Regular Session - March 5, 2024
1066
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 5, 2024
11 3:58 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR ROXANNE J. PERSAUD, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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21
22
23
24
25
1067
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask everyone to please rise and
5 recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Reading
14 of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
16 March 4th, 2024, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Sunday, March 3rd,
18 2024, was read and approved. On motion, the
19 Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 The Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Senator Comrie
1068
1 moves to discharge, from the Committee on
2 Housing, Construction and Community Development,
3 Assembly Bill Number 1080B and substitute it for
4 the identical Senate Bill 1218B, Third Reading
5 Calendar 491.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:
7 Substitution so ordered.
8 Messages from the Governor.
9 Reports of standing committees.
10 Reports of select committees.
11 Communications and reports from
12 state officers.
13 Motions and resolutions.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good afternoon,
16 Madam President.
17 We're going to today dispatch with
18 the calendar first, as quickly as we can, and
19 then return for the introductions and
20 resolutions.
21 So please take up the reading of the
22 calendar at this time.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
24 Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
1069
1 149, Senate Print 1999, by Senator May, an act to
2 amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
3 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Lay it
5 aside.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 229, Senate Print 1365, by Senator Kennedy, an
8 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
10 last section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect immediately.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
14 roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
17 the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 56.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
20 is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 481, Senate Print 3069A, by Senator Persaud, an
23 act to amend the Social Services Law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
25 last section.
1070
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
2 act shall take effect immediately.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
4 roll.
5 (The Secretary called the roll.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
7 the results.
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 56.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
10 is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 491, Assembly Bill 1080B, by Assemblymember
13 Woerner, an act to amend the Executive Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
15 last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
17 act shall take effect immediately.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
19 roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
22 the results.
23 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 56.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
25 is passed.
1071
1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2 501, Senate Print 3125A, by Senator Hinchey, an
3 act to amend the State Finance Law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
5 last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
7 act shall take effect one year after it shall
8 have become a law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
13 the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 510, Senate Print 1056A, by Senator Hinchey, an
19 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect one year after it shall
24 have become a law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
1072
1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 56.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 511, Senate Print 2236, by Senator Hinchey, an
10 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect immediately.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
19 the results.
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
22 is passed.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 512, Senate Print 2407, by Senator Bailey, an act
25 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
1073
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
4 act shall take effect immediately.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
6 roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
9 May to explain her vote.
10 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
11 Madam President.
12 I rise to thank Senator Bailey and
13 my colleagues for putting this bill on the active
14 list. Urban agriculture is, I think, often
15 overlooked and is incredibly important and
16 increasingly important.
17 The upstate cities that I represent
18 have a lot of vacant land and a lot of areas
19 where fresh fruits and vegetables are not
20 available to the people who live there. And so
21 the opportunity to really develop urban
22 agriculture or develop the small businesses in
23 those cities -- the opportunities for people to
24 have fresh fruits and vegetables, the opportunity
25 for children to be involved in growing food, the
1074
1 opportunity for, just in general, building our
2 economy and using our land in this way is really
3 important.
4 I also want to say when it comes to
5 urban agriculture, it's a very complicated legal
6 task to create urban farms. They're often a lot
7 of discrete pieces of land put together. They
8 have zoning laws that can be very confusing.
9 There are a lot of really difficult aspects to
10 the law when it comes to farming in urban areas.
11 So having an office like this that
12 will help people navigate those issues is really
13 important. So I am very proud to vote aye on
14 this bill.
15 Thank you.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
17 May to be recorded in the affirmative.
18 Announce the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 513, Senate Print 2415, by Senator Bailey, an act
24 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
1075
1 last section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 8. This
3 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
4 shall have become a law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
6 roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
9 the results.
10 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
12 is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 514, Senate Print 4270A, by Senator Parker, an
15 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 9. This
19 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
20 shall have become a law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
25 the results.
1076
1 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
2 Calendar Number 514, voting in the negative:
3 Senator Brisport.
4 Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
6 is passed.
7 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
8 reading of the active calendar.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now take
10 up the reading of the controversial calendar.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
12 Secretary will ring the bell.
13 The Secretary will read.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 149, Senate Print 1999, by Senator May, an act to
16 amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
18 Lanza, why do you rise?
19 SENATOR LANZA: Madam President.
20 Madam President, I believe there's an amendment
21 at the desk. I waive the reading of that
22 amendment and ask that you recognize
23 Senator Oberacker.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
25 you, Senator Lanza. Upon review of the
1077
1 amendment, in accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B,
2 I rule it nongermane and out of order at this
3 time.
4 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
5 Madam President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
6 and ask that Senator Oberacker be heard on the
7 appeal.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
9 appeal has been made and recognized, and
10 Senator Oberacker may be heard.
11 Senator Oberacker.
12 SENATOR OBERACKER: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 Madam President, I rise to appeal
15 the ruling of the chair. The proposed amendment
16 is germane to the bill at hand because both deal
17 with the transportation of agricultural products.
18 The bill at hand deals with the transportation of
19 cider, while the amendment provides farmers with
20 an exemption from tolls when transporting
21 products to New York City.
22 Madam President, New York farmers
23 already struggle through the most stringent
24 regulations and erroneous taxes in the country,
25 yet we produce the highest-quality products.
1078
1 Just yesterday, at a hearing in New York City on
2 congestion pricing, we heard from many angry
3 New Yorkers who oppose the plan to toll those
4 entering New York City. In addition to this,
5 farmers are already subject to additional
6 tolls -- bridge tolls, tunnel tolls -- and
7 possible additional charges for delivery in
8 certain areas of Manhattan. Since the
9 implementation of lowering of the overtime
10 threshold by the Farm Laborers Wage Board, we
11 have heard from farmers who are concerned about
12 the demise of their livelihood.
13 Madam President, farmers should not
14 be penalized for trying to deliver food and food
15 products throughout our state. We should be
16 helping to offset the rising expenses and
17 facilitate the shipment and transport of these
18 products. When transportation costs increase,
19 some farmers are not able to pass these costs on
20 to the consumers and they must absorb them, while
21 others are forced to increase costs for the
22 consumers as well.
23 The pandemic has shown us the
24 importance of New York farms in combating food
25 insecurity, especially in urban areas and
1079
1 New York City. It's crucial that farmers can
2 continue to provide communities with access to
3 New York-grown food products.
4 Increasing the transportation costs
5 for farmers will only create more barriers for
6 agricultural vehicles transporting farm products
7 that will support our farmers as they continue to
8 provide essential food to New York communities.
9 Tolls have a negative impact on our
10 New York farmers and their ability to provide
11 farm-fresh products for food-insecure residents
12 of New York City.
13 Madam President, in New York there
14 was a loss of 2,788 farms, including 1,865 dairy
15 farms and over 363,885 acres of farmland from
16 2017 to 2022. We need to help our farmers in any
17 opportunity we have.
18 I want you all to just think and let
19 that ferment for a little bit. Think about that.
20 Madam President, I can't imagine a greater day
21 than for me to partake in a glass of cold
22 fermented cider with one of my colleagues from
23 across the aisle. Senator Liu, for example. I
24 can't think of a better candidate to celebrate a
25 toll-free glass of cider in his district office.
