surprise that he made the decision to
13 commit himself and commit his life to service of
14 our country, as have all of these fine men and
15 women. Gregory actually, while he was in high
16 school at Plainview-Old Bethpage, actually
17 created the -- and founded the Supplies for
18 Soldiers initiative, which actually shipped
19 hundreds of pounds of supplies to soldiers that
20 were stationed overseas.
21 And he said, upon his graduation,
22 that "For as long as I can remember I've had a
23 dream to serve our country, to give back, to make
24 a difference in both this nation and abroad."
25 And when my colleagues have spoken
2638
1 about you, Gregory, and your colleagues being the
2 best and the brightest, that is certainly the
3 case. And we are grateful for your service and
4 for your sacrifice.
5 It was President Reagan, I believe,
6 who in his first inaugural address said "Those
7 who say today there are no heroes simply don't
8 know where to look." And in this chamber today,
9 both here on the floor with our cadets, and with
10 our Korean War veterans, we are surrounded
11 gratefully by heroes.
12 I want to thank you, Gregory, and
13 welcome you on behalf of the Senate to this
14 chamber. Thank you and your fellow cadets for
15 your service and sacrifice and for reminding us
16 and inspiring us what it is that we do here, why
17 it's important, and allowing us to recommit
18 ourselves to providing a government that is
19 worthy of that service and sacrifice.
20 Thank you for being here. God
21 bless.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
23 you.
24 Senator May on the resolution.
25 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
2639
1 Mr. President.
2 I want to start by welcoming our
3 Korean War veterans. My father served in the
4 Navy in the Korean War, and I feel like I see his
5 face in some of you up there. And I know how
6 important your service and sacrifice has been, so
7 thank you for gracing us with your presence
8 today.
9 And I also want to welcome my
10 constituent Has'Zhan Grimes, who grew up in
11 Syracuse and is making Syracuse very proud. You
12 will graduate I think a month from today, and
13 Has'Zhan has big plans for some travel and R&R
14 before heading to Georgia to continue his service
15 to our country.
16 So we look forward in Syracuse to
17 supporting you in your chosen career of service,
18 and we want you to know that we have your back
19 and we really are so proud of you.
20 And to Cadet Hoque, I just want to
21 say I think our country is the one that won the
22 lottery, with you being able to come here and
23 serve us as well. So thank you as well for your
24 service.
25 Thank you.
2640
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
2 you.
3 Senator Walczyk on the resolution.
4 SENATOR WALCZYK: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 I stand in support of this
7 resolution and to welcome all to what is a
8 wonderful West Point Day. Lieutenant General
9 Gilland, welcome. Welcome to you and your
10 command team. It's wonderful to have you in our
11 house today.
12 We sent you a North Country boy who
13 is very important to us and we're very proud of.
14 His name, if he would rise, is Cadet Kennedy
15 Duncan. He grew up in Lowville, New York, just
16 in the shadow, just south of Fort Drum, graduated
17 from Lowville Academy last year. He was team
18 captain of both his varsity football and lacrosse
19 teams, an active member of his -- and today is
20 still an active member of the Hudson Hellfire
21 LaCrosse Club.
22 He's an economics major at
23 West Point, and he's looking to branch either
24 engineer or infantry. And I want to make this
25 important distinction: First choice, engineer,
2641
1 Essayons!
2 He wants to go to the Sapper Leader
3 Course, which I highly recommend, and serve
4 20 years in the United States Army. And I can
5 tell you, from a few short minutes with him, this
6 young man has a heart of service and will lead
7 our soldiers and our Army very well.
8 FM 6-22, and I know -- I apologize
9 to the cadets, but not everybody has studied
10 military science or goes to the Academy. But
11 FM 6-22 is a leadership field manual in the Army.
12 It gives a quick definition that I encourage you
13 all to look at now and again because it's a great
14 definition for leadership. It's the process of
15 influencing.
16 Leadership isn't a position that we
17 hold or a position that somebody is thrust into,
18 leadership is a process. It's a process of
19 listening, a process of observing, a process of
20 giving purpose, and a process of motivating.
21 America will send these West Point
22 cadets their sons and daughters, and we want to
23 thank you for volunteering to lead them, to
24 following that process.
25 Essayons! Climb to Glory. And
2642
1 Excelsior. Thank you.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
3 you.
4 Senator Weik on the resolution.
5 SENATOR WEIK: Thank you,
6 Mr. President.
7 Today as we celebrate the
8 establishment of the United States Military
9 Academy of West Point and honor the cadets who
10 have stepped up to be future leaders in our
11 military, the United States Military Academy at
12 West Point has played a significant role in
13 maintaining peace and freedom, and we owe a debt
14 of gratitude to these young men and women.
15 I am proud to recognize and welcome
16 two amazing cadets from West Point from my
17 district: Cadet Matthew Stueber and Cadet Lucas
18 Villanti.
19 Cadet Stueber was inspired by his
20 grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, to serve his
21 country. He currently majors in mechanical
22 engineering, and after graduation he plans to
23 branch aviation and become an AH-64 Apache pilot
24 and potentially pursue a career in the
25 160th SOAR.
2643
1 Cadet Villanti decided to attend
2 West Point to challenge himself and serve his
3 country. He currently majors in applied
4 statistics and data science, and following
5 graduation hopes to commission as an air defense
6 artillery officer, eventually pursuing a JD/MBA
7 and moving to New York City.
8 To all our cadets, we thank you for
9 your efforts and your continued support to our
10 great nation. May God bless all of you, and may
11 God bless America.
12 Thank you.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
14 you.
15 Senator Gounardes on the resolution.
16 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
17 Mr. President.
18 You know, as I'm sitting listening
19 to all of my colleagues speak and we're here
20 blessed with the presence of our Korean War
21 veterans and our cadets, I can't help but think
22 of my grandfather who served this country in the
23 Marines during World War II, and his brother who
24 served in the Navy, and his other brother who
25 served in the Army.
2644
1 And I was shaped by their
2 experiences, and with a deep sense of purpose and
3 service, for which I rise here to thank not only
4 our Korean War veterans but our future leaders of
5 America, our future men and women who are going
6 to defend this country.
7 And, you know, I think about
8 West Point, and growing up, I was a Boy Scout --
9 still am a Boy Scout. And we used to go camping
10 every year, many times, frequently right across
11 the river from West Point. Literally we'd set
12 our tents up right across the river. And there
13 is no sight more beautiful than to wake up in the
14 morning and see the campus of West Point emerging
15 from an early morning fog.
16 And every time I looked at that
17 school, and every time I can close my eyes and
18 picture it, I think of leadership, I think of
19 excellence, I think of service. And it's those
20 values that I rise to commend a cadet from my
21 district, Cadet Xingyu Chen, who grew up in
22 Bay Ridge. And as someone who used to represent
23 Fort Hamilton Army Garrison, the only active
24 military installation in New York City, I rise
25 with immense pride to recognize and honor
2645
1 Cadet Chen.
2 You know, West Point has a storied
3 history, and Cadet Chen is following in the
4 footsteps of so many servicemen and -women who
5 came before him. And he enlisted right out of
6 high school. He graduated what is indisputably
7 the best high school in the United States of
8 America, Fort Hamilton High School, a high school
9 that I'm proud to call my own alma mater.
10 And, you know, he enlisted and
11 served for three years. And what I think is a
12 true measure of someone's abilities and their
13 potential is not when you recognize something in
14 yourself, but when others recognize something in
15 you. And Cadet Chen was I think fortunate in
16 that his superiors saw something in him and
17 helped him to apply for the military academy to
18 pursue his future career in service of his
19 country.
20 You know, the West Point motto dates
21 back to the start when Thomas Jefferson was our
22 president: Duty, honor and country. And I
23 believe that Cadet Chen embodies that. And I'm
24 proud to recognize him on this floor today. And
25 I know that he will make not just his family
2646
1 proud, not just his community proud, but the
2 entire city and State of New York proud. And we
3 thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
5 you, Senator Gounardes.
6 Senator Mannion.
7 SENATOR MANNION: Thank you,
8 Mr. President. Thank you for allowing me to rise
9 again.
10 As I spoke of my grandfather's
11 service to the United States Army, I also was a
12 public school teacher for a long period of time
13 and had students who certainly went into military
14 service and into the academies and specifically
15 the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
16 I will rise now to acknowledge a
17 continuation of that great tradition in the
18 50th Senate District and in Central New York as I
19 acknowledge Cadet Abby Brancato.
20 We thank you, Cadet Brancato, for
21 your service, your service to our country, your
22 service to the military, and your service beyond.
23 Central New York has a great tradition of
24 defending our country and also supporting our
25 veterans, and I'm proud to be able to acknowledge
2647
1 you today, thank you for your service. And I
2 know that your service, as my former students'
3 did, will go well beyond the service to our
4 military.
5 So thank you. I commend you. All
6 the best on your pursuit of a major in
7 engineering management. And thank you for having
8 me here today -- for you coming today.
9 Thank you, Mr. President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you.
12 Senator Ashby on the resolution.
13 SENATOR ASHBY: Thank you,
14 Mr. President.
15 It's a privilege to speak on this
16 resolution. And I'd be remiss if I didn't
17 welcome Major Mike Breslin into the chamber.
18 It's a privilege to do that. Mike, Major
19 Breslin, not only a West Point grad, but also a
20 platoon leader in Vietnam.
21 And when thinking and hearing about
22 the potential and the background of all of these
23 cadets, it's unbelievable to think that they're
24 all in one place. It's unbelievable that they're
25 all in New York State, and they're all in
2648
1 West Point.
2 And to think just over the last few
3 years what we've gone through. Before that,
4 twenty-plus years of war. And I want to thank
5 the Minority Leader for his remarks. And when he
6 was talking about this image of the veteran and
7 how it contrasts with our West Point cadets, I
8 couldn't help but think of nearly every single
9 NCO that I served with and how, in my mind, they
10 are the real backbone of the service.
11 But one of the things that is in
12 contrast -- and I think people often wonder
13 about -- is when cadets go through the experience
14 at West Point and they come out, they may seem
15 green in the service. They have gotten a supreme
16 education, one that really cannot be matched, and
17 they carry with them that education but also the
18 humility of good leaders. The humility to listen
19 to their NCOs, to those who have served and
20 supported them and guided them through their
21 leadership process.
22 And to me as a veteran, as a former
23 junior officer, that holds a special place. And
24 I know that your desire to continue to serve will
25 triumph over whatever doubt you encounter,
2649
1 whatever hardship you encounter throughout your
2 time in service and beyond.
3 I want to thank you very, very much
4 for being here, for your servant's heart, and God
5 bless you.
6 Thank you, Mr. President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
8 you.
9 Senator Helming on the resolution.
10 SENATOR HELMING: Mr. President, I
11 rise in support of this resolution and to welcome
12 the leaders and the cadets of the United States
13 Military Academy. Welcome to the Senate chamber.
14 I'd like to take a moment to
15 remember our dear friend, our former colleague,
16 veteran and proud American, Senator Colonel Bill
17 Larkin. Colonel Larkin would be thrilled,
18 absolutely thrilled to see this body continuing
19 his initiative of celebrating West Point Day.
20 I'd like to thank Senator Skoufis
21 for continuing Colonel Larkin's long-standing
22 tradition. Thank you, Senator.
23 Lieutenant General, to you and to
24 your leadership team, I'd first like to thank you
25 for your military service. Thank you. And for
2650
1 your tremendous commitment to educating,
2 inspiring, and preparing our next generation of
3 leaders, I offer you my personal gratitude as a
4 New York State Senator and, as I mentioned to you
5 earlier today, as the proud, very, very proud
6 mother-in-law of a 2011 graduate, Captain Charles
7 Sauter.
8 To the cadets who are here today,
9 it's my sincere privilege to pay tribute to you
10 and to all your fellow classmates back at
11 West Point. I commend you for your commitment
12 and your dedication to duty, honor and country.
13 Thank you for your service.
14 There's something -- as you already
15 know, there's something so uniquely special about
16 the campus. And I hope in your very busy
17 schedules you can take some time to just
18 appreciate the beauty of the campus and the
19 historical significance. And I certainly hope
20 that you all have an opportunity to visit those
21 12 amazing granite benches, each etched with a
22 word representing a key leadership virtue:
23 Compassion, courage, dedication, determination,
24 dignity, discipline, integrity, loyalty,
25 perseverance, responsibility, service and trust.
2651
1 These benches serve as an important
2 reminder of the qualities that are going to lead
3 you to victory and success, not only on the
4 battlefield but throughout life.
5 I wanted to mention Cadet McKenzie
6 Schaertl, Class of 2024. She's from my
7 Senate district in the Finger Lakes region. Her
8 mother, Donna, who's a member of my district
9 office team, is here today to help us celebrate
10 all of our cadets.
11 Like many of you, McKenzie is
12 following in the footsteps of family members,
13 including her father, Retired Major Eric
14 Schaertl, Class of '82, Uncles Mike -- Class of
15 '79 -- and Army Brigadier General Jed, Class of
16 '91. McKenzie's sister Savannah and her husband
17 are currently stationed in Italy.
18 I'm grateful to the Schaertl family
19 and to each and every one of you, and your
20 families, for your service and your sacrifice.
21 It's an honor to be able to share this moment
22 with all of you. You are this nation's next
23 Greatest Generation, the newest members of the
24 Long Gray Line. You should be proud. We're all
25 extremely proud of you.
2652
1 And I hope wherever you go from
2 here, you can carry with you this moment -- the
3 pride, the patriotism, and the appreciation that
4 is flowing through all of us in this chamber
5 today.
6 May God bless all of you. May God
7 bless this great nation that we're privileged to
8 live in. And Go, Army!
9 Thank you.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you.
12 Senator Comrie on the resolution.
13 SENATOR COMRIE: Thank you,
14 Mr. President.
15 I rise to acknowledge first our
16 Korean War veterans who are here today. I want
17 to thank the leader and everyone that was able to
18 create this opportunity to honor them for the
19 first time. Thank you very much to them.
