Senate Bill S4738

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 4738--A
    Cal. No. 267

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 27, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  VOLKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
  ment Operations -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered  to
  first  and second report, amended on second report, ordered to a third
  reading, and to be reprinted as amended, retaining its  place  in  the
  order of third reading

AN  ACT  to amend chapter 137 of the laws of 1817 relating to slaves and
  servants, in relation to acknowledging the tragedy of slavery  in  New
  York state

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Chapter 137 of the laws of  1817  relating  to  slaves  and
servants is amended by adding a new section XXXII-a to read as follows:
  S  XXXII-A.    ACKNOWLEDGES  THAT  SLAVERY,  THE TRANSATLANTIC AND THE
DOMESTIC SLAVE TRADE WERE APPALLING TRAGEDIES IN THE HISTORY OF NEW YORK
STATE NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR ABHORRENT BARBARISM BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF
THEIR MAGNITUDE, ORGANIZED NATURE AND ESPECIALLY THEIR NEGATION  OF  THE
HUMANITY OF THE ENSLAVED PERSON. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
FURTHER  ACKNOWLEDGES  THAT  THE  INSTITUTIONS  OF SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE
TRADE IN ENSLAVED PERSONS ARE NOW AND SHOULD  ALWAYS  HAVE  BEEN  CRIMES
AGAINST  THIS  STATE AS WELL AS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.  THE GOVERNMENT
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ALTHOUGH THE  GOVERN-
MENT  OF  THE  STATE  OF NEW YORK UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE FEDERALIST
PARTY BEGAN IN 1799 TO LEGISLATE THE GRADUAL ABOLITION OF SLAVES,  WHICH
FINALLY  OCCURRED  ON  JULY  4, 1827, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF NEW
YORK ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IN 1785 THE LEGISLATURE NARROWLY DEFEATED  A
BILL  THAT  WOULD  HAVE PROVIDED FOR GRADUAL ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN THE
STATE AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK  NEVER  SERIOUSLY
PROPOSED THE IMMEDIATE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN THE STATE. THE GOVERNMENT
OF  THE  STATE OF NEW YORK FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT A PROVISION IN THIS
CHAPTER OF THE LAWS OF NEW YORK ALLOWED TRANSIENTS TO BRING SLAVES  INTO

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD00024-02-9

S. 4738--A                          2

NEW  YORK  FOR  A  NINE  MONTH  PERIOD, AND PART-TIME RESIDENTS TO BRING
SLAVES INTO THE STATE TEMPORARILY AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF NEW
YORK ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT WAS NOT  UNTIL  1841  THAT  THESE  PRO-SLAVERY
PROVISIONS  OF OUR LAWS WERE ELIMINATED.  THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF
NEW YORK FORMALLY APOLOGIZES FOR ITS ROLE IN SANCTIONING, EXPLOITING AND
PERPETUATING SLAVERY AND ITS VESTIGES, INCLUDING THE ENACTMENT OF  SLAVE
CODES  THAT  CREATED  THE  EXPLOITATION  AND  ABUSE OF CHILDREN, AND THE
DISSOLUTION OF THEIR FAMILIES AS PERSONIFIED BY THE LIFE AND  LEGACY  OF
SOJOURNER TRUTH.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.