1080
1 And for those reasons --
2 (Laughter.)
3 SENATOR OBERACKER: For those
4 reasons, Madam President, I have articulated, I
5 strongly urge you to reconsider your ruling.
6 Thank you.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
8 you, Senator.
9 I want to remind the house that the
10 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
11 ruling of the chair. Those in favor of
12 overruling the chair, signify by saying aye.
13 (Response of "Aye.")
14 SENATOR LANZA: Show of hands.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: A show
16 of hands has been requested and so ordered.
17 Announce the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 20.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
20 ruling of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief
21 is before the house.
22 Read the last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
25 shall have become a law.
1081
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
5 May to explain her vote.
6 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
7 Madam President.
8 And thank you, Senator Oberacker. I
9 hope that you can come, tolls or not, and join me
10 at the 1911 Orchard and enjoy some wonderful
11 cider.
12 The reality is that New York State
13 cider is second to none. But New York State
14 cider producers are second-class in the sense
15 that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to
16 being able to sell their cider direct to
17 consumers. The cider producers in Washington
18 State and Oregon can ship their cider to
19 consumers, but we cannot here in New York State.
20 And it costs our cideries a lot of
21 money and a lot of opportunities to get their
22 wonderful products out there on the market.
23 So I am proud and grateful to my
24 colleagues for supporting this bill year after
25 year after year. This is the sixth time we've
1082
1 passed it. I hope the sixth time is the charm
2 and that our partners in the Assembly and the
3 Executive will support it this time around.
4 Thank you. I vote aye.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
6 May to be recorded in the affirmative.
7 Senator Skoufis to explain his vote.
8 SENATOR SKOUFIS: Thanks very much,
9 Madam President.
10 I certainly first want to lead by
11 thanking my colleague for this bill. It's been,
12 as she noted, around for several years now, and
13 we do hope that the other house finally takes it
14 up.
15 I do want to share an anecdote that
16 I think underscores a larger issue here, though,
17 from last night. And as many of us were, I
18 joined a number of my colleagues in taking a trek
19 down to the Convention Center in the Empire State
20 Plaza where the Farm Bureau held its annual Taste
21 of New York reception. And at one of the first
22 tables that we stopped at, one of the individuals
23 doubled as both a vintner as well as a distiller.
24 And on one side of his table were his wines, and
25 he was offering tastings of his wines, and on the
1083
1 other half of the table were some of his spirits
2 that he distilled.
3 And he explained to us that this
4 side of the table could be shipped direct to
5 consumer, and he's been able to do that for years
6 and years and he's been able to incorporate that
7 into his business model. And this side of the
8 table, arbitrarily, he could not ship.
9 And it is high time that, yes, of
10 course, we enact this bill and allow for cideries
11 to be able to direct-ship to consumers. But our
12 distilleries around the state are closing. And
13 we have other legislation -- I know we're limited
14 to offering remarks on the legislation on the
15 floor here, but there are distilleries closing
16 around the state. We have to take up this issue
17 wholesale and ensure that our small manufacturers
18 in the state are able to survive and thrive and
19 direct-to-consumer ship their product.
20 Thank you, Madam President. I vote
21 yes.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
23 Skoufis to be recorded in the affirmative.
24 Announce the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
1084
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The bill
2 is passed.
3 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
4 reading of the calendar.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
6 Madam President.
7 Returning to motions and
8 resolutions, amendments are offered to the
9 following Third Reading Calendar bills:
10 By Senator Rivera, on page 24,
11 Calendar 384, Senate Print 4890.
12 Also by Senator Rivera on page 24,
13 Calendar 385, Senate Print 6408A.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
15 amendments are received, and the bills will
16 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
17 Senator Gianaris.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please recognize
19 Senator Gonzalez for an introduction.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
21 Gonzalez.
22 SENATOR GONZALEZ: Thank you,
23 Madam President.
24 I rise today to welcome Dr. David Wu
25 to the State Senate floor. Dr. Wu is the
1085
1 esteemed president of Baruch College, a beacon of
2 higher education within my district and a proud
3 member of the CUNY system.
4 With nearly 20,000 students, Baruch
5 College stands as a testament to the
6 transformative power of top-quality higher
7 education accessible to all New Yorkers.
8 Baruch's legacy, dating back to the founding of
9 the Free Academy in 1847, continues today as it
10 provides transformative education to New Yorkers.
11 President Wu, taking the helm during the
12 unprecedented challenges of 2020, has led Baruch
13 to significant growth.
14 Amidst a national backdrop of
15 declining enrollments, Baruch stands out with a
16 26 percent surge in applications and a 12 percent
17 increase in student enrollment. The Wall Street
18 Journal's 2023 ranking underscores this
19 achievement, naming Baruch as the best value of
20 all universities in the United States.
21 Dr. Wu's leadership system is
22 characterized by a pioneering vision that marries
23 academic rigor with accessibility, and Baruch's
24 students are the embodiment of determination and
25 it success. And its alumni continue to make
1086
1 significant contributions to New York's economy
2 and beyond, including numerous members in the
3 Assembly and the Senate.
4 Colleagues, please join me in
5 extending a warm welcome to President Wu, a true
6 champion of opportunity, excellence and
7 transformative outcomes.
8 Thank you.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: To our
10 guest, President Wu, I welcome you on behalf of
11 the Senate. We extend to you the privileges and
12 courtesies of this house. You're already
13 standing, but please rise and be recognized.
14 (Standing ovation.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
16 Gianaris.
17 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
18 I move to adopt the Resolution Calendar, with the
19 exception of Resolutions 1896, 1902 and 1903.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: All
21 those in favor of adopting the
22 Resolution Calendar, with the exception of
23 Resolutions 1896, 1902 and 1903, please signify
24 by saying aye.
25 (Response of "Aye.")
1087
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Opposed,
2 nay.
3 (No response.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
5 Resolution Calendar is adopted.
6 Senator Gianaris.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Now let's begin
8 with Resolution 1896, by Senator Hinchey, read
9 that resolution's title, and recognize
10 Senator Hinchey.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
12 Secretary will read.
13 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1896, by
14 Senator Hinchey, memorializing Governor Kathy
15 Hochul to proclaim March 17-23, 2024, as
16 Agriculture Week in the State of New York.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
18 Hinchey on the resolution.
19 SENATOR HINCHEY: Thank you,
20 Madam President.
21 New York agriculture is a
22 foundational aspect of our everyday lives and our
23 statewide economy. It's also an industry that
24 requires our continuous support and protection.
25 Agriculture is an industry with the highest
1088
1 potential to do the most good -- to fight hunger,
2 affect regional resilience in the face of the
3 climate crisis, expand diversity and equity
4 across an entire workforce sector, and galvanize
5 a new generation of farmers to take the helm.
6 Here in New York, we are an ag
7 state. We have nearly 32,000 family farms. The
8 agriculture sector is a $7.5 billion industry.
9 We have over -- hundreds and hundreds of
10 thousands of acres of farmland, and we produce
11 some of the best products around. From dairy to
12 craft beverages like wine and cider and spirits
13 and beer, to the best vegetables you could find,
14 maple products -- you name it, we've got it.
