Regular Session - January 30, 2006
379
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 January 30, 2006
11 3:38 p.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 Saturday, January 28, the Senate met pursuant
18 to adjournment. The Journal of Friday,
19 January 27, 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 Meier.
8 SENATOR MEIER: Thank you, Madam
9 President.
10 On behalf of Senator Golden, on
11 page number 11, I offer the following
12 amendments to Calendar Number 44, Senate Print
13 Number 5756, and ask that said bill retain its
14 place on the Third Reading Calendar.
15 THE PRESIDENT: The amendments
16 are received. The bill will retain its place
17 on the Third Reading Calendar.
18 SENATOR MEIER: Thank you, Madam
19 President.
20 THE PRESIDENT: Thank you,
21 Senator Meier.
22 Senator Skelos.
23 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President,
24 I believe there's an amendment at the desk --
25 or there's substitutions.
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1 THE PRESIDENT: I'd ask for
2 order. I'm having trouble hearing.
3 Senator Skelos.
4 SENATOR SKELOS: I was wrong. No
5 amendments, no substitutions.
6 If we could go to the
7 noncontroversial reading of the calendar.
8 THE PRESIDENT: There are no
9 substitutions.
10 And we will now read the
11 noncontroversial calendar.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 41, by Senator Farley, Senate Print 2481, an
14 act to amend the Education Law, in relation to
15 authorizing the State University trustees.
16 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
17 section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect on the first of April.
20 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Farley,
23 to explain your vote.
24 SENATOR FARLEY: Thank you, Madam
25 President.
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1 This is a bill that is sponsored by
2 almost every member of this Senate. And it's
3 a bill that I expect that we're going to get
4 signed today. It's been around for a lot of
5 years.
6 It was vetoed because they -- and
7 actually, the current Governor was a sponsor
8 of this bill. And we're going to get it
9 through the Assembly this year. Senator Diaz
10 and a few others are going to be working on
11 that over there.
12 So this is a good piece of
13 legislation, one that has allowed senior
14 citizens to take courses at the State
15 University on a space-available basis without
16 charge.
17 It's a good piece of legislation.
18 I thank my colleagues for supporting it.
19 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary
20 will announce the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 50. Nays,
22 1. Senator Duane recorded in the negative.
23 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
24 passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
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1 50, by Senator Leibell, Senate Print 3593A, an
2 act to amend the Retirement and Social
3 Security Law, in relation to the employment of
4 retired persons.
5 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
6 section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
9 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
12 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
13 passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 51, by Senator Robach, Senate Print 4295, an
16 act to amend the Civil Service Law, in
17 relation to the appointment of members.
18 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
19 section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
21 act shall take effect immediately.
22 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54.
25 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
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1 passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 52, by Senator Robach, Senate Print 4508, an
4 act to amend the Civil Service Law, in
5 relation to representation of public
6 employees.
7 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
8 section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
10 act shall take effect immediately.
11 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54. Nays,
14 1. Senator Meier recorded in the negative.
15 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
16 passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 53, by Senator Farley, Senate Print 6379, an
19 act to amend Chapter 729 of the Laws of 1994,
20 relating to affecting the health insurance
21 benefits.
22 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
23 section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect May 15, 2006.
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1 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Farley,
4 to explain your vote.
5 SENATOR FARLEY: Thank you, Madam
6 President.
7 This is another piece of very
8 significant legislation. It's the number-one
9 priority of the New York State United
10 Teachers. It is a piece of legislation that
11 protects all retired teachers that their
12 health insurance benefits cannot be changed
13 unless they do it for everybody.
14 It's a major piece of legislation.
15 I would hope that it would be permanent, but
16 this is a one-year extender. We've done it
17 every year. It passes unanimously. And it's
18 very significant.
19 I only wish that -- and we're
20 working on it, to do it for all public
21 employees and not just teachers. And that
22 bill will be coming shortly.
23 Thank you, Madam President.
24 THE PRESIDENT: You will be
25 recorded as voting in the affirmative, Senator
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1 Farley.
2 Senator Schneiderman, to explain
3 injury vote.
4 SENATOR SCHNEIDERMAN: Thank you,
5 Madam President, to explain my vote.
6 I'd just like to echo one thing
7 that Senator Farley, the sponsor, just
8 mentioned. This bill has passed the Assembly
9 and the Senate, or a comparable bill,
10 unanimously -- with no negative votes -- for
11 12 years.
12 Ladies and gentlemen, let's not
13 play games with our retirees. Let's not keep
14 this on the table. Let's make this a
15 permanent law so we can stop with the annual
16 ritual. It's nice to have a chapter on your
17 wall every year for something. Let's do
18 something for the retirees to give them the
19 security they deserve long-term. Let's make
20 this permanent.
21 I'm going to vote yes, but I concur
22 in the sponsor's suggestion that it is time
23 for us to make this permanent.
24 Thank you, Madam President.
25 THE PRESIDENT: You will be
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1 recorded as voting in the affirmative,
2 Senator.
3 The Secretary will announce the
4 results.
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 58.
6 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
7 passed.
8 Senator Skelos, that completes the
9 calendar.
10 SENATOR SKELOS: Thank you, Madam
11 President. Is there any other business at the
12 desk?
13 THE PRESIDENT: No, there is not,
14 Senator.
15 SENATOR SKELOS: There being no
16 further business to come before the Senate, I
17 move we stand adjourned until Tuesday,
18 January 31st, at 11:00 a.m.
19 THE PRESIDENT: On motion, the
20 Senate now stands adjourned until Tuesday,
21 January 31st, 11:00 a.m.
22 (Whereupon, at 3:45 p.m., the
23 Senate adjourned.)
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