BILL NUMBER: S6627A

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act in relation to authorizing and directing the New York state power
authority to rename the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant to the Shirley
J. Hamilton Niagara Power Plant

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation would authorize and direct the New York state power
authority to rename the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant to the Shirley
J. Hamilton Niagara Power Plant.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 authorizes and directs the New York state power authority to
rename the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant to the Shirley J.  Hamilton
Niagara Power Plant.

Section 2 sets the effective date.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Shirley J. Hamilton passed away on March 26, 2023. She was born and
raised in Niagara Falls, New York, and graduated from Niagara Falls High
school. She attended SUNY at Buffalo for Electrical Engineering, Cornell
University School of Labor Studies and was a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Ms. Hamilton was employed at the New York State Power Authority (NYPA)
since 1979, where she rose quickly through the ranks - from a Seasonal
Groundskeeper to serving as the first woman to work on the Ice Boom. She
was the first female Warehouse person at the Niagara Project and was
once the only woman Senior Operator employed at NYPA throughout the
entire state of New York. When she passed, she was the most senior
employee at the Niagara Project, working in every union classification
in operations and had over 40 years operational experience at the facil-
ity.

Beyond her historic career at NYPA, Ms. Hamilton was a well-respected
leader in the community. She served with distinction as president of the
Niagara Falls Branch of the NAACP for several years prior to her pass-
ing. She was involved in a variety of environmental and economic devel-
opment endeavors, including serving as Secretary to the Niagara County
Workforce Investment Board, the NYS Environmental Justice Inter-agency
Task Force, and the Environmental Justice Committee for the NYS Depart-
ment of Environmental Conservation. She was the first woman and African
American to Chair the Niagara Countylndustrial Development Agency and
was appointed by Senator Charles Schumer to the Niagara River Toxins
Committee and the Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Planning Committee.
In addition, she served on the board of the Buffalo/Niagara Mentorship
Program.

Ms. Hamilton was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, includ-
ing: the Community Cares Service Award for Economic Development for
Niagara County by former Wheatfield Town Supervisor, Timothy E.  Demler,
the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Achievement Award, the AFL -
CIO Earl A. Frampton Community Service Award, the National Coalition for
Community And Justice (NCCJ) Sister/Brotherhood Award, the Every Woman
Opportunity Award of Excellence, the Trinity Baptist Church Community
Service Award, the Woman's Award of Excellence for Labor from former NYS
Senator Antoine Thompson, the NAACP President's - Political Action Advo-
cacy Award, the God's Woman "I Shall Wear a Crown" Award, and the Lion
of Judah Award from Dominion Life Christian Center.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New legislation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.