15 Shout out to our friends on Long Island, our
16 oyster farmers, who were here yesterday at
17 Taste New York.
18 We have an incredible array of
19 agricultural goods. And it is incumbent upon us
20 to do everything we can to support this sector,
21 to make sure that they grow and that they thrive.
22 Agriculture is really a beautiful
23 thing. It's a bipartisan issue, as we've heard
24 here today, and it's one that unites upstate and
25 downstate together. At the height of the
1089
1 pandemic, it was our upstate farmers who were
2 providing food to people who needed it the most.
3 And with the legislative package
4 that we've passed here today -- with strong
5 bipartisan support -- we're not only trying to
6 expand markets for our farmers, should the
7 Assembly pick up all of these bills, but to
8 expand markets for our farmers to make it easier
9 for them to be able to access the services that
10 are available across our multitude of agencies,
11 and to be able to actually bring farmers in to
12 help solve the climate crisis more than they
13 already are today.
14 It is my pleasure to sponsor the
15 resolution that proclaims March 17th to 23rd as
16 Agriculture Week in the State of New York, in
17 conjunction with National Agriculture Week, and
18 it's wonderful that today we have members of the
19 Farm Bureau who are here with us, including three
20 multigenerational dairy farmers.
21 It's wonderful that we get to
22 celebrate agriculture in this chamber, and I'm
23 really happy to vote aye on this resolution.
24 Thank you, Madam President.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
1090
1 you, Senator.
2 Senator Borrello on the resolution.
3 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you,
4 Madam President.
5 I want to thank Senator Hinchey, our
6 chair of Agriculture, for introducing this
7 resolution to celebrate agriculture. We all I
8 think enjoyed going to the showcase last night
9 and seeing the amazing diversity of products
10 across New York State.
11 This is an agriculture state, as has
12 been mentioned. But most importantly,
13 agriculture is the backbone of our economy. You
14 know, I'm proud to represent more than 4,000
15 farms in the 57th Senate District, and thousands
16 upon thousands of farmers. New York State
17 produces everything from dairy products to
18 apples, and as the Senator mentioned, so many
19 other diverse products.
20 But we are in a challenging time
21 right now for agriculture. In a recent census,
22 from 2017 to 2022 we lost 9 percent of our farms
23 here in New York State, most of them family-run
24 farms. And while there are a number of factors
25 in that, we cannot overlook the activities in
1091
1 this chamber that have a negative impact on
2 agriculture.
3 So we're here to celebrate and
4 support agriculture. I ask my colleagues to
5 ensure that, when we are voting, we are sensitive
6 to the fact that so many people in New York State
7 rely on agriculture -- those who require
8 obviously the jobs that it creates, but also the
9 food that is created by our farmers. It's a very
10 difficult job. Both of my grandfathers were
11 farmers. It's a tough job every single day. And
12 every single day those folks get up to do nothing
13 more than to put food on our tables. It's that
14 simple, folks: No farms, no food.
15 Thank you to our farmers, and God
16 bless you all.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
18 you, Senator.
19 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
20 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
21 Madam President.
22 I want to thank Senator Hinchey and
23 Senator Borrello for this -- for all the work
24 they do. Walking with Senator Hinchey yesterday
25 at the Farm Bureau is like walking around with
1092
1 Jay-Z at a rock concert.
2 (Laughter.)
3 SENATOR BAILEY: She is an
4 agriculture superstar. And it is really
5 impressive and important that we've been able to
6 cultivate this link between upstate and
7 downstate.
8 In the worst of the pandemic, people
9 put their partisanship aside to make sure that
10 bellies were full. And if there's anything that
11 we can see based upon the wide margins of support
12 for these bipartisan bills that were on today's
13 agenda, it's that everybody needs to eat. And I
14 think that if there's a unifying force in this
15 state, it can be agriculture. Many folks from
16 the downstate region go to upstate regions for
17 berry picking or apple picking or wineries or
18 things of that nature. And I think that the more
19 that we engage with each other, the better we'll
20 understand each other.
21 But we do understand that locally
22 grown products are the lifeblood of our
23 community. And the more we can do as a state to
24 continue supporting our farms in many different
25 ways, and expanding what we think of as farms,
1093
1 with urban ag and things of that nature, we'll be
2 a much better state.
3 So again, Senator Hinchey, thank you
4 for your incredible leadership. We truly
5 appreciate it. And I proudly vote aye on the
6 resolution, Madam President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
8 you, Senator.
9 Senator Palumbo on the resolution.
10 SENATOR PALUMBO: Thank you,
11 Madam President. And from the
12 southern-easternmost portion of the state, I
13 wanted to also rise in support of this resolution
14 and thank the sponsor.
15 And I think that many people in the
16 State of New York don't realize the diverse
17 aspect of Senate District 1, the number-one
18 district for aquaculture, No. 4 in wine. Suffolk
19 County at one point was number one in production,
20 agriculture production statewide for many, many
21 years. I think now they're around third.
22 So whether it's Western New York,
23 Mid-Hudson/Capitol Region, or the five boroughs,
24 even all the way out in Senate District One,
25 farming is a way of life.
1094
1 So I just wanted to rise in support
2 of this resolution. I'm so glad that we can all
3 celebrate this together, because it really is the
4 fabric of our communities. So I proudly vote
5 aye.
6 Thank you, Madam President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
8 you, Senator.
9 To our guests, I welcome you on
10 behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the
11 privileges and courtesies of this house.
12 Please rise and be recognized.
13 (Standing ovation.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
15 question is on the resolution. All in favor
16 signify by saying aye.
17 (Response of "Aye.")
18 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Opposed,
19 nay.
20 (No response.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
22 resolution is adopted.
23 Senator Gianaris.
24 SENATOR GIANARIS: Now I want to
25 know whether Senator Borrello or Senator Palumbo
1095
1 has the best agriculture. You guys can figure it
2 out amongst yourselves.
3 (Laughter.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Uh-oh.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now move
6 on to previously adopted Resolution 1849, by
7 Senator Stec, read that resolution's title and
8 recognize Senator Stec.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
10 Secretary will read.
11 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1849, by
12 Senator Stec, congratulating the Adirondack
13 United Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team upon the
14 occasion of capturing the New York State Public
15 High School Athletic Association Girls Ice Hockey
16 Regional Championship on February 17, 2024.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
18 Stec on the resolution.
19 SENATOR STEC: Thank you,
20 Madam President.
21 It's always a privilege to have the
22 opportunity to welcome and honor our local
23 student athletes to the Senate chamber.
24 On February 17th, the Adirondack
25 United Girls Varsity Hockey Team finished 18-0
1096
1 and captured the New York State Public High
2 School Athletic Association Girls Ice Hockey
3 State Regional Championship at the Nexus Center
4 in Utica.
5 The team consists of players from
6 six local school districts -- Queensbury, South
7 Glens Falls, Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Corinth,
8 and Saratoga Springs. With the guidance of Head
9 Coach Jeff Willis, Assistant Coach Margaret
10 Lawrence, and athletic director Matt Griep, the
11 team worked hard and came across school district
12 lines to become state regional champions.