20 I want to rise also to pay tribute
21 to our yearly tradition of having West Point
22 cadets here. I know Senator Larkin is looking
23 down smiling on all of us for keeping this
24 positive tradition and this important tradition
25 going.
2653
1 I don't have a cadet; I would claim
2 Arbin, since he went to York College for a
3 minute, but that's not fair, since he's -- he
4 was -- Queens Village was in my district, but I
5 lost it to redistricting, and now he's being
6 taken care of by Senator Stavisky, and he's in
7 good hands.
8 I just wanted to acknowledge that,
9 you know, these cadets today that are here,
10 they're serving by choice. They have chosen to
11 be in the service and to do the things necessary
12 to defend us as citizens, defend us as Americans.
13 And they are taking on the model that this will
14 defend, a model citing the Army's commitment to
15 protect democracy stateside here in the
16 United States and ensure that we continue to have
17 a system of government by the people and for the
18 people. I am honored that you have committed
19 yourselves and taken on this proud tradition to
20 serve our country. Thank you very much.
21 It's important that we continue to
22 encourage people because it now is a
23 volunteer-service military, to make sure that we
24 continue to give them the best tools and the best
25 resources so that they can be leaders in our
2654
1 country, that they can be qualified to be
2 president, that they can be qualified to lead
3 people and to make sure that our country can
4 defend whatever we need to make sure that we can
5 continue to stay strong as the United States of
6 America.
7 You are joining a great team and a
8 great history. I know that as you are preparing
9 to meet the needs of a modern American Army, I
10 hope that the work of everyone that you encounter
11 will continue to imbue in you the things that you
12 need so that you'll be ready to serve our country
13 if we ever get to that opportunity. Hopefully we
14 don't.
15 I also want to thank all of the
16 service members that have ever served in our
17 country in a military capacity. And I'm honored
18 that my legislative director, Matthew Garcia, is
19 now serving in the U.S. Army Military Police
20 Reserves in the position of lieutenant.
21 So I'd hope that we can all
22 encourage all of our young people -- as
23 Senator Ortt has said, it's the young people that
24 are fighting our battles. We need to make sure
25 that we pave the way for them by giving them a
2655
1 positive country that they want to fight for.
2 Thank you, Mr. President.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
4 you.
5 Senator Breslin on the resolution.
6 SENATOR BRESLIN: Thank you,
7 Mr. President.
8 I rise first to salute all of the
9 Korean veterans who are here, and their families,
10 for the service you provided to us. Lieutenant
11 General Gilland and the other Army officers, I
12 salute you as well.
13 And when we talk about this day,
14 it's a day that everyone in this body looks
15 forward to. For some of us, like myself, I live
16 through it vicariously. For others, we look
17 around at the problems that we're forced to face
18 each day and we worry about what lies ahead for
19 our country. But when we see the cadets and we
20 see their backgrounds and we see what they've
21 done, we know that we don't have as much to worry
22 about, and we're going to be in good hands.
23 That's why we smile today as we look at you, the
24 cadets.
25 And as I also look around, I see my
2656
1 older brother. And coming from a very
2 competitive, large Irish family who competed
3 against each other, I never wanted to see him
4 complimented.
5 (Laughter.)
6 SENATOR BRESLIN: So -- but through
7 the years, through the years I've said there
8 should be one day where I reach out and hug him,
9 at least figuratively.
10 And so to my brother Michael, who
11 was West Point Class of '61, who went there to
12 play football and ended up playing varsity
13 basketball and baseball. And then, from
14 West Point, went to Jump School, Ranger School,
15 Jungle Warfare School, Air Transportation School,
16 Jump Master School, became a company commander
17 with the 82nd Airborne in Vietnam and rose to the
18 level of major in Vietnam, then came back and
19 taught counterinsurgency at the College of the
20 Americas to South American officers in Spanish.
21 All this time I was leisurely
22 enjoying myself, going to college and having a
23 good time.
24 So there is a -- there is a
25 difference. And there's a difference for you,
2657
1 our future leaders, and what you are learning and
2 what you will do. And as much as I've said about
3 my brother, he's still my idol. He's still my
4 friend. And we spent many years as law partners.
5 He was the company -- excuse me, he was the
6 County Executive for Albany County for 15 years
7 before his retirement. And I said there was
8 nothing better than Army training to allow you to
9 be a politician. And I think that there's a lot
10 of truth in that.
11 But I salute -- this is the happiest
12 day we have. And I'm done with you, Michael, so
13 you can relax, standing over there. And this is
14 the day we look forward to.
15 So again, I salute each and every
16 veteran, and thank you for what you do.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
18 you.
19 Senator Harckham on the resolution.
20 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you very
21 much, Mr. President.
22 First, I'd like to thank
23 Senator Skoufis for this resolution. It's a
24 really important one, and I thank you.
25 I want to thank the Majority Leader
2658
1 for hosting not one but two events today. And
2 we're in a chamber filled with heroes and future
3 heroes.
4 And to our Korean War veterans,
5 we'll address you and give you praise during the
6 next resolution -- but for now, thank you for
7 coming, and welcome, and thank you for your
8 service.
9 As a son of a World War II combat
10 veteran and the grandson of a World War I combat
11 veteran, West Point was really very formative in
12 my upbringing. I grew up about 20 minutes away
13 from West Point, and we spent countless hours on
14 the campus -- a lot of it, admittedly, was
15 tailgating for football games, but so much more
16 in the museum, countless hours in the museum -- I
17 never got tired of the museum -- watching the
18 parade of cadets, walking around the campus, the
19 monuments, the memorials.
20 If people want to know about
21 American history, they should just spend an
22 afternoon at the West Point campus.
23 So a lot of really poignant things
24 have been said by my colleagues. I just want to
25 say that we're grateful that you chose to go to
2659
1 West Point. With your credentials, you could
2 have gone to any school in the nation, and you
3 chose to serve our country in the United States
4 Army.
5 And with the history of West Point
6 and the Army, you stand on the shoulders of
7 giants. And they were just ordinary people who
8 did extraordinary things when history called upon
9 them to. And one day history may call upon you
10 to do extraordinary things. But you have the
11 best leadership, the best education, and the best
12 training.
13 And I just want you to know that
14 we're all so proud of you. We wish you all the
15 best. God bless you. Thank you.
16 Thank you, Mr. President. I vote
17 aye.
18 And I did forget: Whatever the
19 endeavor, football or cornhole, beat Navy!
20 (Laughter.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
22 you, Senator Harckham.
23 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick on the
24 resolution.
25 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
2660
1 Thank you, Mr. President.
2 I want to welcome all the cadets --
3 welcome, Lieutenant Colonel -- and thank the
4 sponsor for today's resolution.
5 I too am a granddaughter of a
6 World War I vet who served in the Army as a
7 private. My father is a graduate of another
8 academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and is a Korean
9 War vet. So to all the Korean War vets, I
10 welcome you as well and thank you.
11 It's such an honor to recognize our
12 veterans. To give service to your country and to
13 your fellow Americans is the highest service that
14 anybody can give.
15 As the mom of kids that are roughly
16 your age, I do applaud you as well for your focus
17 and commitment to country and duty at such a
18 young age. You are the future of our country,
19 and I thank you for the commitment that you've
20 made. Although they're not here today, I'd like
21 to recognize two cadets from my district: John
22 Devino, who I've watched grow up across the
23 street from me -- he's a member of your lacrosse
24 team -- and Jake Curran, who happens to be the
25 son of Assemblyman Brian Curran, both from my
2661
1 district, are at West Point.
2 So I just wanted to acknowledge them
3 and thank all of you for your service. God bless
4 you and keep you safe.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
6 you.
7 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
8 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
9 Madam President.
10 I just wanted to echo the sentiments
11 of Senator Comrie. I want a cadet one day,
12 right? I've been talking about this resolution
13 for quite some time, and we have the Bronx and
14 Mount Vernon, it's two counties. If you all can
15 get me a cadet one day, I just -- but it's not
16 about me, it's about selflessness. It's about
17 the drive that you have that, you know, by
18 choice, you decided to do something.
19 So I just wanted to talk to you all
20 for a minute and just direct my comments directly
21 to the cadets.
22 In life there are often ages for
23 certain things that we have to -- that are
24 mandated, right? Eighteen to vote or play lotto,
25 21 to drink if you so choose. But one of the
2662
1 things that there is no age for, there is no
2 requirement for, is leadership. You were leaders
3 before you enrolled in West Point. You're
4 leaders now. And you will always be leaders.
5 Now, the capacity of your leadership
6 will change. I was speaking to Cadet Green
7 earlier, and he mentioned the word "try." And he
8 quickly corrected himself, because "try" is not
9 in your vocabulary. It is "do." It is not what
10 you want, it is when you're going to get it.
11 It's just about a matter of how you will go about
12 doing that.
13 So not if you're successful, when
14 you're successful, I only ask that you do one
15 thing. And I know America asks you to do a lot.
16 But Senator Bailey is only going to ask you to do
17 one thing. When you're successful, when you are
18 lieutenant general, when you are the president,
19 when you are a high-ranking individual -- when
20 you are. Not if, when -- that you go back to
21 those colleges, to those high schools, those
22 elementary schools, those middle schools that you
23 come from. Because they see you as heroes right
24 now. Imagine how they're going to look at you
25 when you have those other ranks.
2663
1 So when you have the time -- and I
2 know it's a laborious regimen that you have.
3 I've often told -- you know, and I thank all my
4 colleagues who have served. I couldn't have done
5 it. I would have -- after the first five
6 pushups, I would have said "I'm cool, I'm good."
7 For those of us who didn't want to
8 serve, and benefit from your service, I know it's
9 a lot to ask of you, but I just want to make sure
10 that you go back to those communities that you
11 come from. Because each of you can inspire five
12 more of you. And in this volunteer military
13 services that we have, we're going to continue to
14 need young people like you to replenish the fuel
15 for America.
16 I'm just eternally grateful that
17 you've chosen the line of work that you've
18 chosen. But it doesn't end here.
19 And to our current enrolled and
20 high-ranking military officials, I just thank
21 you. "Thank you" may ring hollow. As we have
22 often spoken on this floor, veterans are more
23 than just people we say thank you to on Veterans
24 Day and Memorial Day and give you a discount on
25 some food and that's cool and that's it. Right?
2664
1 This chamber, under the leadership
2 of Andrea Stewart-Cousins, has never forgotten
3 its commitment to you. It's not a partisan thing
4 either. Our colleagues on the other side of the
5 aisle, they stand firm in their commitment to
6 you, as do we.
7 I want to thank the Korean War
8 veterans. You are not forgotten. I just want to
9 make sure that you know that unequivocally.
10 You're not forgotten. We will never forget you.
11 You put your life on the line when others, again,
12 chose not to. So I just want to thank you for
13 all the work that you've done in furtherance of
14 that. And continue to walk proudly, knowing the
15 work that you've done for people like me. I
16 appreciate you all.
17 And as I close, I'll just -- I would
18 just end with this. Growing up, all I knew about
19 West Point was that it was like that they played
20 football. I didn't know it was the finest
21 military school that we had. I didn't know the
22 quality of cadets that came from it. All I knew
23 is that I watched Channel 2 and I saw Army versus
24 Navy. And I don't want to get in trouble --
25 because sometimes, you know, you can't interject
2665
1 yourself in these generational, you know,
2 conversations -- but you all know who I was
3 rooting for.
4 Thank you, Madam President.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
6 Kennedy on the resolution.
7 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
8 Madam President.
9 I just want to stand with great
10 pride on this incredible day and thank, first and
11 foremost, all of the leaders of the military that
12 will have joined us here today, the Lieutenant
13 General and the administrators of West Point to
14 the West Point cadets, and to our extraordinary
15 Korean War veterans and their families.
16 I want to recognize our leader,
17 Andrea Stewart-Cousins, for continuing this
18 amazing tradition here that I've had the true
19 honor to be a part of for over a decade now.
20 To Senator Skoufis, for bringing
21 this resolution to the floor, and his eloquent
22 words. To Senator Scarcella-Spanton, who's the
23 chair of our Veterans Affairs Committee -- and
24 the wife of a military man who's done two tours
25 in Afghanistan -- who is leading our committee
2666
1 and helping with this day.
2 And to our veterans who are members
3 of this body, I want to recognize and thank them
4 as well, as I often do on this floor:
5 Senator Sanders, Senator Ortt, Senator Ashby,
6 Senator Walczyk and Senator Stec.
7 I want to say thank you. Thank you
8 all for your service, for your sacrifice. You
9 are heroes among us. Simply putting that uniform
10 on makes you a hero to our country.
11 Those that have served and
12 sacrificed so much in wars that have established
13 this country will tell you the real heroes were
14 those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. And
15 they're right. But in my eyes, in the eyes of
16 many of our countrymen and -women, you're all
17 heroes. Because you allow us to live in this
18 country, the greatest country in the history of
19 the world. You and your sacrifice, that -- just
20 putting that military uniform on allows us to
21 deliberate in peace, allows us in this chamber to
22 debate policy, ideology, philosophy, but to do so
23 in a democratic way. It is only because of you
24 and your sacrifice that we're allowed to do this.
25 And so I thank you, as the grandson
2667
1 of a World War II veteran, as the son of an
2 Army veteran, as the husband of a Daughter of the
3 American Revolution. I am truly honored to be
4 here simply in your presence and look forward to
5 the continued celebration of each and every one
6 of you that have allowed us to live in this
7 extraordinary country, the United States of
8 America.
9 Thank you.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: To our
11 guests visiting us from West Point, I welcome you
12 on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the
13 privileges and courtesies of this house.
14 Please stand and be recognized.
15 (Extended standing ovation.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
17 resolution was previously adopted on April 10th.
