Regular Session - February 2, 2005
437
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 February 2, 2005
11 11:05 a.m.
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14 REGULAR SESSION
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18 LT. GOVERNOR MARY O. DONOHUE, President
19 STEVEN M. BOGGESS, Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 THE PRESIDENT: The Senate will
3 please come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and repeat with me the Pledge of
6 Allegiance.
7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
9 THE PRESIDENT: In the absence of
10 clergy, may we bow our heads in a moment of
11 silence, please.
12 (Whereupon, the assemblage
13 respected a moment of silence.)
14 THE PRESIDENT: Reading of the
15 Journal.
16 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
17 Tuesday, February 1, the Senate met pursuant
18 to adjournment. The Journal of Monday,
19 January 31, was read and approved. On motion,
20 Senate adjourned.
21 THE PRESIDENT: Without
22 objection, the Journal stands approved as
23 read.
24 Presentation of petitions.
25 Messages from the Assembly.
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1 Messages from the Governor.
2 Reports of standing committees.
3 Reports of select committees.
4 Communications and reports from
5 state officers.
6 Motions and resolutions.
7 Senator Skelos.
8 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
9 I move that we adopt the Resolution Calendar,
10 with the exception of Resolutions 257 and 294.
11 THE PRESIDENT: All in favor of
12 so adopting the Resolution Calendar please
13 signify by saying aye.
14 (Response of "Aye.")
15 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay.
16 (No response.)
17 THE PRESIDENT: The Resolution
18 Calendar is so adopted.
19 Senator Skelos.
20 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
21 at this time if we could have Resolution
22 Number 294, by Senator Little, read in its
23 entirety. And then I'd like to move for its
24 immediate adoption.
25 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary
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1 will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: By Senator
3 Little, Legislative Resolution Number 294,
4 memorializing Governor George E. Pataki to
5 proclaim February 2005 as Parent Leadership
6 Month in the State of New York.
7 "WHEREAS, Meaningful Parent
8 Leadership occurs when parents gain the
9 knowledge and skills necessary to function in
10 meaningful leadership roles and present a
11 'parent voice' to help shape the direction of
12 their families, programs and communities; and
13 "WHEREAS, Parent Leadership is an
14 essential and effective means of strengthening
15 families and preventing child abuse and
16 neglect; and
17 "WHEREAS, Parents Anonymous
18 Incorporated has created National Parent
19 Leadership Month to recognize the
20 extraordinary courage and tenacity of parents
21 who have reached out to make improvements in
22 their families and communities; and
23 "WHEREAS, The Child Care Council of
24 the North Country recognizes the vital
25 importance of partnering with parents and
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1 assists public systems and private
2 organizations, policymakers and other key
3 stakeholders to effectively implement Parent
4 Leadership strategies; and
5 "WHEREAS, Parent Leadership is a
6 necessary component in an effective family
7 strengthening and family support program; and
8 "WHEREAS, Parent Leadership is
9 successfully achieved when parents received
10 support and training and share responsibility,
11 expertise and leadership in the planning,
12 implementation, oversight and evaluation of
13 policies, practices and programs that affect
14 families and communities; and
15 "WHEREAS, More parents each year
16 are developing vital partnerships with service
17 providers, policymakers and key stakeholders
18 to shape policy and practice and build
19 stronger, safer communities for children; and
20 "WHEREAS, The power of parents
21 speaking publicly about their experiences has
22 made and will continue to make an impact on
23 the lives of families everywhere; and
24 "WHEREAS, Parents Anonymous
25 Incorporated developed the National Parent
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1 Leadership Team, an innovative model that
2 actively supports parents in meaningful Parent
3 Leadership roles to help shape programs,
4 practices, policies and legislation that
5 impact families everywhere; and
6 "WHEREAS, National Parent
7 Leadership Month recognizes, honors and
8 celebrates parents for the vital leadership
9 roles in their homes and communities and in
10 local, state, national and international
11 arenas; now, therefore, be it
12 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
13 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
14 Governor George E. Pataki to proclaim
15 February 2005 as Parent Leadership Month in
16 the State of New York; and be it further
17 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
18 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted
19 to The Honorable George E. Pataki, Governor of
20 the State of New York, and to the Child Care
21 Council of the North Country."
22 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Little.
23 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you, Madam
24 President. If I may, I would like to speak on
25 the resolution.
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1 This is a new initiative being
2 sponsored by a group called Parents Anonymous,
3 a national association that recognizes the
4 role and the leadership of parents in the
5 lives of their children.
6 In our lifetime we assume many
7 roles in our personal and professional lives,
8 but I don't believe that there's any role more
9 important in a person's life than that of a
10 parent. And also, many times it's the one
11 role in life that you're not prepared to
12 assume.
13 I can remember in college writing a
14 term paper on the effects of the first child
15 on a marriage. And it was great on paper, but
16 it was a whole different thing when I had my
17 first child and realized the effect.