13 Here they are, Coach Willis,
14 Assistant Coach Lawrence, Queensbury School
15 Superintendent Kyle Gannon, and they're joined by
16 the entire team: Ava Reynolds, Gianna
17 Marcantonio, Ciara Gecewicz, Kady Duffy,
18 Tekla Fine-Lease, Kara Raven, Bayley Duffy,
19 Alyssa Temple, Madison Macaulay, Rowan
20 Lochner-Fehl, Jessica Freebern, Lucy Pliscofsky,
21 Alle Webb, Emily Macaulay, Amelia Laszewski,
22 Lillian Willis, Haylee Flewelling, Maeve McCarty,
23 Paige Nelson, Emerson Lochner-Fehl, Ella Bray,
24 Aubrey Lozier, Chiara Tuthill, Emma Lemery,
25 Caroline Lieberth, Emilee Underwood, and
1097
1 Aurora Graham Hayes.
2 I'd like to congratulate and
3 recognize these fine student athletes in the
4 Adirondack United Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Team
5 for winning the Girls Ice Hockey Regional State
6 Championship.
7 And Madam President, I request that
8 you please extend the full cordialities of the
9 Senate floor to them.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
11 you, Senator.
12 To our guests, I welcome you on
13 behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the
14 privileges and courtesies of this house.
15 Please stand and be recognized.
16 (Standing ovation.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
18 resolution was previously adopted on February 27.
19 Senator Gianaris.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's stick with
21 Stec.
22 (Laughter.)
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: We'll do
24 previously adopted Resolution 1514, by
25 Senator Stec, read that resolution's title, and
1098
1 recognize Senator Stec.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1514, by
5 Senator Stec, congratulating Gretchen Braun upon
6 the occasion of capturing the Girls 100 Yard
7 Backstroke title at the New York State Public
8 High School Athletic Association Girls Swimming
9 and Diving Championship on November 18, 2023.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
11 Stec on the resolution.
12 SENATOR STEC: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 I'd like to thank Senator Gianaris
15 for suggesting a nice campaign slogan.
16 (Laughter.)
17 SENATOR STEC: Appreciate that
18 effort from Senator Gianaris.
19 I'd like to take this opportunity to
20 recognize and welcome, instead of a group of
21 athletes, a single athlete who recently made
22 history. Gretchen Braun won the Girls 100 Yard
23 Backstroke at the New York State Public High
24 School Athletic Association Girls Swimming and
25 Diving Championship on November 18, 2023, at the
1099
1 Webster Aquatic Center in Webster.
2 Gretchen is a student at
3 Lisbon Central but competes for the Canton
4 Central School through a merger agreement. This
5 past season was a historic one for her, as she
6 set numerous Section 10 records, most notably
7 with her winning time of 55.46 seconds in the
8 100 Yard Backstroke at the state championship
9 meet.
10 Gretchen is joined here in Albany
11 today by her father, Peter Braun, who, along with
12 his wife Michelle and her mother, operates the
13 Woodcrest Dairy Farm in Lisbon. Also here is
14 Lisbon Central School Athletic Director
15 Erika Backus and Lisbon Central School
16 Superintendent Patrick Farrand.
17 I'd like to congratulate and
18 recognize Gretchen Braun for winning the Girls
19 100 Yard Backstroke at the Girls Swimming and
20 Diving Championship. And, Madam President, I
21 request that she, along with her family and
22 coaches, also receive the cordialities of the
23 Senate floor.
24 Thank you very much, and
25 congratulations.
1100
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
2 you, Senator.
3 To our guests, Gretchen Braun and
4 your family, I welcome you on behalf of the
5 Senate. We extend to you the privileges and
6 courtesies of this house.
7 Please be recognized.
8 (Standing ovation.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
10 resolution was previously adopted on January 9th.
11 Senator Gianaris.
12 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's move to
13 Resolution 1902, by Leader Stewart-Cousins, read
14 that resolution's title and recognize
15 Senator Myrie on the resolution.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
17 Secretary will read.
18 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1902, by
19 Senator Stewart-Cousins, commemorating the
20 59th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the
21 Selma-to-Montgomery march across the
22 Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, which
23 served as a catalyst for passage of the 1965
24 Voting Rights Act.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
1101
1 Myrie on the resolution.
2 SENATOR MYRIE: Thank you,
3 Madam President.
4 What an honor it is for us to have
5 seats in this chamber, to be able to have
6 exchanges about policy that affect millions and
7 millions of New Yorkers every single day. An
8 honor and a privilege to be sent here by our
9 constituents, who go with quiet dignity into the
10 voting booth and send us here to fight for their
11 communities.
12 But it is an honor and a privilege
13 that was paid for with blood. Paid for on the
14 skull of John R. Lewis on March 7, 1965. Paid
15 for by Amelia Boynton Robinson, beaten
16 unconscious for the world to see on March 7,
17 1965. Paid for by the life of a young white
18 preacher, James Reeb, killed because he marched
19 from Selma to Montgomery.
20 And what is remarkable about this
21 story and these events, it's not just that a few
22 months after the marches we passed the national
23 Voting Rights Act -- which, by the way, increased
24 voter registration in Selma from 500 registered
25 Black voters in 1965 to 11,000 in 1966 after the
1102
1 law's passage.
2 But that's not the only remarkable
3 thing about what happened that day. We should
4 also note, as we stand in this state's Capitol,
5 that they weren't marching to the nation's
6 Capitol, they were marching to a state capitol.
7 Because it is here, in this chamber, where we are
8 charged with protecting our right to vote.
9 What's really remarkable about this
10 story is that they went back after being beaten.
11 I've been assaulted by law enforcement before.
12 It is difficult to this day for me to be in
13 settings where that is a possibility. They did
14 it in a matter of weeks. And they didn't just go
15 back once, they went back three times. It was
16 the third time that they made it all the way up
17 to Montgomery.
18 So it is that undeterred passion,
19 that undeterred mission to call this country to
20 her ideals, to say: We challenge you because we
21 love you. We want you to be the best that you
22 can be, to uphold the creed that men and women
23 are created equal.
24 That's what happened on March 7th.
25 And that is what our responsibility today
1103
1 remains. We must pick up that mantle of
2 undeterred passion, protection for our democracy,
3 calling this country to its true ideals. People
4 died for it. They bled for it. They were
5 knocked unconscious for it.
6 So we have a duty -- and I thank the
7 leader for bringing this resolution every single
8 year so we are reminded of it. But I don't have
9 to tell any of you that it is more important now
10 than ever that we be dedicated to those ideals of
11 our democracy.
12 So I look forward not only to voting
13 in the affirmative for this resolution, but for
14 us to keep this spirit, for us to keep this
15 focus. We have a job to do in this chamber: We
16 must protect our republic. And it requires every
17 single one of us to channel that same spirit.
18 So I proudly vote in the affirmative
19 and urge all my colleagues to do the same.
20 Thank you.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
22 you, Senator.
23 The question is on the resolution.
24 All in favor signify by saying aye.
25 (Response of "Aye.")
1104
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Opposed,
2 nay.
3 (No response.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
5 resolution is adopted.