18 Senator Gianaris.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President, I
20 know our cadets and the West Point leadership
21 need to make their way over to the Assembly
22 chamber, where they're awaiting the honor that's
23 going to be bestowed on them in that chamber.
24 So we will let them take their leave
25 of us and remind everyone that we are having a
2668
1 reception in their honor, as well as for our
2 Korean War veterans, at 1:00 p.m. -- maybe a
3 little bit later than that, when they're done
4 with the Assembly -- in Room 332.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: There
6 will be a reception in honor of our guests the
7 Korean War veterans, and also our guests from
8 West Point Day, in the Majority Conference Room,
9 Room 332, at or around 1:00 p.m.
10 The resolution is open for
11 cosponsorship.
12 Senator Gianaris.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now take
14 up previously adopted Resolution 750, by
15 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, read its title, and
16 recognize Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
20 750, by Senator Scarcella-Spanton, celebrating
21 the courage and bravery of New York State's
22 Korean War Veterans, and recognizing the men and
23 women who served with dignity and honor during
24 this historic time period, at the Senate's
25 Inaugural Korean War Veteran Celebration on
2669
1 April 26, 2023.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Majority
3 Leader Stewart-Cousins on the resolution.
4 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank you
5 so much, Mr. President.
6 And again, we are just so honored to
7 have this wonderful celebration of service
8 embodied by not only our cadets but our Korean
9 War veterans.
10 You know, when I think about this
11 day and why we got here, it's quite amazing that
12 the two happened at the same time. Again, as I
13 said, this was born of an idea from the veterans
14 in Westchester County, Senator Mayer, who brought
15 veterans to me who said "What about -- what about
16 the Korean War veterans?" She had heard from her
17 Korean War veterans.
18 And the idea that there had never
19 been a celebration was really surprising to me.
20 And so I promised then and there that we would
21 celebrate Korean War veterans for the first time
22 in this chamber.
23 And Senator Scarcella-Spanton, who
24 is the chair of the committee, put it together.
25 And we sent out the invitations far and wide,
2670
1 because there are at least 25,000 Korean War
2 veterans right here in New York State.
3 Suddenly we had a date. And we
4 later found, due to circumstances with
5 West Point, that they had to come on this day.
6 And as you have heard, it has been a celebration
7 that we've had here for over 70 years. And so I
8 said, How do we do this? Will the Korean War
9 veterans feel upset because it's not, quote,
10 unquote, their day? Would the cadets feel upset
11 because this has always been a celebration
12 they've had here?
13 But because at the heart of all of
14 what you represent is service, I bet that this
15 would not be a problem at all. I bet that
16 West Point would be happy to honor the service of
17 our Korean War veterans, and I knew that our
18 Korean War veterans would be happy to celebrate
19 the next generation of leadership.
20 I also know that our Korean War
21 veterans are patient. World War I was the "War
22 to End All Wars," what was to end all wars. We
23 know that didn't happen, because there was
24 World War II -- and Vietnam, and we name
25 ad infinitum. But right after World War II was
2671
1 the Korean War.
2 But as Randy Jorgensen from our
3 district -- again, one of the leaders in this --
4 said when he addressed the Korean War veterans
5 down in The Well, it was never even called a war.
6 It was a police action, it was a conflict, but
7 never really a war.
8 And while -- again, I always say,
9 you know, with World War II, when my dad, who
10 served in the Army -- he was in a segregated
11 Army -- came back, and he didn't really
12 experience the benefits of the GI bill because
13 Black soldiers couldn't get those benefits. And
14 my brother was in Vietnam, and we all know that
15 Vietnam veterans -- unfortunately, writ large --
16 were largely just really abased when they came
17 back because the war was unpopular.
18 But here you are, not even
19 recognized as a war but yet at the bidding of a
20 nation who you so dearly loved, you showed up and
21 you fought for the ideals of America to fight
22 back the forces of communism in Korea. We sent
23 you there, there was an armistice, you came back
24 and you felt largely forgotten.
25 And so we say to you, this is the
2672
1 first day of being honored here for your service,
2 for the sacrifice, for the sacrifice of your
3 families, on behalf of all of us. And know that
4 this chamber, and I'm sure the other chamber as
5 well, will honor Korean War veterans as we do
6 every other veterans group with your own day from
7 this year forward.
8 The other thing that Randy said was
9 that the thing that he remembered most about
10 Korea was it was just so cold. I hope that the
11 warmth of this chamber will replace the memories
12 of the coldness. Because what we have here for
13 you is nothing but love and gratitude for your
14 service, now and forever.
15 Thank you. Thank you for your
16 patience. Thank you for sharing your lives with
17 us. Thank you for protecting us and giving us
18 examples.
19 Thank you so much, Mr. President.
20 (Applause.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
22 you, Madam Leader.
23 Senator Scarcella-Spanton on the
24 resolution.
25 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON: Thank
2673
1 you, Mr. President.
2 And first and foremost I wanted to
3 thank our amazing Majority Leader for helping me
4 put this event together, along with
5 Senator Mayer.
6 It was such a beautiful day, and it
7 was an honor to welcome our Korean War veterans
8 to the chamber. And I'm so glad to see you all
9 sitting up there today. And I think it's
10 actually a really beautiful tribute that we had
11 our West Point cadets here with our Korean War
12 veterans. It's seeing the future, and they have
13 amazing lessons that they can learn from you
14 every single day.
15 This year marks the 70th anniversary
16 of the Korean Armistice agreement that ended the
17 fight in Korea. I want to extend my deepest
18 gratitude to the Korean War veterans who are here
19 today. Thank you for your service and sacrifice
20 during the Korean War. Your bravery and
21 dedication to our nation will never be forgotten.
22 Every single person here -- and so
23 many of those who could not be here, or are no
24 longer with us -- are heroes who put their lives
25 on the line to defend our freedoms and protect
2674
1 our nation. And we owe you a debt of gratitude
2 that can never be fully repaid.
3 Our Korean War veterans fought
4 valiantly in one of the most intense and brutal
5 wars in our country's history, and they deserve
6 our utmost respect and admiration. As we honor
7 our Korean War veterans today, let us never
8 forget the sacrifices made and the challenges
9 they faced. And let that memory guide the work
10 that we do to fight for them like they fought for
11 us.
12 And I just wanted to say that as the
13 wife of someone who served two tours in
14 Afghanistan, seeing the respect that we have as a
15 country for our veterans today is a tribute to
16 veterans like the Korean War veterans, our
17 Vietnam veterans, who didn't receive that same
18 treatment that our veterans do here and now.
19 So we appreciate you. We thank you.
20 And this is a small token of appreciation for all
21 that you've done.
22 And I'm proud to vote aye, of
23 course. Thank you.
24 (Applause.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
2675
1 you.
2 Senator Ortt on the resolution.
3 SENATOR ORTT: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 Again, I'd like to thank
6 Senator Stewart-Cousins as well as the sponsor
7 for carrying this resolution.
8 Something Senator Stewart-Cousins
9 said that I think is very true is that the
10 Korean War has been viewed as a forgotten war,
11 sandwiched between World War II, where we
12 literally -- the stake in the fate of the world
13 hung in the balance -- and Vietnam, a war that
14 divided this country in ways that up to that time
15 had not been seen and that took the lives of
16 58,000 Americans.
17 This war, whether it was a conflict
18 officially or an international police action, it
19 was a war that took the lives of nearly 37,000
20 Americans.
21 And it's interesting, because
22 World War II was a total victory for the Allies.
23 Today we look at Europe and there are not too
24 many remnants, if any, politically or otherwise,
25 of that conflict. In Vietnam, there are no U.S.
2676
1 troops there, and Vietnam today is a peaceful
2 country.
3 And yet Korea is still divided. And
4 North Korea is one of the most repressive regimes
5 in the entire world. And there are still U.S.
6 troops stationed in Korea very much in harm's way
7 at the Demilitarized Zone today. And we still
8 worry about North Korean actions today.
9 So it shouldn't be forgotten. But
10 more importantly, the sacrifice of our veterans
11 who fought there should not be forgotten.
12 I had the privilege to take several
13 groups of veterans to Washington, D.C. on a
14 Heroes Flight, very similar to the Honor Flights
15 that go on, and we would take World War II
16 veterans to see the World War II monument that
17 had been built in their honor, but many, many
18 years after many of them were able to see it.
19 And I'm sure many people in this
20 chamber have been able, hopefully, to be a part
21 of that, because it's an unbelievable -- it's an
22 unbelievable experience to go down there and see
23 these memorials with people who served in those
24 conflicts.
25 And so the World War II monument
2677
1 sort of was the impetus for a lot of these
2 flights. And we also brought some Vietnam
3 veterans down. They would often go as
4 chaperones, and they would -- we would go to the
5 Wall and they would lay a wreath, and it was a
6 very moving moment.
7 But we would also go to the
8 Korean War Memorial, because we always had some
9 Korean War veterans. And it was a haunting
10 memorial. The Korean War Memorial does not get a
11 lot of -- as much attention as some of the other
12 monuments down there. But it's a very haunting
13 memorial, those statues of our soldiers on
14 patrol.
15 And as the years went on, there were
16 less and less World War II veterans, as we would
17 all appreciate and understand, and increasingly
18 the veterans were Korean War veterans. And so
19 they are -- they are the elder statesmen, the
20 elder class of veterans today in America,
21 increasingly, as there are Korean War veterans.
22 And we should endeavor to make sure
23 that they are not forgotten, that their service
24 and their sacrifice is not forgotten, but also
25 that the reason they fought and the legacy of
2678
1 that conflict certainly shouldn't be forgotten
2 lest we find American servicemen and -women back
3 in Korea sometime in the future, which would be a
4 real shame.
5 So to be forgotten is something that
6 no veteran should ever have to worry about. And
7 I applaud all of my members and colleagues in
8 this chamber today for bringing this resolution
9 to the floor and for ensuring that our Korean War
10 veterans here in New York State know that you
11 indeed are not forgotten and in fact quite the
12 opposite, that you're very much appreciated for
13 the sacrifice and service to America.
14 So Mr. President, thank you.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
16 you, Senator Ortt.
17 Senator Harckham on the resolution.
18 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you very
19 much, Mr. President.
20 First I want to thank our
21 Majority Leader and Senator Scarcella-Spanton,
22 Senator Mayer, for putting this date together for
23 this event.
24 I'd like to acknowledge a few
25 veterans from my district who are here today and
2679
1 then share a personal observation. I'd like to
2 welcome Donald King, Lu Caldara, Dimitri Swick,
3 Allan Fertik, and Al Colbran, all Korean War
4 veterans.
5 I also want to thank James Mecca
6 from Yorktown, who's a Vietnam veteran but also
7 belongs to a group down in Yonkers who was
8 instrumental in working with Senator Mayer and
9 Senator Stewart-Cousins.
10 I want to thank you. We want to
11 welcome you. And as others have said, we honor
12 you for your service and we thank you, and your
13 service is not forgotten on any of us.
14 And the personal observation I
15 wanted to share is that, you know, sometimes at
16 the end of a conflict, as Senator Ortt mentioned,
17 what have we accomplished? What have we done?
18 And my connection to this, other than -- you
19 know, my father, I have spoken about on this
20 floor, was a combat veteran in World War II and
21 then, like many of that generation, was called
22 back to the Korean War and trained soldiers. For
23 all I know, he may have trained one of you. You
24 know, there's that connection by generation.
25 But what I want to mention is that
2680
1 my partner in life, Jin-Hee, is Korean. And she
2 was born shortly after the Korean War. And Korea
3 was destitute, there was famine. And it was the
4 United States military that fed them and clothed
5 them and helped stabilize that country and build
6 it back.
7 And today South Korea is a vibrant
8 democracy. It's our strongest ally in that part
9 of the world. It's an incredible economy and a
10 robust political system. And that's what you
11 accomplished. You know, it wasn't just -- you
12 were not just pawns in this larger Cold War. You
13 helped save and stabilize and build a country for
14 people who greatly appreciate it.
15 And so today, the way we complain
16 and bicker about politics in the United States,
17 she is always ranting and raving to me about
18 politics in Korea. And that is a luxury problem.
19 That's because they have a vibrant democracy that
20 all of you saved. And for that you should be
21 very proud, and we are very grateful.
22 Thank you. I vote aye.
23 (Applause.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
25 you, Senator Harckham.
2681
1 Senator Helming on the resolution.
2 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
3 Mr. President.
4 I rise in support of this resolution
5 recognizing the service and sacrifice of our
6 Korean War veterans.
7 I'd like to thank Senator
8 Stewart-Cousins, Senator Scarcella-Spanton, and
9 Senator Mayer for organizing this opportunity.
10 As you heard Senator Ortt say, the
11 Korean War was sandwiched between World War II
12 and the Vietnam War. I've heard so many people
13 frequently refer to it as the "forgotten war,"
14 and those who have served referred to as the
15 "silent generation of the forgotten war."
16 There are a number of reasons for
17 this. For many of our veterans, the memories are
18 just too painful. They've been locked away and
19 not shared. And for other veterans, there really
20 wasn't a reason to talk about the war. As you've
21 already heard, the general public just wasn't
22 interested. Some didn't even acknowledge it as a
23 war.
24 But today I'm proud to support this
25 chamber's efforts to right this wrong, to correct
2682
1 the inaction, to thank the 37,000 killed in
2 action, the more than 8,000 still missing in
3 action, and all those who returned home for their
4 courage, their service, and their sacrifice.
5 My father was a Korean War veteran.
6 He left high school, he quit when he was 17 years
7 old, somehow he convinced my grandmother to sign
8 the paperwork, and he joined the Air Force. He
9 was sent from his home and his family in
10 Youngstown, Ohio, to Sampson Air Force Base --
11 which, for those of you who don't know, is
12 located in Seneca County, which up until January
13 was a part of my Senate district.