18 A parent is responsible for the
19 care, for the education, for the development
20 of a child for that child's lifetime. And as
21 spoken by Kahlil Gibran, a parent is like the
22 bow shooting the arrow and the child is an
23 arrow.
24 A parent develops a child in life
25 with the idea that that child can go out and
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1 lead a life of their own and be an independent
2 person. And while they're independent, they
3 are forever with their parents.
4 We're all very pleased and proud of
5 being parents and of developing our children
6 to adulthood. But many times it's not as easy
7 as we think it is going to be. I was once
8 taken by a poem -- and I don't know if you've
9 all heard it, it's called "Welcome to
10 Holland."
11 And it's a poem about a person
12 preparing for a trip to Italy, learning the
13 language, learning all about the country,
14 deciding on things that they are going to do
15 when they get to Italy, and being very excited
16 about getting to Italy. And on the way, on
17 the plane, the plane finally arrives at an
18 airport and when they go to get off the plane,
19 the attendant says, "Welcome to Holland." And
20 the person said, "No, I wasn't going to
21 Holland, I was going to Italy. I'm prepared
22 to go to Italy."
23 And I'd liken this poem to what
24 happens in the life of a parent when they have
25 a child with special needs and with
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1 disabilities. Because they've learned one
2 language, they've been excited about having a
3 perfectly normal child of good health and all,
4 and yet that's not what happens. They have to
5 learn a new language, they are in a new place,
6 and yet they find that there's a great deal of
7 beauty in that place once they adjust to being
8 in that place.
9 And the moral of that story was to
10 recognize where you are at the time and what
11 you have and not always be wishing you were in
12 that other place, that you have that child.
13 These parents are special parents,
14 and they are advocates for their children.
15 And we know many of them who have been here
16 who have come to our offices and advocated on
17 behalf of their children.
18 I was particularly taken yesterday
19 by a parent who came in and told about her
20 child who has mental health illness and has
21 been institutionalized for the past year and a
22 half. And yet this parent is a true advocate
23 of that child, working hard for policies and
24 programs to help that child.
25 The other role of parents that
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1 doesn't always happen the way we'd like it to
2 is parents who abuse their children. And we
3 know that that happens every day.
4 What we are doing here in this
5 resolution is trying to express our gratitude
6 and our recognition of those parents who
7 assume leadership roles in developing public
8 policy, programs and helping other parents to
9 become better parents for their children. In
10 their role of leadership, they try to help
11 parents so that there is no more child abuse
12 and parents do not abuse their own children.
13 This is an effort to bring that to
14 national attention, to recognize all parents
15 for their roles in advocacy, for their roles
16 in promoting policy, PTAs, in their roles in
17 volunteering for children's programs, for
18 recreational programs, for educational
19 programs, for all the things that parents do.
20 And in doing so for their own children, they
21 help other children and other parents.
22 And in our resolution today, we
23 recognize them. And I thank you for joining
24 me. I invite all of you to join us on this
25 resolution.
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1 Thank you.
2 THE PRESIDENT: The question is
3 on the resolution. All in favor please
4 signify by saying aye.
5 (Response of "Aye.")
6 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay.
7 (No response.)
8 THE PRESIDENT: The resolution is
9 adopted.
10 Senator Skelos.
11 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
12 if we could open the resolution to
13 cosponsorship. If anybody wishes not to be on
14 the resolution, they should notify the desk.
15 THE PRESIDENT: Any member who
16 does not wish to be a cosponsor of the last
17 resolution please notify the desk.
18 Senator Skelos.
19 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
20 if we could take up Resolution 257, by Senator
21 Connor, have the title read and move for its
22 immediate adoption.
23 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary
24 will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: By Senators
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1 Connor, Duane and Savino, Legislative
2 Resolution Number 257, commemorating the Asian
3 American community's celebration of the Lunar
4 New Year, 4703, the Year of the Rooster, on
5 February 9, 2005.
6 THE PRESIDENT: The question is
7 on the resolution. All in favor please
8 signify by saying aye.
9 (Response of "Aye.")
10 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay.
11 (No response.)
12 THE PRESIDENT: The resolution is
13 adopted.
14 Senator Skelos.
15 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
16 Senator Connor has consented to the resolution
17 being open for cosponsorship. If anybody
18 wishes not to sponsor the resolution, they
19 should notify the desk.
20 THE PRESIDENT: Any member who
21 does not wish to cosponsor the last resolution
22 please notify the desk.
23 Senator Skelos.
24 SENATOR SKELOS: Is there any
25 housekeeping at the desk?
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1 THE PRESIDENT: No, there isn't,
2 Senator.
3 SENATOR SKELOS: There being no
4 further business to come before the Senate, I
5 move we stand adjourned until Monday,
6 February 7th, at 3:00 p.m., intervening days
7 being legislative days.
8 THE PRESIDENT: On motion, the
9 Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
10 February 7th, intervening days being
11 legislative days.
12 (Whereupon, at 11:15 a.m., the
13 Senate adjourned.)
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