6 Senator Gianaris.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: And now,
8 Madam President, Resolution 1903, also by
9 Leader Stewart-Cousins. Please read that
10 resolution in its entirety and recognize
11 Senator Webb.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
13 Secretary will read.
14 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1903, by
15 Senator Stewart-Cousins, memorializing
16 Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 2024 as
17 Women's History Month in the State of New York.
18 "WHEREAS, March is Women's History
19 Month; and
20 "WHEREAS, March 8th is International
21 Women's Day; and
22 "WHEREAS, Each year New York State
23 officially sets aside time to recognize the
24 unique contributions that New York women have
25 made to New York State and beyond; and
1105
1 "WHEREAS, New York State has a
2 distinguished history of monumental achievements
3 in the area of women's rights; and
4 "WHEREAS, In 1826, New York State
5 opened one of the first public high schools for
6 girls, resulting in a future for women in which
7 they were no longer confined to the home, a
8 future in which they were educated and able to
9 use this education to better their social and
10 economic status; and
11 "WHEREAS, In 1848 in New York, the
12 first women's rights convention was held at
13 Seneca Falls to secure for all women the right to
14 vote; and
15 "WHEREAS, In 1903, The Women's Trade
16 Union League of New York was formed to represent
17 working women, later becoming the nucleus for
18 the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union;
19 and
20 "WHEREAS, In 1917, New York
21 guaranteed women the right to vote in all
22 elections, and in the following year the first
23 two women, Ida Sammis and Mary Lilly, were
24 elected to the New York State Legislature and
25 became the first women to then serve in 1919; and
1106
1 "WHEREAS, Rhoda Fox Graves, in 1934,
2 became the first woman to be elected to the
3 New York State Senate; she served from 1935 to
4 1948, sitting in the 158th, 159th, 160th, 161st,
5 162nd, 163rd, 164th, 165th, and 166th New York
6 State Legislatures; and
7 "WHEREAS, In 1955, Bessie Buchanan
8 was the first African-American woman to serve in
9 the New York State Legislature; and
10 "WHEREAS, In 1967, Muriel Siebert
11 became the first woman to own a seat on the
12 New York Stock Exchange, opening the door for
13 women to gain positions of greater economic
14 power; and
15 "WHEREAS, In 1968, New York State
16 Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm became the first
17 Black woman elected to Congress, and in 1972,
18 she ran for President of the United States,
19 another first for Black women; and
20 "WHEREAS, In 1970, New York City was
21 the site of the first Women's Strike for
22 Equality, in which 50,000 people marched for
23 equal rights; and
24 "WHEREAS, In 1978, Olga Mendez
25 became the first Latina woman to serve in the
1107
1 New York State Legislature; and
2 "WHEREAS, In 1983, New York State
3 women legislators established the Legislative
4 Women's Caucus to improve the participation of
5 women in all areas of government, support issues
6 that benefit women and provide a network of
7 support for women in the State Legislature; and
8 "WHEREAS, In 2007, Ellen Young was
9 the first Asian-American woman to serve in the
10 New York State Legislature; and
11 "WHEREAS, In 2009, New Yorker
12 Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic Justice
13 appointed to the United States Supreme Court; and
14 "WHEREAS, In 2015, New Yorker
15 Loretta Elizabeth Lynch was appointed as Attorney
16 General of the United States, becoming the first
17 African-American woman to serve in this esteemed
18 position; and
19 "WHEREAS, In 2020, Ruth Bader
20 Ginsburg, who was born and raised in Brooklyn,
21 New York, became the first woman to lie in repose
22 at the Supreme Court Building, as well as the
23 first woman to lay in state at the Capitol;
24 Avril Haines, of New York City, became the first
25 woman to serve as the Director of National
1108
1 Intelligence on January 21, 2021; furthermore, on
2 January 26, 2021, Janet Yellen of Bay Ridge,
3 Brooklyn, became the first woman to serve as the
4 Secretary of Treasury; and
5 "WHEREAS, New York has been the home
6 of many extraordinary women who have led society
7 to a better future: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
8 Susan B. Anthony led the campaign for women's
9 suffrage; Sojourner Truth spoke out for the
10 abolition of slavery and for suffrage for all
11 women; and
12 "WHEREAS, Carrie Chapman Catt became
13 the first president of the League of
14 Women Voters; Emma Willard opened the first
15 endowed institution for the education of women;
16 Civil War surgeon Dr. Mary E. Walker was the only
17 woman ever awarded the Congressional Medal of
18 Honor; Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist who led
19 slaves to freedom by way of the Underground
20 Railroad in the 19th century; and
21 "WHEREAS, Elizabeth Blackwell and
22 Belva Lockwood were the first women in the fields
23 of medicine and law; pioneer birth control
24 educator and advocate Margaret Sanger established
25 a research center in New York City; and
1109
1 "WHEREAS, Emma Goldman founded the
2 Free Speech League, which led to the
3 American Civil Liberties Union; humanitarian
4 Eleanor Roosevelt served as United States
5 Delegate to the United Nations; and
6 "WHEREAS, New Yorker Edith Windsor
7 fought to expand marriage equality in the
8 United States prior to the Marriage Equality Act
9 of New York, which became law in 2011; and
10 "WHEREAS, Civil rights lawyer and
11 New York State Senator Constance Baker Motley
12 became the first Black woman to sit on the U.S.
13 District Court in New York, and there have been
14 so many more known and unknown women who
15 championed rights and opportunity for all; and
16 "WHEREAS, New York State has hosted
17 many conventions, campaigns and events of the
18 Women's Rights Movement, from the 1848 convention
19 at Seneca Falls to the 1999 Berkshire Conference
20 of Women Historians, which was held to improve
21 the status of women in history and in the
22 historical professions; and
23 "WHEREAS, Currently, 50 percent of
24 statewide elected officials are women; and
25 "WHEREAS, 2024 marks the 104th
1110
1 Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which
2 guaranteed women the right to vote in the
3 United States; and
4 "WHEREAS, Today, 72 women serve in
5 the New York State Legislature, making up
6 48 percent of the seats, holding leadership
7 positions in both houses and bringing the diverse
8 experiences of women into law and public policy;
9 now, therefore, be it
10 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
11 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
12 Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 2024, as
13 Women's History Month in the State of New York;
14 and be it further
15 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
16 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
17 the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State
18 of New York, and the Legislative Women's Caucus
19 of New York State."
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
21 Webb on the resolution.
22 SENATOR WEBB: Thank you,
23 Madam President.
24 I rise to thank my Senate colleagues
25 and our Senate Majority Leader, Andrea
1111
1 Stewart-Cousins, for supporting this resolution
2 memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul's
3 proclamation for the month of March as Women's
4 History Month in the State of New York.
5 March officially became Women's
6 History Month in 1987. I will not tell you how
7 old I was at that time.
8 (Laughter.)
9 SENATOR WEBB: But it gives us the
10 opportunity to lift up and celebrate historical
11 and present-day contributions of women in the
12 United States.
13 As we celebrate Women's History
14 Month in this chamber today, we stand on the
15 shoulders of powerful women who came before us,
16 leaders who understood the assignment and fought
17 to ensure equality and justice.