14 Now, my father never talked about
15 his military experience, never. You know how I
16 found out about it? One day before he passed,
17 this is going -- just before I became Senator, we
18 were driving by Sampson, we were on a wine tour,
19 and my father said to all of us in the car, my
20 mother, my husband, and myself, he said "I was
21 stationed there." Even my mother said, "What are
22 you talking about?"
23 And he explained to us that that is
24 where he did his basic training. I asked him,
25 Dad, do you want to go in, do you want to check
2683
1 it out? And his response was something similar
2 to what Senator Stewart-Cousins said earlier. My
3 father said "No, it's the coldest place on
4 earth." And that was about it. That was all I
5 ever really knew.
6 One of the things that I'm really
7 proud of, something that this chamber and
8 everybody in here played a part in, is that
9 Sampson is one of the most significant military
10 sites in our state. During World War II it was a
11 naval training station, and later it was
12 rededicated as a Korean War Air Force basic
13 training station. And through actions of this
14 body and the State of New York, Sampson is now
15 the first New York State Veterans Cemetery. So
16 I'm very proud of this body making that a
17 possibility.
18 But even more so today, why I rise
19 is I'm very proud of the service, the sacrifice
20 and the courage of all our Korean veterans, and I
21 want to thank you all.
22 God bless all of you.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
24 you, Senator Helming.
25 Senator Ashby on the resolution.
2684
1 SENATOR ASHBY: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 I want to thank Chairwoman
4 Scarcella-Spanton, Senator Stewart-Cousins, our
5 leader, Leader Ortt, and all of the veterans in
6 this body and the Korean War veterans who are
7 here today.
8 I'm especially proud to be joined by
9 Chuck Giadi and Chaplain Paul O'Keefe, who
10 continue to give back. And I think it's
11 something that we continue to hear when we talk
12 about veterans, is that their sacrifice
13 inspires -- inspires their families, inspires
14 those who didn't serve, inspires those who decide
15 to serve. And they continue to give back in ways
16 that are immeasurable.
17 And it was a great morning, for
18 those of you who were there this morning in
19 The Well to be able to visit with our Korean War
20 veterans, because you got to hear some very
21 interesting stories. And I know we always talk
22 about -- you hear about the cold, how cold it was
23 in Korea. But you got to hear stories of Marines
24 and soldiers who were actually in the Punch Bowl,
25 who were on Pork Chop Hill.
2685
1 And these experiences I think are so
2 befitting for today to be shared with the cadets
3 at West Point. And I truly hope that they have
4 the opportunity to hear them. Although it is an
5 unbelievable educational institution, I think
6 that there's some lessons to be learned by those
7 who served in Korea and were at those places.
8 And I think it's important for us in
9 this body to hear them as well. Because although
10 we put forward legislation and we celebrate and
11 commemorate service, it is my aim -- and I know
12 it is the aim of many in this body -- to make
13 sure that it is evidenced in our policy and in
14 our laws.
15 And last year we did an amazing
16 thing, we elevated the Division of Veterans'
17 Services to a state agency, which will give us
18 the opportunity to better serve our veterans and
19 our families. And I think it's important for us
20 to us to remember our Korean War veterans here
21 today and make sure they're not forgotten, and
22 make sure that the opportunity we have to put
23 meat on the bones of this agency for our veterans
24 and for their families -- let their service be an
25 aspiration to us to continue to legislate for
2686
1 them and for our future veterans, for the cadets
2 that were here.
3 Thank you, Mr. President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
5 you, Senator Ashby.
6 Senator Sepúlveda on the resolution.
7 SENATOR SEPÚLVEDA: Thank you,
8 Mr. President, for allowing me to speak on this
9 resolution.
10 I want to thank my leader and the
11 Minority Leader for their kind words,
12 Senator Spanton and Senator Mayer for, one, doing
13 the resolution and organizing today's event.
14 My family has a long history of
15 individuals that served in the military. I have
16 an uncle, a great-uncle, who lied on his birth
17 certificate and served in World War I and lied
18 again on his birth certificate and served in
19 World War II.
20 I have two uncles that were veterans
21 of Vietnam.
22 My communications director,
23 Rusking Pimentel, is a veteran of Iraq and
24 currently active duty in the National Guard.
25 The Korean War, the veterans and the
2687
1 treatment they received when they initially came
2 back I think is a sad day in the history of this
3 country and it's only now, currently, where
4 they're receiving their just due and recognition
5 for the difficult situations that they
6 encountered in tough terrain and a cold place.
7 But I wanted to tell a story that I
8 told Senator Spanton about how special the Korean
9 War veterans are to those of us of Puerto Rican
10 descent.
11 In the Korean War there was a
12 regiment called the Borinqueneers. They were
13 part of the 65th Infantry. This infantry is
14 revered on the island of Puerto Rico for their
15 bravery. But like many soldiers of color, they
16 didn't receive their just due, they suffered the
17 indignities of discrimination. And it wasn't
18 until 2014 when President Obama issued a Medal of
19 Honor on behalf of the 65th Infantry, that they
20 received the recognition that they should have
21 received decades ago.
22 So I encourage all of the veterans
23 from the Korean War to come to Puerto Rico and
24 you'll get a special welcome, because we love
25 them. You know, we had 61,000 Puerto Ricans from
2688
1 the island who served in the Korean War. And
2 there were about 3500 casualties and over
3 800 deaths.
4 So the soldiers of my ancestors, the
5 people that I came from, served this country
6 proudly. The soldiers of Puerto Rico served in
7 the Korean War with valor. And to me, it's an
8 honor to be able to speak today on this
9 resolution recognizing the efforts of the
10 Borinqueneers, 65th Infantry, and all of the
11 Korean War veterans that are here today.
12 Thank you.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
14 you, Senator Sepúlveda.
15 Senator Hinchey on the resolution.
16 SENATOR HINCHEY: Thank you,
17 Mr. President.
18 I'll start with West Point Day is
19 always a little conflicting for me, because I had
20 a grandfather who was in the Army and my father
21 was in the Navy. But growing up, you know, now
22 that they've left, I'll have to -- I'll add here,
23 for equal balance, Go, Navy!
24 (Laughter.)
25 SENATOR HINCHEY: But I rise today
2689
1 to honor our Korean War veterans. Specifically,
2 two veterans from my district, Jimmy Short and
3 Charlie Boughton, two local heroes that are
4 instrumental and incredible community members in
5 the heart of Kingston.
6 What we've heard today is so many of
7 our colleagues come from families of service.
8 Whether it's a parent or a brother or a sister or
9 a grandfather, many of us in this room have
10 family members who have served in the military.
11 And I know, for me, that that service is what has
12 partially and deeply inspired me to run and help
13 serve my state, my country, in this way.
14 My father enlisted in the Navy just
15 after the Korean War. And I know that one of the
16 things that drove him to enlist just out of
17 high school was the stories and the love for
18 those who came back to Saugerties, came back to
19 Ulster County after serving, those who didn't get
20 the recognition that they deserved.
21 And I'm incredibly honored and quite
22 frankly humbled to be a part of the first
23 celebration of our Korean War veterans here in
24 this chamber and in the state.
25 One thing I want to highlight from
2690
1 our celebration this morning, in conversations I
2 was having with other Korean War veterans in the
3 room, was when I asked them how we could help,
4 what is something that we can do here in
5 New York, how can we help you now?
6 Out of everything that they could
7 have said, they asked for help in actually giving
8 back to children with cancer in their
9 communities. They wanted to be able to go and
10 teach children, make them honorary members for
11 the day. Their thought was not about what we can
12 do for them, what they need, what their families
13 need. Their thought was about how they can
14 continue to give back to their community.
15 Because that's what drives our
16 veterans: It's how we help the community that
17 they're in. Because that's what they do, they
18 help our country. And that's what drove them to
19 enlist in the first place.
20 Talking with Jimmy Short and
21 Charlie Boughton today is nothing short of
22 inspirational. And I hope that all of the
23 Korean War veterans here today and those in our
24 communities no longer feel forgotten, because we
25 have the responsibility to ensure that your
2691
1 service, your sacrifice, the sacrifice of your
2 families, is remembered and honored.
3 And so thank you for being here
4 today. Thank you for your service. And with
5 that, Mr. President, I vote aye.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
7 you, Senator Hinchey.
8 Senator Cleare on the resolution.
9 SENATOR CLEARE: Good afternoon.
10 I rise today to thank the sponsors
11 of this resolution. Majority Leader, thank you.
12 Thank you, Senator Spanton. Thank you,
13 Senator Mayer.
14 I come from a family with many
15 people in the military. I wouldn't dare start
16 naming anybody because I may forget someone, and
17 I don't want to do that today. I'll lift up my
18 nephew, who's currently in the Army, Michael
19 Floyd.
20 But I really just wanted to just say
21 thank you for the previous resolution and this
22 one. It is because of what you've done, because
23 of what they are doing, that we can be here today
24 doing what we're doing peacefully.
25 And my mind and my thoughts went
2692
1 to -- for the Korean War veterans, I benefited
2 from your service in Korea through my former
3 Congressman, Charles B. Rangel, who served in
4 Korea and also came and served in my district as
5 my Congressman, serving 23 terms.
6 And I look at the leadership that he
7 brought to that community. And he often spoke
8 about his service in the military, and I know
9 that we can attribute a lot of that great service
10 to his time spent in the military.
11 So today I just say thank you for
12 your service, for what you have done, and for
13 being there. I say thank you to all of you
14 today.
15 And I proudly vote aye.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
17 you, Senator Cleare.
18 Senator Mayer on the resolution.
19 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 And thank you to our sponsor, the
22 chairwoman, Senator Scarcella-Spanton. She's had
23 a very powerful day.
24 And special thanks to my friend the
25 Majority Leader, who took an idea that did not
2693
1 come from here, it came from there (gesturing).
2 It came from my Veterans Advisory Committee, and
3 there are a number of you here. And a special
4 tribute to the Vietnam vets in my committee and
5 elsewhere, particularly Colonel Chet Edwards and
6 many others, who know what it's like to be
7 forgotten and said "We must do better."
8 And I was able to bring together a
9 group of Korean War veterans and others to meet
10 with the Majority Leader, who immediately said
11 yes, we will do this, we will have recognition
12 here. We owe this, this is overdue, and we will
13 start the process of making up for what we as a
14 collective state have not done well enough, which
15 is to honor your service, to recognize your
16 heroism, to hear your stories, and to acknowledge
17 each of you as individuals who gave of yourselves
18 and made enormous sacrifice.
19 I want to remind us -- President
20 Obama, when he was speaking on one of the
21 anniversaries of the end of the Korean War, said:
22 "Veterans of the Korean War, in the spring of
23 your youth you learned how short and precious
24 life can be. And because of you, millions of
25 people can keep on living in it, in freedom and
2694
1 in peace. Your lives are an inspiration. Your
2 service will never be forgotten. You have the
3 thanks of a grateful nation, and your shining
4 deeds will live now and forever."
5 And I think for us here in this
6 chamber, State Senators that represent the
7 complete diversity of this beautiful state, we
8 are sending to you, as the leader said, our love,
9 our appreciation, our acknowledgment and our
10 commitment that this will not be a one-day event,
11 this will not be a one-and-done, as we say up
12 here.
13 This will be an annual commitment to
14 recognize our Vietnam -- excuse me, Korean War
15 veterans as well as our Vietnam veterans, who we
16 do acknowledge, and make sure that an annual
17 event occurs where you have the opportunity to
18 come and be part of this.
19 Lastly, just let me say that for me,
20 for the years that I was not a Senator, this
21 place was very hallowed to me, to come into this
22 beautiful chamber, to see democracy, peaceful
23 disagreement, strong disagreement, efforts to
24 make people change their mind and to vote on
25 laws -- this was the essence of our democracy
2695
1 that you fought for.
2 So I am privileged, with my
3 colleagues on both sides, to sit in this chamber
4 and to represent people and do our best to enact
5 policies. And one of them must be to honor and
6 to make sure that we provide all that is
7 necessary for all of our veterans, and we may not
8 forget our Korean War veterans.
9 I vote aye. Thank you,
10 Mr. President.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
12 you, Senator Mayer.
13 (Applause.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
15 you, Senator Mayer.
16 Senator Rolison on the resolution.
17 SENATOR ROLISON: Thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 And thank you to Majority Leader
20 Stewart-Cousins, Senator Stewart-Cousins, for
21 bringing this forward; Senator Scarcella-Spanton,
22 also Senator Mayer.
23 This is giving me the opportunity
24 today to talk about something that unfortunately,
25 when my dad was alive, I didn't talk about it.
2696
1 My father was a Korean War veteran. His very
2 best friend, Bill Sherry, who later became my
3 godfather, was a Korean War veteran. They were
4 roommates at Providence College. They both
5 served. They both moved to Poughkeepsie. They
6 bought houses next to one another, which started
7 a lifelong relationship with the Sherry family
8 and the Rolison family.
9 But during that time -- and I was
10 with my Uncle Bill and my dad obviously lots of
11 times -- I never talked about the Korean War.
12 Never asked any questions about the Korean War.
13 I remember as a kid going into my parents' room
14 and seeing various memorabilia from my dad's Army
15 uniform. And I would put it on, and I thought
16 that was the greatest thing in the world at that
17 time.
18 But again, I never spoke to my dad
19 about it. I never heard my dad talk to my
20 Uncle Bill about it. So I really don't know.
21 And my dad started his service in
22 the service, in the Army. And then, as I think
23 probably most of you know, he spent 24 years in
24 this chamber. And I know -- I didn't ask him --
25 that where he started his service in the Army
2697
1 helped him get here to the New York State Senate.
2 And now that we are doing this for
3 the very first time, if my dad was here, he would
4 say thank you. Of course he would. And for me
5 to have all of you here (indicating) -- because I
6 never had the opportunity -- or quite frankly
7 thought about it, until he was gone -- to thank
8 him. So giving me the opportunity to thank you
9 gives me the opportunity to remember my dad and
10 my Uncle Bill who served.