18 Whether it's trailblazers and
19 breakers of glass ceilings and sometimes brick
20 ceilings when it comes to women of color, like
21 our Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the
22 first Black woman to lead the State of New York
23 Senate, or whether you look at leaders such as
24 the Super 6, the first all-women class of
25 freshman Senators elected in the history of New
1112
1 York State, whether you look at all of my women
2 colleagues who I'm so proud to serve alongside,
3 courageous women like Shirley Chisholm, one of my
4 sheroes, who boldly brought her own chair to
5 tables that did not have a place for her, other
6 Black women, and other women of color.
7 Generations of women who have fought
8 so hard for gender equity on all issues -- our
9 grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters, our
10 aunties, and friends who have given so much and
11 inspired us along our paths as public servants.
12 We celebrate Women's History Month
13 in honor of all the women who came before us and
14 whose struggles paved our way. And we in turn
15 will commit to doing this work so that the path
16 is smoother for our sisters, daughters, nieces --
17 all of the young women and girls who represent
18 our future.
19 Madam President, as we celebrate
20 Women's History Month this year we do so with the
21 knowledge that our fight for equality and justice
22 is not over. We are still paid less for the same
23 type of work here in 2024. We are still
24 grappling with laws that are moving to -- that
25 have been enacted to remove our bodily autonomy.
1113
1 Our reproductive freedoms are under attack. It
2 has been nearly two years since Roe v. Wade was
3 overturned by the Supreme Court, putting a
4 once-settled constitutional right under threat
5 for millions of women. Since that harrowing day,
6 there have been continued attempts to chip away
7 at our rights, including attempts to restrict
8 access to abortion medication, a safe medication
9 approved by the FDA over two decades ago.
10 And just last week, we saw attacks
11 against IVF, the standard fertility treatment
12 that has helped so many struggling couples to
13 start families.
14 And the list goes on. And quite
15 frankly, enough is enough.
16 In January we marked the 51st
17 anniversary of Roe v. Wade with the Senate
18 Democratic Majority advancing landmark
19 legislation to strengthen New Yorkers'
20 reproductive rights and improve maternal health
21 outcomes. Make no mistake: Reproductive care
22 and maternal care is an essential component of
23 our healthcare system. And at a time when
24 abortion bans are proliferating across the
25 country, and when you look at national maternal
1114
1 mortality rates that are in a crisis, it
2 continues to grow.
3 And this particular issue affects
4 many women and is three times higher here in the
5 U.S. than any other high-income nation. The U.S.
6 maternal mortality rate is even higher for Black
7 women, who are nearly three times more likely to
8 die from a pregnancy-related cause than white
9 women. And in New York State we are also seeing
10 this disparity in realtime as we too struggle
11 with this public health challenge.
12 It is important to note, however,
13 that these are not solely women's issues, but
14 impact everyone. For when a mother dies in
15 childbirth, that is not just a women's issue.
16 The pain, the struggles, the losses suffered by
17 women reverberate in our families and throughout
18 our communities. When we empower women and
19 ensure that they have access to the resources
20 they need to fulfill their potential and follow
21 their dreams, not only do we improve the lives of
22 women but, by extension, we are also
23 strengthening families, communities and our
24 entire state.
25 So as I close, as we continue to
1115
1 commemorate Women's History Month I hope you all
2 will join me in reaffirming our commitment as a
3 legislative body to pass policies that are
4 committed to equal rights representation and
5 justice for all the women and girls of our great
6 state here in New York.
7 I am very proud to vote in favor of
8 this resolution, and I hope my colleagues will
9 join me in celebrating Women's History Month by
10 voting aye.
11 Thank you, Madam President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
13 you.
14 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick on the
15 resolution.
16 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
17 Thank you, Madam President.
18 As was just stated, we have to think
19 about the women that came before us that allow us
20 to be present in this chamber. I want to thank
21 the Majority Leader for bringing this resolution
22 to the floor.
23 I did a little research about my
24 district, and I was pleasantly surprised that I'm
25 not the first women to serve in the 9th Senate
1116
1 District. Karen Bernstein was a Senator from
2 1972 to 1979 and was a graduate from Fordham Law
3 School. Carol Berman was a Senator for the
4 9th Senate District from 1979 to 1984 and just
5 passed away in October one month after her
6 100th birthday.
7 On a personal note, I have to
8 mention my dear grandmother, Sophie Canzoneri,
9 who immigrated to this country from Italy in 1931
10 as a new bride expecting her first child, and had
11 the courage to leave behind Sicily and come to
12 the United States for a better life.
13 And I have to say that my father, at
14 the age of 90, still encourages me and my two
15 sisters that anything we do is possible, and that
16 simply because we are women there is no
17 difference between the three of us and my three
18 brothers. And it's on his recommendation, and
19 following his lead, that I became an attorney.
20 And I'm his law partner to this day. And I'm so
21 proud that my father, who would typically be
22 considered an Italian immigrant who would not
23 have supported women, is actually so much a
24 champion for women's rights.
25 My mom is his legal secretary, and
1117
1 still works today well into her eighties. And as
2 a grandmother of 13, who I call upon frequently
3 when I'm here in Albany to drive my children
4 somewhere or help out because I'm not there, I am
5 so proud that my parents have continued to
6 encourage me to be in this chamber.
7 I hope every day that I'm an example
8 to my three daughters that anything is possible,
9 regardless of your sex, of where you came from,
10 of your educational background. Because that's
11 what this is about, supporting women and
12 understanding that every day we're making history
13 in this chamber.
14 And I too was just elected with the
15 six women on the other side of the aisle. And
16 unfortunately, I'm not always mentioned. But
17 there were seven women that were elected in 2022.
18 So I'm very proud to be part of that class.
19 Thank you, Madam President.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
21 you, Senator.
22 Senator Rolison on the resolution.
23 SENATOR ROLISON: Thank you,
24 Madam President.
25 I rise today to honor the legacy of
1118
1 an outstanding New Yorker during Women's History
2 Month, and in support of the resolution before
3 the chamber.
4 This is about a woman from
5 Poughkeepsie who has a name on a building. And
6 until I became mayor and found out who that woman
7 was and what she did, it was just a name on a
8 building.
9 Jane Matilda Bolin was born and
10 raised in Poughkeepsie. She was a brilliant
11 student who graduated high school at just 15.
12 She was a pioneer in many fields who would go on
13 to break glass ceilings and overcome bigotry.
14 Today a mural at the Dutchess County
15 Courthouse prominently features her father, Gaius
16 Bolin, Sr. And the Poughkeepsie City School
17 District former headquarters was renamed the
18 Jane Bolin Administration Building to honor her
19 legal and social reforms. And kids to this
20 day -- the building is still there -- walk by
21 that every day, and I daresay the majority of
22 them don't know who Jane Bolin is, just like I
23 didn't until I looked into it.
24 Jane Bolin was a woman of firsts.
25 She was the first Black woman to graduate from
1119
1 Yale Law School, first to join the New York City
2 Bar. And in 1939, at the age of 31, she was the
3 First black female judge in the history of the
4 United States. And she would remain on the
5 Family Court bench for over 40 years. And it
6 wasn't easy.
7 So she was born in 1938, where her
8 father practiced law, and he was the first Black
9 president of the Dutchess County Bar Association.
10 And while she was a college undergraduate, she
11 described many of the things that were going on
12 in the attitudes of her fellow students --
13 excluding her from social functions and requiring
14 Jane to live off-campus.
15 Well, it didn't stop her. It didn't
16 stop her at all. She followed her dreams, and
17 she entered Yale Law School. And she was the
18 only Black student in her graduating class.