11 I proudly vote aye on this
12 resolution.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
14 you, Senator Rolison.
15 Senator Kennedy on the resolution.
16 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
17 Mr. President.
18 I just want to take this opportunity
19 again to recognize specifically the extraordinary
20 service of the Korean War veterans that are here
21 with us today.
22 Again, I want to thank our great
23 leader, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins,
24 Senator Scarcella-Spanton and Senator Mayer for
25 making this day a reality. To think it's been
2698
1 70 years is amazing in and of itself. I of
2 course was not born, as many of us here were not
3 at the time. But I'm reminded how quickly time
4 moves, and I'm sure many of you feel that here
5 today, are reminded how fast this visit that we
6 have in this world goes by.
7 And I say that because as I'm
8 thinking about honoring our heroes that served in
9 the Korean War, I'm reminded of a dear friend of
10 mine that passed away five years ago. I feel
11 like it was yesterday. And that was Tom Higgins,
12 who was a Korean War veteran, then he became a
13 law enforcement leader with the Buffalo Police
14 and a three-term sheriff of Erie County.
15 Up and until the day that he died,
16 five years ago now this upcoming June, he led the
17 charge in Western New York, and arguably
18 statewide, on educating the next generation about
19 the plight of the Korean War veterans and the
20 service and sacrifice that each and every one of
21 you made, and your families made, during that
22 very difficult time in our nation's history.
23 So I had the honor actually in his
24 waning days to name him to the Veterans Hall of
25 Fame here in the New York State Senate.
2699
1 And so as time moves on and we
2 remember those that came before us, I thought it
3 right to stand once again and honor my dear
4 friend Tom Higgins, a Korean War veteran, and his
5 service to this nation, to each and every one of
6 you for your service to the nation, not just in
7 your service as veterans, but as the Majority
8 Leader said earlier on, when you returned.
9 You've lived a life of service to our state and
10 our nation, and we are eternally grateful.
11 Thank you.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
13 you, Senator Kennedy.
14 Senator Webb on the resolution.
15 SENATOR WEBB: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 I want to thank my Senate colleagues
18 for supporting this resolution proclaiming
19 April 26, 2023, as Korean War Veterans
20 Celebration here in the State of New York.
21 I would also like to thank our
22 veterans and their families that have joined us
23 today here in the Capitol.
24 You know, during my short -- but it
25 feels like a long time here in the Senate, it's
2700
1 been an honor to recognize the contributions of
2 many constituents to our democracy, and our
3 veterans are most certainly not an exception.
4 And so in this chamber today we honor the brave
5 men and women who served with courage, dignity,
6 during the Korean War.
7 And I want to recognize the selfless
8 sacrifice of the Korean War veterans from my home
9 district, Broome, Cortland and Tompkins counties,
10 who are among the 428,000 New Yorkers who served
11 our nation in this forgotten war. Your service,
12 your sacrifices and sense of duty to our country
13 will never be forgotten and most certainly are
14 deeply appreciated.
15 I would like to thank our
16 Majority Leader, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins,
17 our esteemed Veterans chair, Senator
18 Scarcella-Spanton, and also Senator Mayer for
19 your efforts in making today our inaugural
20 Korean War veteran resolution possible.
21 And as I often like to remark,
22 especially on issues such as this, that may we in
23 this chamber continue and in our communities
24 continue to advance policies and practices that
25 center justice, peace, and equity for all.
2701
1 I proudly vote aye. Thank you so
2 much.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
4 you, Senator Webb.
5 Senator Mattera on the resolution.
6 SENATOR MATTERA: Thank you,
7 Mr. President.
8 You know, to the sponsor, to
9 Senator -- Leader -- Stewart-Cousins,
10 Leader Ortt, to all our veterans, you know what,
11 I just want to say God bless our military and our
12 veterans for protecting us from harm's way every
13 day.
14 I want to say a special thanks to
15 somebody that's special and dear to my heart, is
16 my Uncle Louie. Being Italian, you have an Uncle
17 Louie. And to Lou Maters, you know, he is right
18 now in the Stony Brook Vets Home. And, you know,
19 to be a Senator and you go to all of our Veterans
20 Day, you know, our Memorial Days, you know, it's
21 just something special to me when I do go to the
22 vets home, to the VA Hospital at North Port, and
23 to see our veterans.
24 You know, to go and bring the cards
25 from the children from my school districts, which
2702
1 I just attended for Valentine's Day, and you
2 brought those cards to the veterans, to make sure
3 that our children understand what it means for
4 our cadets that are here today and for our
5 veterans, for our Korean vets, and my uncle was
6 and still is, always a Korean War veteran.
7 And you know what, one thing that I
8 used to try to do is talk to him and try to get
9 certain -- you know, tell me what happened. Very
10 rarely did he want to speak about it. Just like
11 Leader Ortt, which I'm so proud of him. You
12 know, you try to like talk to him a little bit,
13 and really he does not want to talk about his
14 days.
15 But you know what, there's a man --
16 and our veterans that are here today -- there's a
17 man that went -- when the towers went down,
18 Leader Ortt went right away and he signed up. I
19 don't know if anybody knows that, but it means a
20 lot to me. And I do try to talk to him, but he
21 really, really doesn't really want to talk about
22 it.
23 But you know what, to be here today
24 and to be in this chamber, to be a Senator -- I
25 just care about our veterans so, so much for what
2703
1 they have done. And I am just grateful to be
2 here today with people that care about our
3 country.
4 And you know what, God bless all the
5 cadets that were here today. God bless everybody
6 in this chamber. And especially God bless the
7 United States of America.
8 Thank you, Mr. President. And I of
9 course vote yes.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you, Senator Mattera.
12 The resolution was previously
13 adopted on April 18th.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 I think it's appropriate to give one
18 more resounding round of applause for our Korean
19 War veterans.
20 (Extended standing ovation.)
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: Senator
22 Gianaris.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
24 let me remind our friends in the gallery that
25 they are of course welcome to join us in the
2704
1 luncheon in their honor in Room 332.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Please
3 join us at the luncheon in your honor in Room 332
4 at the conclusion of session.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we jointly
7 take up previously adopted Resolutions 707 and
8 708, by Senator Weber, read their titles and
9 recognize Senator Weber.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
13 707, by Senator Weber, congratulating Carly Sardo
14 upon the occasion of capturing the 2023 New York
15 State Public High School Athletic Association
16 Girls Gymnastics Floor Exercise Championship on
17 March 4, 2023.
18 Senate Resolution 708, by
19 Senator Weber, congratulating the Tappan Zee High
20 School Boys Varsity Basketball Team upon the
21 occasion of capturing the New York State Public
22 High School Athletic Association Basketball
23 Class A Championship on March 18, 2023.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
25 Weber on the resolutions.
2705
1 SENATOR WEBER: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 I rise today to welcome Carly Sardo
4 and to present her with a joint resolution, along
5 with my Assembly colleague John McGowan, and
6 congratulate her on winning the 2023 New York
7 State Public High School Athletic Association
8 Girls Gymnastics Floor Exercise Championship.
9 Sports competition instills the
10 values of teamwork, pride and accomplishment, and
11 Carly has clearly contributed to the spirit of
12 excellence that is a tradition of her school. A
13 stand-out gymnast for Tappan Zee High School, not
14 only did Ms. Sardo defend her 2022 state title,
15 she finished fourth in the all-around, fourth in
16 the balance beam, and fifth on the vault.
17 Carly Sardo's overall record is
18 outstanding. Her family, teammates, friends and
19 the entire community enthusiastically supported
20 and encouraged her throughout the season.
21 I also want to congratulate Carly's
22 coach, Audrey Donahue, a skilled and
23 inspirational leader respected for her ability to
24 develop potential into excellence.
25 It is my honor to present Carly
2706
1 Sardo with this resolution recognizing her
2 outstanding athletic and academic achievements.
3 I'm also here to rise to welcome the
4 Tappan Zee High School Boys Basketball Team and
5 to present again a joint resolution, along with
6 my Assembly colleague John McGowan, honoring them
7 for winning the New York State Public High School
8 Athletic Association Basketball Class A
9 Championship last month.
10 Please welcome Sean Berrigan, Tommy
11 Linehan, Jack Maloney, Isaiah Leveille,
12 TJ Tarpey, Billy Alexiou, Nick Lange,
13 Xavier Leveille, Pat Linehan, Jack Piccione,
14 Patrick Staker, Drew Dillon, Nolan Cook, and
15 Head Coach George Gaine.
16 Tappan Zee advanced to the finals
17 after a 58-48 win against New Hartford. They
18 proceeded to the final round with a focused and
19 determined attitude and played an amazing game
20 and an extremely great defense. The Dutchmen
21 defeated Irondequoit High School in a decisive
22 49-36 victory on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The
23 leading scorers were Sean Berrigan, with
24 20 points and six rebounds; Jack Maloney, with
25 18 points and five rebounds; and Tommy Linehan,
2707
1 with 11 points. They ended their season with an
2 impressive 26-2 overall record.
3 You know, basketball demands
4 athletic prowess, speed and agility. Head Coach
5 George Gaine and his expert coaching staff worked
6 hard to hone the skills of this championship
7 team, teaching these outstanding athletes lessons
8 that will prove invaluable both on and off the
9 court.
10 Congratulations to Tappan Zee
11 High School, Coach George Gaine, and the
12 outstanding athletes of the Tappan Zee High
13 School Basketball Team for their dedication,
14 determination, and hard work. It is my honor to
15 present the resolution that was voted on by this
16 Senate.
17 Mr. President, please recognize both
18 Carly and the Tappan Zee High School Boys
19 Basketball Team and Tappan Zee Coach
20 George Gaine, and extend them all the courtesies
21 and privileges of this esteemed house.
22 Thank you very much.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
24 you, Senator Weber.
25 To our championship athlete guests,
2708
1 I welcome you on behalf of the Senate. We extend
2 to you all of the privileges and courtesies of
3 this house.
4 Please rise and be recognized.
5 (Standing ovation.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
7 Gianaris.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now move
9 to previously adopted Resolution 785, by
10 Senator Mayer, read its title, and recognize
11 Senator Mayer.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
13 Gianaris, I forgot to say that those resolutions
14 were previously adopted on April 10th.
15 The Secretary will read.
16 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
17 785, by Senator Mayer, congratulating the
18 State of Israel upon the occasion of the
19 75th Anniversary of its independence and
20 reaffirming the bonds of friendship and
21 cooperation between the State of New York and
22 Israel.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
24 Mayer on the resolution.
25 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
2709
1 Mr. President. And thank you to all my
2 colleagues for what has been a busy day.
3 And a special thank you to my
4 friends from the American Jewish Committee, who
5 have been very patient and hopefully understand
6 how important the diversity of the things we do
7 here is to the great American democracy that we
8 celebrate.
9 Today I rise in support of this
10 resolution congratulating the State of Israel on
11 the 75th anniversary of its independence and
12 reaffirming the bonds of friendship and
13 cooperation between the State of New York and
14 Israel.
15 With more than 2 million Jews in
16 New York State, the most of any state in the
17 nation, New York State has long played a
18 leadership role in supporting the State of
19 Israel.
20 Over the course of Israel's 75-year
21 history, it has struggled against external
22 threats that threaten its existence and internal
23 dissension that recently brought thousands to the
24 streets to support democracy.
25 Through all of this, the people of
2710
1 Israel are immensely proud of their nation's
2 achievements and democratic traditions. And
3 throughout many periods of turmoil, New York has
4 maintained an exceedingly strong bond with
5 Israel, and we reaffirm that here today. We are
6 Israel's loyal friend.
7 We continue to value the commitment
8 of the Israeli people to work for democratic
9 norms and for a path to coexistence and peace in
10 the region and throughout the world.
11 On this 75th anniversary of the
12 founding of the state of Israel, we honor the
13 values laid out in Israel's founding declaration
14 of independence -- of Jewish nationhood,
15 democracy, freedom, justice, equality, and the
16 pursuit of peace.
17 I congratulate Israel on this
18 anniversary and recommit ourselves to working
19 with Israel to achieve those goals.
20 I'm so pleased to be joined here
21 today by the leadership and members of the
22 American Jewish Committee, one of the preeminent
23 Jewish organizations in the United States. They
24 are here in Albany to call us to action against
25 antisemitism and to urge New York State to take
2711
1 every action it can to combat the scourge of
2 antisemitism that continues to plague our nation.
3 I salute them. I know with my
4 colleagues we are committed to working together
5 to do everything in our power to address the rise
6 of antisemitism.
7 The colleagues that have joined us
8 from the American Jewish Committee report the
9 American Jewish Committee New York Board, the
10 Westchester Board, the Long Island Board, and the
11 central staff of the American Jewish Committee.
12 Please recognize them, acknowledge
13 their work -- not only their contribution, their
14 work and commitment to ending antisemitism -- as
15 we celebrate Israel's Independence Day.
16 Thank you, Mr. President. I vote
17 aye.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
19 you, Senator Mayer.
20 Senator Krueger on the resolution.
21 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you very
22 much.
23 I know it's been a long day on the
24 floor and we haven't even gotten to the bills
25 yet, but I also wanted to stand up and say
2712
1 welcome to the American Jewish Committee.
2 Previous to being a Senator I was a
3 member of the New York City Board of the AJC, so
4 hello to everyone.
5 And of course in honor of the
6 75th birthday of Israel, I often talk about that
7 my family and history is completely
8 interconnected with the entire history of Israel,
9 although I'm not as old as the country -- but not
10 that much younger, it turns out -- spending much
11 of my life going back and forth to Israel with a
12 father who, I would explain, didn't live in
13 Israel but basically did live in Israel and spent
14 most of his time there for 40 years. And we gave
15 up his counting his trips when we hit 450. We
16 said, okay, it's enough.