19 Now, during her long and prestigious
20 legal career, Jane Bolin was a fierce advocate
21 for civil rights and the rights of children,
22 especially, as related to education and health.
23 Jane served with distinction on the boards of the
24 NAACP, the Child Welfare League, and the National
25 Urban League.
1120
1 Her passion for children and
2 educational rights went on long after her
3 retirement, where she volunteered as a reading
4 instructor in New York City public schools,
5 passing on her love to the students of learning
6 that she had known as a young woman in
7 Poughkeepsie many years before.
8 So Madam President, Jane Bolin was a
9 trailblazer, a first-rate legal mind. She
10 continues to this day to inspire, in the
11 Hudson Valley and across our great state. And I
12 am honored to support the Majority Leader's
13 resolution before us today.
14 Thank you, Madam President.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
16 you, Senator.
17 Senator Helming on the resolution.
18 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 I'm honored to speak before this
21 body to commemorate Women's History Month. Women
22 in New York State have played an integral role in
23 shaping our nation. They fought for suffrage,
24 secured dignity for those who have faced
25 inequality, and been leaders in every imaginable
1121
1 field.
2 The 54th District that I represent
3 is home of the Ontario County Courthouse, where
4 in 1873 Susan B. Anthony was tried and convicted
5 of voting illegally simply because she was a
6 woman. One hundred forty-four years later, in
7 that very same courthouse, I was sworn in as the
8 first female Senator to represent the 54th
9 District.
10 Now, I know I'm not the only woman
11 in this chamber breaking down barriers. Senator
12 Stavisky and I have had conversations -- I know
13 she is the first woman to represent her district
14 as well.
15 It's a reminder of the path that
16 women throughout history have paved for all of
17 us, and the responsibility that we have today to
18 keep building that road. Across every single
19 district of this great Empire State, women
20 continue to do extraordinary, unimaginable things
21 that make a mark in their communities. As
22 leaders in business, teachers in the classroom,
23 caretakers in healthcare, public servants in law
24 enforcement, and of course change-makers in
25 government -- all of these women are shaping the
1122
1 future and inspiring the next generation of
2 female leaders.
3 Recognizing their accomplishments,
4 including women in our own families and
5 communities, inspires young girls to lead with
6 confidence and know that they can achieve any
7 dream they set their heart and mind to.
8 Strong leaders are fearless, like
9 Susan B. Anthony was. As a State Senator and
10 also as a mother and a grandmother, I share the
11 stories of strong women so my granddaughter
12 Bristol knows that anything is possible if she's
13 willing to work hard and fight for it.
14 As a legislative body, it's my hope
15 that we will always acknowledge, celebrate and
16 value women for all they have done and continue
17 to do.
18 I vote aye, Madam President.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
20 you, Senator.
21 Senator Chu on the resolution.
22 SENATOR CHU: Thank you,
23 Madam President, for allowing me to speak on this
24 important resolution today.
25 First I would like to especially
1123
1 thank Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins for
2 bringing this to the floor.
3 And to all my women colleagues in
4 this chamber, Happy Women's History Month. Thank
5 you all for being such a great role model for our
6 young girls in the future, inspiring them to be
7 whoever they want to be. And thank you for
8 making history every day.
9 This year, the theme of Women's
10 History Month is women who advocate for equity,
11 diversity and inclusion. New York State is one
12 of the most diverse states in the country, and
13 the women of our state continue to make positive
14 impacts in promoting equity and inclusivity.
15 We can all think of women in our
16 lives that are an example of this -- our mothers,
17 our daughters, friends, loved ones. However, the
18 work that is done by women to advocate for this
19 equity and inclusion is often overlooked. But
20 you can see the evidence of the effort in our
21 lives and the lives of our children. Our future
22 generation of women have more freedoms,
23 opportunities, because of the work that has been
24 done by fearless women before me. Me, as the
25 first Asian woman to serve in this chamber, I am
1124
1 here because of them.
2 The women in my life have made a
3 profound impact. However, we also know women
4 have often had to fight harder for their efforts
5 to be recognized. During 2024 we recognize the
6 example of women who are committed to embracing
7 everyone and excluding no one in our common quest
8 for freedom and opportunity.
9 Celebrating Women's History Month
10 cannot and should not be confined to one month of
11 the year. Recognizing the contributions and
12 achievements of women in our history helps forge
13 the path of future leaders. I hope young women
14 and girls in my district and all over New York
15 State know that they can work hard, dream big,
16 and achieve anything they set their minds to.
17 I will continue to uplift and
18 highlight the extraordinary work of the women in
19 New York and fight against the barriers us women
20 have had to face for decades.
21 For all these reasons, I proudly
22 vote aye. And thank you, Madam President.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
24 you, Senator.
25 Senator May on the resolution.
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1 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
2 Madam President.
3 And I want to thank the
4 Majority Leader and thank Senator Webb for her
5 powerful comments.
6 I am rising partly because there
7 were several names mentioned in the resolution of
8 people from my district, including of course
9 Harriet Tubman, who chose Auburn as her home for
10 the last four decades of her life, and
11 Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first woman to
12 receive a medical doctor degree in the
13 United States, from what is now known as SUNY
14 Upstate Medical University.
15 But I really wanted to stand up and
16 talk about someone who's making history right
17 now. A couple of weeks ago I was able to offer a
18 resolution in honor of Dr. Jeanette Epps, who had
19 been chosen by NASA to go to the International
20 Space Station. I'm happy to report that she
21 launched on Sunday night and arrived this morning
22 at the space station.
23 And she made a statement where she
24 said she was in a New York State of mind up there
25 on the space station, really grateful to Syracuse
1126
1 and New York State for the support that she's
2 received.
3 So I just wanted to give people that
4 update, and I vote aye.
5 Thank you.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
7 you, Senator.
8 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
9 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 It's really important that every
12 year I give gratitude to the leader for this
13 resolution and to all of my incredible women
14 colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
15 And it's important that I continue
16 to etch my daughters' names in the annals of the
17 State Senate. It is something that I will
18 continue to do, and say their names as part of
19 the official record, because literally,
20 figuratively, metaphorically, and in any other
21 sense of the word, women are often left out of
22 the official record. So Giada Bailey and Carina
23 Bailey, my daughters, will forever be enshrined
24 in the record of the State Legislature.
25 Now, whether they choose a career in
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1 public service is completely up to them. They
2 have that ability to do so. But it's important
3 that as a man that I do what I can to make sure
4 that my daughters' names are uplifted.
5 Now, it is that wheel of ally-ship
6 that we must make sure we do to uplift all of the
7 women in our lives. And as Senator Chu aptly put
8 it, it's not just this month, it's ongoing,
9 consistent. And, you know, we get to serve with
10 some really dynamic women, Madam President, you
11 being one of them. I get to sit next to the
12 funniest member in the history of the
13 State Senate in Toby Stavisky. But including --
14 excluding no one. She's the funniest person in
15 this chamber.
16 And I get to really learn from
17 incredible women day after day in this chamber.
18 But as you all know, I'm an
19 incredible sports fan. I just want to point out
20 a few things. I want to point out that if
21 Brittney Griner was paid what she was worth, she
22 would have never had to go to Russia in the first
23 place.