17 And I'm very glad to hear the
18 resolution brought by my colleague Shelley Mayer,
19 because it emphasizes what I think all American
20 Jews are feeling at this time. In a time of
21 growing antisemitism, we also recognize, perhaps
22 more than most, the importance of democracy and
23 the fragility of democracy. And that is true
24 here, and it is true in Israel, as so many of my
25 friends in Israel who I have known my entire life
2713
1 also take to the streets in protests because they
2 are fighting for their democracy. As in fact we
3 think we are fighting for ours here most days at
4 this time.
5 So thank you, Shelley,
6 Senator Mayer, for bringing this resolution and
7 reminding us of how critically important the
8 future of democracy is to us all as Americans, to
9 us all throughout the world as Jews.
10 And thank you for your work of the
11 American Jewish Committee.
12 Thank you, Mr. President.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
14 you, Senator Krueger.
15 Senator Kennedy on the resolution.
16 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
17 Mr. President.
18 I too want to rise and honor the
19 American Jewish Committee for your presence here
20 today, for your leadership.
21 I want to recognize my tremendous
22 colleague and leader, Senator Shelley Mayer, for
23 bringing this resolution to the floor.
24 I want to recognize 75 years of the
25 State of Israel, and the work that we need to
2714
1 continue to do to recognize our brothers and
2 sisters of the Jewish faith.
3 You know, we have seen so much
4 hatred and antisemitism, and such vile,
5 disgraceful actions of a few. But those actions
6 infect the many. And we have to stomp out that
7 hate at every opportunity that we see it.
8 Today we hosted earlier the American
9 Jewish Committee at a conference on antisemitism
10 and the increase in hate crimes. And, quite
11 frankly, the fact that we as a community, we as
12 this generation, as we look back on 75 years,
13 have an obligation to spread peace, to spread an
14 understanding, and to spread inclusiveness every
15 single day that we have an opportunity to do so.
16 So I too want to welcome you and
17 honor you once again. Thank you for your
18 presence, thank you for your leadership. We look
19 forward to our continued work together.
20 Thank you, Mr. President. I vote
21 aye.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
23 you, Senator Kennedy.
24 Senator Hoylman-Sigal on the
25 resolution.
2715
1 SENATOR HOYLMAN-SIGAL: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 I rise to thank Senator Mayer for
4 this important resolution on the State of
5 Israel's 75th anniversary, and welcome the
6 American Jewish Committee to the State Senate.
7 And I wanted to thank you for your
8 presentation this morning on the rise of
9 antisemitism, which is most obvious online as we
10 scroll through our Twitter feed or Instagram or
11 Facebook. And it's no wonder that the
12 Anti-Defamation League's 2022 Online Hate and
13 Harassment Survey shows that up to 40 percent of
14 users have experienced online harassment, nearly
15 two-thirds of which is hate-based harassment.
16 Meaning these users are being targeted because of
17 an aspect of their identity.
18 The ADL has said that platforms are
19 not responding to antisemitic content, and Big
20 Tech companies are to blame.
21 I want you to know that I'm
22 advancing legislation that would require
23 technology companies and social media platforms
24 to actually disclose what they're doing to combat
25 online hatred. California has passed legislation
2716
1 that Governor Newsom signed into law last year.
2 I hope New York can do the same. It's too
3 important to do otherwise, Mr. President.
4 And I really thank, again,
5 Senator Mayer for this resolution.
6 Thank you.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
8 you, Senator Hoylman-Sigal.
9 Senator Martins on the resolution.
10 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
11 Mr. President.
12 I too rise to first thank our
13 colleague Senator Mayer for bringing this
14 resolution to the floor, but also to thank the
15 AJC for all the work that they do.
16 It seems incredible that in 2023,
17 four in 10 Jews feel threatened; eight in 10 feel
18 more threatened today than they did just a year
19 ago. If that doesn't speak volumes to the
20 challenges that we have before us -- not only as
21 a state, and certainly as a body -- in policy
22 decisions that we have before us.
23 We have, Mr. President, an
24 obligation to fight hate wherever we see it, in
25 all forms. We see it today manifesting itself in
2717
1 different places, places that should be safe
2 places. Places of higher learning. We have seen
3 efforts for BDS on our campuses, most pronounced
4 at our CUNY campuses. Organizations and clubs
5 that are funded with taxpayer monies that promote
6 hate and anti-Jewish sentiment.
7 So as we put together our budget, as
8 we go forward and list our priorities,
9 Mr. President, it is our responsibility here in
10 Albany, in this chamber, to make sure that we
11 prioritize making sure that everyone is safe,
12 everyone feels safe, and regardless of religion,
13 regardless of background, ethnic background or
14 race, that there is no place for hatred anywhere
15 in this state.
16 And so I applaud the AJC. I ask
17 them to continue with their efforts to partner
18 with policymakers in prioritizing that -- not
19 just for Jews, but for everyone in New York
20 State.
21 Mr. President, I proudly vote aye.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
23 you, Senator Martins.
24 Senator Gounardes on the resolution.
25 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
2718
1 Mr. President.
2 I too rise to thank Senator Mayer
3 for this resolution.
4 And I echo the comments and
5 sentiments of all my colleagues who have spoken
6 about the rise in antisemitism and the importance
7 of us confronting that wherever it rears its ugly
8 head.
9 I want to thank the members of the
10 AJC for being here today and for all of their
11 work, and to pay special tribute to their work
12 not just here in New York State but across the
13 country.
14 And, you know, as many people here
15 know, my family, my origins are Greek, and the
16 Greek community and the Israeli community, the
17 Jewish community, have a special bond with each
18 other. And at the national level the AJC has
19 formed a very special partnership with the
20 Hellenic American Leadership Council, of which
21 I'm a founding member, to help advance issues of
22 mutual concern for both of our communities, both
23 home and abroad.
24 And it's because of that partnership
25 that we now have the Congressional
2719
1 Hellenic-Israeli Alliance in Congress. It's a
2 bipartisan caucus to promote issues of concern
3 and commonality between people of the
4 Greek Diaspora and people of the Israeli and
5 Jewish Diaspora.
6 And I'll just share one story.
7 During the Holocaust, the country that lost the
8 greatest percentage of its Jewish community of
9 any European country was Greece. And there was a
10 story on the Island of Zakynthos, when the Nazi
11 commander came to the mayor of the island and
12 said, "Give us a list of all the Jews you have
13 living here." And the following day the mayor
14 produced a list of two names, himself and the
15 bishop of the island.
16 And they hid the entire Jewish
17 community and kept them safe throughout the
18 Holocaust.
19 Fast forward, years later the Jews
20 who were living there moved to the new State of
21 Israel, and there was a terrible earthquake on
22 the Island of Zakynthos. And the first aid
23 package from anywhere in the world that arrived
24 to help those residents of that island were from
25 the people who had resettled in Israel but who
2720
1 had previously lived on the Island of Zakynthos
2 and had been protected by the mayor and the
3 bishop during the atrocities of World War II.
4 So the commonalities and ties
5 between our people are many and are deep, and I
6 thank you all for your work in continuing to
7 advance that relationship and everything you do
8 for the people of our state.
9 And I vote aye. Thank you.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you, Senator Gounardes.
12 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
13 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yes, thank you,
14 Mr. President. And welcome, shalom.
15 The 75th anniversary of the founding
16 of the State of Israel is a -- was a cause for
17 celebration. I read about this when -- in 1948,
18 and I understand that the United States was the
19 first country to recognize the State of Israel
20 when Harry Truman I believe placed a phone call
21 or whatever it was. And that's been a tradition
22 that has continued to this day.
23 Unfortunately -- and I thank AJC for
24 coming to Albany to present the various problems
25 that we are facing. Several weeks ago I attended
2721
1 a briefing at Commonpoint in Little Neck in
2 Queens, where they spoke about the antisemitism
3 online. And it was a fascinating morning. It
4 was about maybe two months ago. And that is a
5 problem even today, especially on our college
6 campuses.
7 And I'm proud to say that the
8 Assembly today passed the legislation I
9 sponsored, Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal and I.
10 We had a rally at Queens College about a year
11 ago, maybe less, to demonstrate that hatred has
12 no place anywhere, particularly on college
13 campuses.
14 And this legislation had passed the
15 Senate earlier this year. This legislation would
16 require the colleges to report instances of hate.
17 Currently they do not. It passed both houses, it
18 will go to the Governor, and hopefully we will do
19 our share in reducing the antisemitism, the
20 painting of swastikas. But it's also anti-AAPI,
21 anti-Latino, anti-Black. Hatred has no place in
22 our country anywhere, any time.
23 And I thank you for coming. And let
24 us hope that we have a peaceful next 75 years.
25 Thank you, Mr. President.
2722
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
2 you, Senator Stavisky.
3 Senator Chu on the resolution.
4 SENATOR CHU: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 I would like to thank my colleague
7 Senator Mayer for bringing this to the floor, the
8 resolution.
9 And also I would like to welcome and
10 recognize the AJC for your great work throughout
11 the state. I had the honor and privilege and
12 opportunity this morning to join their
13 conference, their seminar this morning. And as
14 we know, in the past three years, during the
15 pandemic, our Asian AAPI community being targeted
16 for those unacceptable hate crimes.
17 And by joining this morning's
18 reception, I learned amazing numbers. Our Jewish
19 American population, it's 2.4 percent,
20 2.4 percent population for our Jewish American
21 families. However, however, in religious hate
22 crimes, they are suffering from 55 percent,
23 55 percent for those hate crime numbers.
24 And antisemitism should be nowhere
25 in this state or this country, no matter you're
2723
1 from what race, what religion, or even your
2 attire or clothing.
3 I really would like to thank you for
4 your great leadership, your work, your commitment
5 for our community and our society. And that's
6 why I would like to recognize your great work and
7 your leadership.
8 And for this resolution, I vote aye.
9 Thank you, Mr. President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you, Senator Chu.
12 The resolution was previously
13 adopted -- excuse me, I'm sorry.
14 To our guests, we welcome you on
15 behalf of the Senate. We extend to you all of
16 the privileges and courtesies of this house.
17 Please rise and be recognized.
18 (Standing ovation.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: This
20 resolution was previously adopted on April 25th.
21 Senator Gianaris.
22 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now take
23 up previously adopted Resolution 810, by
24 Senator Chu, read that resolution's title, and
25 recognize Senator Chu.
2724
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
2 Secretary will read.
3 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
4 810, by Senator Chu, memorializing Governor
5 Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 23-29, 2023, as
6 Library Week in the State of New York.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
8 Chu on the resolution.
9 SENATOR CHU: Thank you again,
10 Mr. President.
11 It's a great honor to speak again to
12 support and sponsor this great resolution and to
13 show the support for our library systems, and
14 then to ensure that we recognize and appreciate
15 our hardworking librarians and library workers.
16 April 23rd to 29th marks this year's
17 National Library Week. This is an opportunity to
18 highlight and celebrate the value of libraries,
19 librarians and the work they do to serve New York
20 communities and individuals of all ages.
21 This year's theme is "There's More
22 to the Story," something a lot of us realized
23 throughout this pandemic. Libraries have always
24 been more than a place for books. They provide
25 internet access, literacy and educational
2725
1 opportunities, youth and senior programming,
2 provide a safe environment for learning and
3 growing.
4 It is so important, now more than
5 ever, to ensure that we're investing in our
6 libraries, who do so much for the constituents
7 that we represent.
8 Our libraries could not be where
9 they are without the incredible work from the
10 people who run them. Last month my office
11 accepted nominations from across the state to
12 recognize the work that librarians do.
13 Librarians and library workers are constantly
14 finding new ways to keep their patrons engaged --
15 with not only reading, but also with their
16 community.
17 I'm honored to present this year's
18 Outstanding Librarian Award to 10 exceptional
19 individuals from each of our state regions.
20 These ten notable librarians have been shown to
21 go above and beyond, and represent only a small
22 fraction of the tens of thousands of librarians
23 who do amazing work throughout our state.
24 I'm proud to sponsor this resolution
25 and will continue to fight for this resource for
2726
1 our libraries and our library systems. For this,
2 I vote aye.
3 Thank you, Mr. President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
5 you, Senator Chu.
6 Senator Helming on the resolution.
7 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
8 Mr. President.
9 And thank you to Senator Chu for
10 introducing this resolution.
11 I stand today in celebration of
12 National Library Week and to express my gratitude
13 to our public libraries and our school libraries.
14 If you've ever heard me speak about libraries,
15 you've heard me say that I believe libraries are
16 really the heart and soul of our communities, and
17 the dedicated people who work in them are the
18 heartbeat that keeps them vibrant and strong.
19 One of those individuals is Becky
20 Leatherstich, who was recognized in this
21 resolution as one of the outstanding librarians
22 in the State of New York. Becky is a research
23 instruction librarian at SUNY Geneseo, an
24 institution I'm proud to represent. A former
25 school librarian, Becky teaches library research
2727
1 skills to undergraduate and graduate students.
2 One of her colleagues had this to
3 say: "Becky is a phenomenal teacher, librarian,
4 and collaborator. She's making a difference at
5 the local, state and national level, valuing all
6 voices in our community."
7 Mr. President, I think that
8 underscores just how much our libraries and
9 library staff do. They're teachers, mentors,
10 guides, and advocates. As Senator Chu said, the
11 role of our libraries continues to expand just as
12 their importance to our schools and communities
13 continues to grow.
14 This is especially true in our rural
15 communities. We saw during the pandemic how our
16 libraries stepped up to the plate to serve their
17 communities in new ways. They became the hubs
18 for food distribution. Their parking lots became
19 classrooms as students and their parents went
20 there to access the internet for remote learning.
21 They expanded their digital offerings so everyone
22 could stay connected to their library, to their
23 community, and to our world.