24 I want to point out that the U.S.
25 soccer team, the consistent championship,
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1 Gold Medal-winning, U.S. World Cup-winning --
2 World Cup-winning soccer team, we shouldn't have
3 had to go to litigation for that.
4 I want to point out that Caitlin
5 Clark is not just the all-time recordholder in
6 women's collegiate basketball, but in college
7 basketball in general. And it didn't take four
8 years, it took three. And she's going to
9 continue to compile and add on to that record.
10 I want to talk Angel Reese also in
11 LSU, and more people watching the women's college
12 basketball finals -- as far as I knew -- than the
13 men's college basketball championship last year.
14 I want to talk about Steph Curry and
15 Sabrina Ionescu, and Steph only beat her by three
16 shots this year. And we -- and this is women in
17 sports. And Title IX was 1972, but we're finally
18 realizing the fruits of that labor.
19 And women in sports, you know,
20 Chamique Holdsclaw from New York City,
21 Niesha Butler, so many different like female hoop
22 legends, point god -- point goddesses that we've
23 been able to witness throughout the years.
24 And I just want to always make sure
25 I uplift women in sports, because sometimes,
1129
1 fellas, we get on the court and we underestimate
2 and we get crossed off the court. And you learn,
3 you're gonna learn today. But I hope that we've
4 all learned the wise lesson that women are not
5 just our equal, they are -- not just on par with
6 us, they are our equal in every other way and we
7 should act accordingly.
8 Happy Women's History Month from a
9 proud father and proud husband. To my wife,
10 Giamara Rosado, love you.
11 Thank you.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
13 you, Senator.
14 Senator Cleare on the resolution.
15 SENATOR CLEARE: First I'd like to
16 join in thanking our Majority Leader for bringing
17 this very important resolution today.
18 And I too rise because some of the
19 women mentioned in the resolution represented my
20 district. And because of them, I am. Bessie
21 Buchanan. Olga Mendez. Constance Baker Motley.
22 These were leaders, true leaders. I even had the
23 fortunate opportunity to meet two of them in my
24 lifetime.
25 The people who directly impacted my
1130
1 life when I think about what even brought me
2 here -- all the block association leaders, the
3 tenant leaders, the parent association leaders,
4 so many of whom are women -- are the role models
5 that I had to follow. And I have really enjoyed
6 the mentorship of great, great women in my
7 community.
8 And most of all, I have to mention
9 one woman in particular. She's not here with me.
10 She didn't get to see me become a New York State
11 Senator. But she taught me that I belonged in
12 every room, that I could do anything that I
13 wanted to do, and that it was possible. And that
14 is Ethelee Cleare, my mother, who was my first
15 mentor and one of the greatest, most strongest
16 women that I ever knew.
17 So I happily vote aye today in
18 celebration of Women's History Month and in
19 appreciation of all the women who have touched my
20 life, including the fierce women here in the
21 New York State Senate on both sides of the aisle.
22 Thank you.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
24 you, Senator.
25 The question is on the resolution.
1131
1 All in favor signify by saying aye.
2 (Response of "Aye.")
3 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Opposed,
4 nay.
5 (No response.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
7 resolution is adopted.
8 Senator Gianaris.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
10 at the request of all the various sponsors today,
11 the resolutions we took up are open for
12 cosponsorship.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
14 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
15 you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify
16 the desk.
17 Senator Gianaris.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: There is a
19 privileged resolution at the desk. Please take
20 that up at this time, read its title, and
21 recognize Senator Mayer on the resolution.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: There is
23 a substitution at the desk.
24 The Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Senator Mayer moves
1132
1 to substitute Concurrent Resolution Number 1904
2 for the identical Assembly Concurrent Resolution
3 Number 905.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: So
5 ordered.
6 THE SECRETARY: Assembly Resolution
7 905, Concurrent Resolution of the Senate and
8 Assembly providing for the election of six
9 Regents of the University of the State of
10 New York.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Senator
12 Mayer on the resolution.
13 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
14 Madam Leader and Speaker, and thank you for the
15 opportunity to speak in support of this
16 concurrent resolution.
17 Under Section 202 of the Education
18 Law, when there are vacancies on the Board of
19 Regents, it is our obligation as legislators to
20 select both new members, and we are reappointing
21 several older members or members who have served
22 previously.
23 I want to stress to this body the
24 importance of the Board of Regents. Under the
25 leadership of Commissioner Dr. Betty Rosa and
1133
1 chancellor Dr. Lester Young, our Legislature
2 works so closely with the Board of Regents in its
3 oversight of not only education policy but the
4 regulation of the professions and the range of
5 duties which are imposed upon the State Education
6 Department.
7 This is an incredibly significant
8 and august body. These individuals volunteer
9 their time, and they spend an enormous amount of
10 time in the process of coming up with consensus
11 about some of the most challenging issues that we
12 face as a state.
13 I think we all are quite indebted to
14 them for their leadership. And I'm very pleased
15 that after consideration and review of many
16 applicants, by concurrent resolution we are
17 appointing the following individuals:
18 Hasoni Pratts, of the County of
19 Kings, to be Regent for the Second Judicial
20 District;
21 Dr. Seema Rivera, of the County of
22 Albany, to be elected Regent of the Third
23 Judicial District;
24 Patrick A. Mannion, of the County of
25 Onondaga, to be Regent from the Fifth Judicial
1134
1 District;
2 Dr. Christine D. Cea, of the County
3 of Richmond, to be re-elected Regent from the
4 Thirteenth Judicial District;
5 Dr. James E. Cottrell, of the County
6 of New York, to be re-elected for a term of five
7 years, as a Regent At Large;
8 And Wade S. Norwood, of the County
9 of Monroe, to be re-elected as a Regent At Large.
10 These distinguished individuals will
11 serve us well. It is in our interests and
12 frankly our responsibility to ensure that they
13 are appointed concurrently with the Assembly.
14 This is a very wonderful group of people who are
15 donating their time, their efforts, and their
16 collective experience to make sure our state is
17 well-served by the Board of Regents.
18 I urge a vote of yes, and I'll be
19 voting in the affirmative.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Thank
21 you, Senator.
22 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
23 can we just stand at ease for one moment. We're
24 just trying to sort out a procedural question
25 here.
1135
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
2 Senate will stand at ease.
3 (Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease
4 at 5:06 p.m.)
5 (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at
6 5:55 p.m.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
8 Senate will return to order.
9 Senator Gianaris.
10 SENATOR GIANARIS: I think we can
11 pick up where we left off, Madam President, and
12 call the vote on the privileged resolution.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
14 question is on the resolution.
15 The Secretary will call the roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: In relation to the
20 concurrent resolution, those Senators voting in
21 the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
22 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
23 Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, Ortt,
24 Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Weber and Weik.
25 Ayes, 45. Nays, 17.
1136
1 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: The
2 resolution is adopted.
3 Senator Gianaris.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
5 further business at the desk?
6 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: There is
7 no further business at the desk.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to adjourn
9 until tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6th, at
10 12:00 p.m.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD: On
12 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
13 Wednesday, March 6th, at 12:00 p.m.
14 (Whereupon, at 5:58 p.m., the Senate
15 adjourned.)
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