24 Today, our libraries are not just
25 castles of books, they're maker spaces where our
2728
1 young people can be creative, where they can use
2 a 3-D printer and explore theater and the arts.
3 They're job centers where adults can prepare for
4 new careers. They're technology centers where
5 people can learn new skills. Today at the
6 library you can borrow passes to local museums
7 and state parks. You can even check out a
8 fishing pole.
9 All of this underscores not only how
10 important our libraries are to people of all
11 ages, but just how essential it is that we,
12 everyone in this chamber, do our part to provide
13 our libraries with the fair funding they deserve.
14 I'm proud to represent more than
15 30 public libraries and more than 30 school
16 libraries in the 54th District, and I thank each
17 and every one of them for their dedication to
18 expanding knowledge and opportunities for
19 everyone in our community.
20 I'm proud to support this
21 resolution, Mr. President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
23 you, Senator Helming.
24 Senator Gounardes on the resolution.
25 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
2729
1 Mr. President.
2 I also want to thank Senator Chu for
3 this resolution.
4 You know, libraries are not just
5 places where you go to check out a book.
6 Libraries, in an increasingly digital world, are
7 our portal to the world of information that's out
8 there.
9 I'm incredibly proud to represent
10 seven branches of the Brooklyn Public Library in
11 my district. And in my old district, before
12 redistricting, I represented 10 branches, the
13 most of any Senator in Brooklyn.
14 And libraries have had a deep impact
15 on my life and helped shape my love of books and
16 of learning.
17 But I want to rise today to
18 recognize and honor a constituent of mine who is
19 the branch manager of the Sunset Park Branch of
20 the Brooklyn Public Library, and that's
21 Roxana Benavides, where she is using a
22 teamwork-focused approach and community-centered
23 approach to help run and manage the Sunset Park
24 Library, which is going through a massive and
25 major renovation and will be a gem in the
2730
1 community once it reopens later next year.
2 Under her leadership, the
3 Sunset Park Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library
4 received the 2016 New York City Neighborhood
5 Library Award.
6 Roxana has also received the 2010
7 "America Reads" Spanish Librarian of the Year
8 Award, as well as the prestigious 2015 Sloan
9 Public Service Award from the Fund for New York
10 City. In addition to being a member of the
11 American Library Association, she also served as
12 the president of REFORMA National, cochair of the
13 2008 and 2021 REFORMA National Conference, and
14 the cochair of the 2018 Joint Conference of
15 Librarians of Color.
16 Roxana holds a master's degree in
17 library science from Queens College as well as a
18 bachelor's in marketing from Baruch College.
19 And, you know, often, Mr. President,
20 I think a measure of someone is not the words
21 that you might use to describe yourself, but how
22 others view you. And in the nomination
23 application that was submitted on behalf of
24 Roxana, I just want to share a few words how her
25 colleagues have identified her.
2731
1 They say that "Roxana wants you to
2 love reading and wants your kids to love reading
3 even more. She wants to remove every possible
4 barrier there is between your child and a
5 lifelong joy of reading. She loves children, and
6 she loves seeing them read. And I think that's
7 because she understands that people who read are
8 people who can change the world.
9 "She is always so welcoming and
10 never shames anyone if their books are late. She
11 will try to help you with whatever you're doing,
12 whether it's getting the printer to work or
13 entertaining your one-year-old while you check
14 out your books. She's also wonderful at Toddler
15 Hour, and you can just tell that she cares about
16 the community she lives in and not just when
17 she's at the library."
18 So Mr. President, again, I want to
19 thank Senator Chu for this resolution and I want
20 to congratulate my constituent, the manager of
21 the Sunset Park Branch of the Brooklyn Public
22 Library, Roxana Benavides.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
25 you, Senator Gounardes.
2732
1 Senator Palumbo on the resolution.
2 SENATOR PALUMBO: Thank you,
3 Mr. President.
4 And I thank Senator Chu for bringing
5 this resolution to the floor.
6 As we know, our libraries -- we have
7 outstanding libraries across Long Island and the
8 great State of New York. And fun fact,
9 Mr. President: Before being in elected office, I
10 was the vice president of the
11 Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library Board, so I have
12 firsthand experience about how important our
13 libraries are to us. And they are certainly an
14 essential educational and community resource.
15 But the success of these
16 institutions is a result of our amazing
17 librarians. And one of our 10 outstanding
18 librarians, from the First Senate District,
19 Kelly A. Harris, she's of course one of the
20 10 Outstanding Librarians of 2023.
21 She began her career as a page at
22 the Mattituck-Laurel Library, which is right next
23 to my hometown of New Suffolk where I served on
24 that board. She served as the youth services
25 librarian and assistant director of the
2733
1 Amagansett Free Library and executive director of
2 the Hampton Library.
3 Today she's currently the executive
4 director of the John Jermain Memorial Library in
5 Sag Harbor. Ms. Harris is the treasurer of the
6 New York Library Association and an active member
7 of the Public Library Directors Association of
8 Suffolk County, serving as its president from
9 2019 to 2020. Ms. Harris also cochairs its
10 funding committee and serves as cochair of the
11 Nassau-Suffolk County committee addressing issues
12 of equity and inclusion in libraries.
13 Throughout her impressive career,
14 Kelly Harris has worked tirelessly to strengthen
15 our libraries, expand access to important
16 services, and foster greater connections with the
17 communities that these libraries serve.
18 So I congratulate Kelly Harris and
19 all of our Outstanding Librarians of 2023. I
20 thank them for their efforts in enhancing our
21 libraries and strengthening our communities. And
22 again, Senator Chu, thank you for recognizing
23 them.
24 And I proudly vote aye,
25 Mr. President. Thank you.
2734
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
2 you, Senator Palumbo.
3 Senator Martins on the resolution.
4 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 And thank you, Senator Chu, for this
7 resolution.
8 I too have a history as a former
9 president of the Mineola Village Library prior to
10 being elected mayor and prior to coming to the
11 State Senate. So I know firsthand the importance
12 of libraries.
13 But, Mr. President, I want to take
14 the opportunity -- because when we first formed
15 the Library Committee here in the New York State
16 Senate, I want to remember a colleague of ours,
17 Senator Hugh Farley, who for years served as
18 chair of that committee and was the great
19 protector of libraries. Every year we could
20 count on Senator Farley to remind us just how
21 important our libraries are in New York State.
22 From cradle to grave, libraries have
23 been a constant source of not only, as Senator
24 Gounardes said, not only books but portals to
25 information and to education. More often than
2735
1 not, it's where people first and children first
2 learn to read. It's also where they continue to
3 read long into their golden years.
4 So I stand, Mr. President, to salute
5 not only the resolution but all of the libraries
6 and the commitment that our state has had over
7 the years to continuing to fund our libraries in
8 the spirit of funding that continued that
9 continued cradle-to-grave education. We frankly
10 should do more. But for all we do, thank you to
11 our great libraries, librarians and staff who do
12 so much with so little.
13 Mr. President, I proudly vote aye.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
15 you, Senator Martins.
16 The resolution was previously
17 adopted on April 25th.
18 Senator Gianaris.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
20 the various sponsors of all of today's
21 resolutions would like to open them up for
22 cosponsorship.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: All of
24 these resolutions are open for cosponsorship.
25 Should you choose not to be a cosponsor, please
2736
1 notify the desk.
2 Senator Gianaris.
3 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let us take up
4 the reading of the calendar.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
6 Secretary will read.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 197, Senate Print 264, by Senator
9 Stewart-Cousins, an act to amend the
10 Executive Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
15 shall have become a law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
22 Calendar Number 197, voting in the negative:
23 Senators Martins and Rhoads.
24 Ayes, 59. Nays, 2.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
2737
1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 227, Senate Print 2196, by Senator Rivera, an act
4 to amend the Executive Law and the Administrative
5 Code of the City of New York.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
9 act shall take effect immediately.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
16 Calendar 227, those Senators voting in the
17 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
18 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
19 Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara,
20 Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco,
21 Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
22 Ayes, 41. Nays, 20.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2738
1 373, Senate Print 3334, by Senator Mayer, an act
2 to amend the Executive Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 405, Senate Print 2599, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal,
17 an act in relation to establishing a dyslexia and
18 dysgraphia task force.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
20 last section.
21 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
22 act shall take effect January 1, 2024.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
24 roll.
25 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2739
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
2 Hoylman-Sigal to explain his vote.
3 SENATOR HOYLMAN-SIGAL: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I rise to thank my colleagues for
6 supporting this legislation that would establish
7 a dyslexia and dysgraphia task force and
8 implementing the findings of such task force.
9 I want to thank Senator Mayer and
10 Senator Liu for their support of this legislation
11 as chairs of the Senate Education Committee and
12 New York City Education Committee.
13 You know, dyslexia and dysgraphia
14 are inherent problems in our educational system
15 because we don't have a road map in New York
16 State to deal with it. As many as 20 percent of
17 our schoolchildren are dyslexic, meaning they
18 can't read. And I can tell you this because my
19 daughter, who's age 12, is part of that
20 20 percent cohort.
21 We didn't learn that she was
22 dyslexic in my family until she was in fourth
23 grade. Essentially, there's no screening of
24 children who might be dyslexic or have
25 dysgraphia, so they come into the system without
2740
1 the support they need.
2 There are proven methodologies to
3 assist children with dyslexia. One, called
4 Orton-Gillingham, is over a hundred years old.
5 Yet very few of our schools actually utilize this
6 proven method of teaching children with dyslexia.
7 And fundamentally, we are not addressing this
8 problem.
9 Undiagnosed or stigmatized dyslexia
10 in kids has been tied to low motivation, low
11 self-esteem, anxiety and depression, as well as
12 low literacy and higher rates of dropping out of
13 school entirely.
14 And what's the impact on society?
15 Well, there are staggering statistics that show
16 that 48 percent of individuals who are
17 incarcerated have dyslexia or dysgraphia. That's
18 in addition to the 80 percent of incarcerated
19 individuals who are functionally illiterate.
20 We are not doing enough to solve
21 this problem. Dyslexia is an education equity
22 issue. It's a social justice issue. It's an
23 issue that, frankly, needs to be at the forefront
24 of our efforts in this chamber and in the
25 State Legislature.
2741
1 I was very disappointed that on
2 Thanksgiving Eve, this legislation was one of
3 40 bills that the Governor summarily vetoed on
4 that Thanksgiving night massacre. We need to
5 pass this legislation again, send it back to the
6 Governor, and ensure that our kids with dyslexia
7 and dysgraphia have the support they need from
8 our body.
9 Thank you, Mr. President. I vote
10 aye.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
12 Hoylman-Sigal to be recorded in the affirmative.
13 Announce the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 456, Senate Print 5163, by Senator Harckham, an
19 act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect immediately.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
25 roll.
2742
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
3 the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
6 is passed.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 570, Senate Print 1319, by Senator Rivera, an act
9 to amend the Public Health Law and the
10 Insurance Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 23. This
14 act shall take effect immediately.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
19 the results.
20 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
21 Calendar 570, those Senators voting in the
22 negative are Senators Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt,
23 Palumbo and Weik.
24 Ayes, 56. Nays, 5.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
2743
1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 593, Senate Print 1999, by Senator May, an act to
4 amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
8 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
9 shall have become a law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
14 May to explain her vote.
15 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 It is my privilege to represent the
18 Town of Lafayette and the Beak and Skiff Orchard
19 that is located there with its 1911 Cidery, which
20 has won all number of awards in New York State
21 for its cider. I represent two or three other
22 cideries in my new district.
23 New York is the second-largest
24 apple-producing state in the country and one of
25 the great apple growing regions in the world. We
2744
1 have over a hundred hard-cider producers and
2 their economic impact is estimated at
3 $1.7 billion a year.
4 But it could be much higher than
5 that if we could just get this bill passed
6 through both houses and signed, because our
7 cideries operate at a disadvantage. We have an
8 interesting cider licensing law in New York State
9 that requires that they use 100 percent New York
10 State ingredients, which is a great thing. But
11 because there's a separate cidery license, they
12 operate on a different playing field from the
13 cideries in California and Washington State and
14 Oregon and Vermont, which are counted under a
15 winery license.
16 Wineries are allowed to sell their
17 products directly online for direct shipment to
18 consumers, and so cideries in those other states
19 can do that here in New York State, but our
20 cideries cannot. So they have a real
21 disadvantage in the marketplace.
22 This bill will fix that, will allow
23 them to ship directly to consumers here in
24 New York State and elsewhere. There have been
25 some concerns that this might not work for
2745
1 various reasons, but it actually was implemented
2 in the early years of the pandemic and was
3 extremely successful, so we know it can work
4 without the kinds of hiccups that some people are
5 worried about.
6 So there is no reason why we
7 shouldn't pass this law. I urge any colleagues
8 to vote for it and our friends in the Assembly to
9 pass it and the Governor to sign it.
10 Thank you. I vote aye.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
12 May to be recorded in the affirmative.
13 Announce the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 602, Senate Print 2863, by Senator Martinez, an
19 act to amend the General Municipal Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect immediately.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
25 roll.
2746
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
3 the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
5 Calendar Number 602, those Senators voting in the
6 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
7 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Lanza,
8 Martins, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads,
9 Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk and Weber.
10 Ayes, 44. Nays, 17.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
12 is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 615, Senate Print 1693, by Senator Parker, an act
15 to amend the New York State Urban Development
16 Corporation Act.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
25 the results.
2747
1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 626, Assembly Print Number 3172A, by
6 Assemblymember Zebrowski, an act to amend the
7 Insurance Law.
8 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Lay it
10 aside.
11 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
12 reading of today's calendar.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: On to the
14 controversial calendar, please.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
16 Secretary will ring the bell.
17 The Secretary will read.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 626, Assembly Number 3172A, by Assemblymember
20 Zebrowski, an act to amend the Insurance Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
22 Lanza, why do you rise?
23 SENATOR LANZA: Mr. President, I
24 believe there's an amendment at the desk. I
25 waive the reading of that amendment and ask that
2748
1 you recognize Senator Martins.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
3 you, Senator Lanza.
4 Upon review of the amendment, in
5 accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B, I rule it
6 nongermane and out of order at this time.
7 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
8 Mr. President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
9 and ask that Senator Martins be recognized and
10 heard on the appeal.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
12 appeal has been made and recognized, and
13 Senator Martins may be heard.
14 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
15 Mr. President.
16 I rise to appeal the ruling of the
17 chair. The proposed amendment is germane to the
18 bill at hand because the bill at hand relates to
19 inspections for private passenger automobiles.
20 The amendment before us repeals the
21 fee that private passenger automobiles face as
22 they travel back and forth from outside of
23 Lower Manhattan, including from the outer
24 boroughs and suburbs of New York City, and also
25 provides increased transparency in public
2749
1 transit.
2 You know, Mr. President, I've heard
3 often from members in this body who voted for
4 congestion pricing and say that it was inserted
5 into the budget and therefore they had no choice.
6 You know, I believe we always have the
7 opportunity to oppose bad legislation.
8 Well, here's the choice. By
9 supporting this amendment, we have the
10 opportunity to correct the mistake and help
11 constituents back home. And I urge all of my
12 colleagues to take this opportunity, especially
13 as the state has a multi-billion-dollar surplus.
14 The amendment that I proposed is one
15 of the solutions to the affordability crisis here
16 in New York. Millions of New Yorkers commute to
17 their jobs in the city every day and are forced
18 to pay a tax just to get to work. Instead of
19 taxing workers, we should be focusing on the
20 longer-term solution: Quality public
21 transportation.
22 That is why the other part of this
23 amendment brings sunshine and transparency to the
24 MTA so that the riders who use it are getting the
25 best possible service at an affordable cost.
2750
1 Congestion pricing is expected to
2 cost hardworking New Yorkers over a
3 billion dollars a year, something they simply
4 can't afford. Mr. President, make no mistake.
5 This is a tax on workers and on the middle class.
6 A teacher making $65,000 a year driving back and
7 forth could be paying an extra hundred dollars a
8 week just to get to work -- when prices at the
9 grocery store are at an all-time high and
10 congestion pricing taxes not only commuters but
11 the very trucks that deliver our food, putting
12 further pressure on what people are paying at the
13 grocery store.
14 Congestion pricing is not something
15 New Yorkers can afford, and that is why it must
16 be repealed. The real answer, Mr. President, to
17 traffic and air pollution isn't taxing drivers,
18 but providing better public transit. That is why
19 it is critical to ensure that the city's public
20 transit system is using taxpayer dollars wisely
21 and delivering the most efficient service
22 possible.
23 This amendment calls for an
24 independent audit of the MTA to shine a light on
25 how it is spending New Yorkers' hard-earned money
2751
1 and identifying areas where savings can be passed
2 on to the people New York State.
3 For years, Mr. President, the MTA
4 has operated with deficits and needing cash
5 injections from the Legislature. Even with all
6 of that money, we still hear from thousands of
7 commuters who complain of subpar service. We,
8 each of us, have a responsibility to our
9 residents to ensure that money is spent
10 responsibly, and it is vital that we take that
11 responsibility seriously.
12 As we continue to come to work every
13 day facing a budget that is almost a month
14 late -- and the latest in 13 years -- we appear
15 to be getting no closer to a deal. So we cannot
16 ignore the relief that New Yorkers need. This
17 amendment would provide just that.
18 For these reasons, Mr. President, I
19 strong urge you to reconsider your ruling.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
21 you, Senator Martins.
22 I want to remind the house that the
23 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
24 ruling of the chair.
25 Those in favor of overruling the
2752
1 chair signify by saying aye.
2 (Response of "Aye.")
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
4 ruling of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief
5 is before the house.
6 Senator Murray, why do you rise?
7 SENATOR MURRAY: This is on the
8 original bill.
9 Mr. President, would the sponsor of
10 the bill yield for a few questions.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
12 sponsor yield?
13 SENATOR BRESLIN: Certainly. Yes.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
15 sponsor yields.
16 SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you,
17 Senator.
18 Can you first explain, what is the
19 purpose of the bill? What are the changes that
20 we are making with this bill?
21 SENATOR BRESLIN: Well, the purpose
22 first is -- this bill originally was passed in
23 1977 with really the advent of serious insurance
24 of motor vehicles. And it required, under that
25 legislation that was passed in 1977, that a
2753
1 picture be taken of the car before it was
2 insured.
3 Now we're in 2023, with legislation
4 to say at the option, the option of the insurer,
5 that can be waived. That -- and it will -- this
6 bill was vetoed by the Governor last year, and
7 made some changes and it was put into the budget.
8 So they put a sunset in, five years to review it.
9 And we're at that point right now for the
10 legislation.
11 SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you.
12 Mr. President, would the sponsor
13 continue to yield.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
15 sponsor yield?
16 SENATOR BRESLIN: The sponsor
17 yields.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
19 sponsor yields.
20 SENATOR MURRAY: By the way, thank
21 you, you answered the second question there with
22 that explanation. I appreciate that.
23 But you mentioned that it makes it
24 optional. In other places where this is done, it
25 has pretty much died out, isn't that right? If
2754
1 you're given an option of doing something or
2 something that would be considered another step,
3 and you're given that option, wouldn't you choose
4 just not to do it?
5 SENATOR BRESLIN: Possibly. It's a
6 possibility.
7 But in this case the option is
8 really -- there's been this process in law for 50
9 years. Now the recommendation is to change it.
10 But it's to provide, at least initially, an
11 option on the part of the insurer, not on the
12 consumer.
13 And if you allow the new part, then
14 you don't have to have a driver of a car meet
15 somebody to have a picture taken, take off of
16 work, if it doesn't happen, come back.
17 And if all parties are satisfied
18 that a photograph is not necessary, and that --
19 and obviously the insurance companies will look,
20 and they look to see if there's a degree of fraud
21 and there hasn't been, that at least to start
22 with the ability to provide an option to the
23 consumer at the approval of the insurance.
24 SENATOR MURRAY: Mr. President,
25 would the sponsor continue to yield.
2755
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
2 sponsor yield?
3 SENATOR BRESLIN: The sponsor
4 yields.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
6 sponsor yields.
7 SENATOR MURRAY: But we're not
8 talking about everyone that drives. We're not
9 talking about every vehicle. I mean, this is a
10 small portion, basically a particular targeted
11 area. In fact, it's only if you've been with
12 your insurer for less than two years, so you're
13 relatively new to your insurer, and you acquire a
14 in newer than seven-year-old used car, that's
15 when you need to do this with the inspection.
16 And again, that would be because of
17 the possible existing damage that could be there
18 that could be claimed later. So we're not
19 talking about a major burden upon every driver
20 across the state, are we?
21 SENATOR BRESLIN: No, we're not.
22 SENATOR MURRAY: A very small
23 segment, in fact.
24 SENATOR BRESLIN: That's correct.
25 SENATOR MURRAY: So why -- why --
2756
1 I'm sorry, Mr. President, would the sponsor
2 continue to yield.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
4 sponsor yield?
5 SENATOR BRESLIN: Are you hoping --
6 are you suggesting we expand the bill?
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
8 sponsor yields.
9 (Laughter.)
10 SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you.
11 No, I'm suggesting that we reach a
12 compromise, and I'll get to that in a second.
13 Have you spoken to any of the
14 independent inspection locations about proposed
15 compromises?
16 SENATOR BRESLIN: I personally have
17 not, but I've dealt with all of the insurance
18 associations representing the insurance
19 companies. Universally, they say it's a waste of
20 money to continue to have mandatory vehicle
21 identification.
22 Back in 1977, there weren't fraud
23 units in DA's offices, there weren't state
24 agencies that policed it, there weren't
25 investigatory agencies that looked out to see if
2757
1 there was any criminal problems with this.
2 And the answer has generally been
3 no. And so a business decision is it's much
4 better for the consumer to not have it, to have
5 it be optional, and it's not an added expense on
6 the -- obviously it's a reduction of expense.
7 SENATOR MURRAY: Thank you.
8 On the bill, Mr. President.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
10 Murray on the bill.
11 SENATOR MURRAY: And I thank you,
12 Senator, for the explanation. But I'm going to
13 disagree a bit on some of them.
14 For example, let's start with the
15 veto message by the Governor. It doesn't sound
16 like any changes were made to address why she
17 vetoed it.
18 If signed, the bill before me would
19 essentially remove important protections against
20 fraud, and customers in urban areas, who already
21 pay high insurance rates, would likely see their
22 insurance rates increase.
23 It would also have the unintended
24 effect of harming the hundreds of small
25 businesses that perform damage inspections across
2758
1 New York.
2 Now, we bring this up -- and the
3 reason I brought up the fact that it doesn't
4 apply to everyone, this is not a major burden.
5 However, it will have a major impact. It will
6 have an impact on ratepayers all across the
7 state.
8 How do I know this? Because
9 Massachusetts just passed something very similar.
10 They had the same law in place, and they made it
11 optional. Here were the results from that
12 change. When they did this, they found that --
13 when they did the optional program, they found
14 that inspections dropped by 87 percent, collision
15 claims climbed by nearly 55 percent, and premiums
16 spiked by 61 percent.
17 Now, the reason I asked if you had
18 spoken to any of the inspection -- the
19 independent inspection locations is because they
20 do -- well, listen, we all understand technology,
21 great advancements, and we should embrace that
22 when we can. But there's an old saying about
23 pictures, a picture's worth a thousand words.
24 And whether it was in the '70s or whether it is
25 today, that still holds true.
2759
1 The picture is the proof. You're
2 not going to replace that with a VIN number or
3 something like this. The protections offered by
4 the photo inspection program are unique and not
5 duplicated by any existing program, and no other
6 program will replace it.
7 How do I know that photos are
8 important? They're even important to the
9 insurance companies. Well, let's look at
10 Allstate, who says "Take care of your claim in a
11 snap." You see these local insurance inspection
12 companies would like to compromise by maybe
13 offering that up as an option, so the insured can
14 take the pictures themselves, submit it to these
15 companies that will then verify and still have
16 the proof there.
17 So we can compromise here without
18 putting people out of work, without raising
19 insurance rates, without increasing the cases of
20 fraud, by using the very technology but still
21 keeping the pictures in place.
22 As I said, this is Allstate, who is
23 promoting using pictures. "Quick Photo Claim" is
24 their program, can assess your insurance claim
25 virtually to get you through the process as
2760
1 quickly as possible.
2 So now the burden's gone. And I
3 will be a little parochial here too, because
4 myself and several other Senators from
5 Long Island, we have some -- one of these
6 companies, a major company, that if this were to
7 pass, they would likely be out of business,
8 putting hundreds of families -- or people out of
9 work, taking the food off the plates of the
10 families.
11 In fact, I just got, just got a text
12 just before this from the LIA, Long Island
13 Association, who also opposes this bill for that
14 very reason, the reason of putting people out of
15 work and also raising insurance claims.
16 So while I do understand where the
17 sponsor is coming from with this -- I get it, I
18 get that we can use technology -- I think there's
19 a way that if we continue working on this and
20 maybe compromise -- I know it's a foreign word in
21 Albany -- but compromise, that maybe we can make
22 this the best bill it could be.
23 So for that reason, I'll be voting
24 no. Thank you, Mr. President.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Are there
2761
1 any other Senators wishing to be heard?
2 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
3 closed.
4 Senator Gianaris.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
6 we've agreed to restore this bill to the
7 noncontroversial calendar, so can we take it up
8 that way, please.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
10 Secretary will read -- read the last section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect on the 180th day after it
13 shall have become a law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
18 Weik to explain her vote.
19 SENATOR WEIK: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 This bill has been proven -- it was
22 brought to us for the purpose of eliminating
23 theft and lowering insurance rates. It's crucial
24 that we keep this bill -- these protections in
25 place. And by eliminating it, by trying to
2762
1 streamline services, that we're going to see an
2 absolute spike.
3 We've already seen lots of numbers
4 and statistics that prove that without these
5 photos, theft and insurance fraud happens
6 rampantly. These provisions were put in place in
7 order to bring those down, and as soon as those
8 bills were introduced in order to make photos
9 available, we immediately saw these numbers come
10 down.
11 I'm disappointed to see that there
12 is -- that this bill has been reintroduced, and
13 for that reason I'm voting no.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
15 Weik to be recorded in the negative.
16 Announce the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
18 Calendar 626, those Senators voting in the
19 negative are Senators Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick,
20 Lanza, Martinez, Mattera, Murray, Palumbo, Rhoads
21 and Weik.
22 Ayes, 53. Nays, 8.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
24 is passed.
25 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
2763
1 reading of today's calendar.
2 SENATOR GIANARIS: If we can return
3 briefly to motions, I wish to call up the
4 following bills which were recalled from the
5 Assembly and are now at the desk:
6 Senate Print Numbers 3139 and 3114.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
8 Secretary will read.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 370, Senate Print 3139, by Senator Mannion, an
11 act to amend the Private Housing Finance Law.
12 Calendar Number 431, Senate Print
13 3114, by Senator Mannion, an act to amend the
14 State Technology Law.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to
16 reconsider the vote by which these bills were
17 passed.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
19 roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bills
23 are restored to their places on the Third Reading
24 Calendar.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: I offer the
2764
1 following amendments.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
3 amendments are received, and those bills will
4 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
6 further business at the desk?
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: There is
8 no further business at the desk.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: I move to
10 adjourn to the call of the Temporary President of
11 the Senate, with intervening days being
12 legislative days.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: On
14 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until the
15 call of the Temporary President of the Senate,
16 with the intervening days being legislative days.
17 (Whereupon, the Senate adjourned at
18 2:24 p.m.)
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