Regular Session - March 5, 2009

                                                            1009



         1                 NEW YORK STATE SENATE

         2

         3

         4                THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD

         5

         6

         7

         8

         9                   ALBANY, NEW YORK

        10                     March 5, 2009

        11                      11:17 a.m.

        12

        13

        14                    REGULAR SESSION

        15

        16

        17

        18  SENATOR DAVID J. VALESKY, Acting President

        19  ANGELO J. APONTE, Secretary

        20

        21

        22

        23

        24



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         1                 P R O C E E D I N G S

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         3       Senate will please come to order.

         4                  I ask everyone present to please

         5       rise and recite with me the Pledge of

         6       Allegiance.

         7                  (Whereupon, the assemblage recited

         8       the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        10       invocation today will be delivered by Father

        11       Peter G. Young, of Mother Theresa Community

        12       here in Albany.

        13                  REVEREND YOUNG:    Let us pray.

        14                  On this Thursday, as we think of

        15       heading home to our constituency, let us

        16       remember that the wisdom of God is beyond

        17       imagining and God's goodness a boundless

        18       treasure.

        19                  You, O Lord, unfailingly enlighten

        20       our minds to open up new and better means of

        21       sharing with each other here in this Senate

        22       chamber our constituencies' information, ideas

        23       and aspirations.

        24                  The discoveries of technology can



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         1       be of great assistance to our citizens of

         2       New York State.  They can bring them the kind

         3       of help they need in these times of economic

         4       stress, for our needed resources and for our

         5       quality of life.  We thank You, O God, for

         6       that gift.

         7                  Amen.

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         9       reading of the Journal.

        10                  The Secretary will read.

        11                  THE SECRETARY:    In Senate,

        12       Wednesday, March 4, the Senate met pursuant to

        13       adjournment.  The Journal of Tuesday, March 3,

        14       was read and approved.  On motion, Senate

        15       adjourned.

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        17       Without objection, the Journal stands approved

        18       as read.

        19                  Presentation of petitions.

        20                  Messages from the Assembly.

        21                  Messages from the Governor.

        22                  Reports of standing committees.

        23                  Reports of select committees.

        24                  Communications and reports from



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         1       state officers.

         2                  Motions and resolutions.

         3                  Senator Klein.

         4                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, on

         5       page 7 I offer the following amendments to

         6       Calendar Number 19, Print Number 1363A, and

         7       ask that said bill retain its place on Third

         8       Reading Calendar.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    So

        10       ordered.

        11                  Senator Klein.

        12                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

        13       there will be an immediate meeting of the

        14       Finance Committee in the Majority Conference

        15       Room, Room 332.  And immediately following,

        16       there will be a Rules Committee meeting in

        17       Room 332.

        18                  Pending the report of the Rules

        19       Committee, may we please stand at ease.

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    There

        21       will be an immediate meeting of the Finance

        22       Committee in the Majority Conference Room,

        23       Room 332, to be immediately followed by a

        24       meeting of the Rules Committee.



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         1                  The Senate will stand at ease in

         2       the meantime.

         3                  (Whereupon, the Senate stood at

         4       ease at 11:19 a.m.)

         5                  (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened

         6       at 11:36 a.m.)

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         8       Senator Klein.

         9                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        10       believe there's a report of the Rules

        11       Committee at the desk.  I'd like to move to

        12       accept the report of the Rules Committee.

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    There

        14       is a report of the Rules Committee at the

        15       desk.

        16                  The Secretary will read.

        17                  THE SECRETARY:    Senator Smith,

        18       from the Committee on Rules, reports the

        19       following bill direct to third reading:

        20                  Senate Print 52, Senate Budget

        21       Bill, an act making appropriations for the

        22       legal requirements.

        23                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        24       Senator Klein.



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         1                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

         2       believe there's a substitution at the desk.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    One

         4       second, Senator Klein.  We need a motion to

         5       accept the report of the Rules Committee

         6       first.

         7                  SENATOR KLEIN:    I move to accept

         8       the report of the Rules Committee.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

        10       those in favor of accepting the report of the

        11       Rules Committee signify by saying aye.

        12                  (Response of "Aye.")

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        14       Opposed, nay.

        15                  (Response of "Nay.")

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        17       report of the Rules Committee is accepted.

        18                  Senator Klein.

        19                  SENATOR KLEIN:    I believe there's

        20       a substitution at the desk, Mr. President.

        21                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    There

        22       is, Senator Klein.

        23                  And the Secretary will read.

        24                  THE SECRETARY:    In relation to



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         1       Calendar Number 92, Senator Smith moves to

         2       discharge, from the Committee on Rules,

         3       Assembly Bill Number 152 and substitute it for

         4       the identical Senate Bill Number 52, Third

         5       Reading Calendar 92.

         6                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         7       Substitution ordered.

         8                  Senator Klein.

         9                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

        10       may we at this time adopt the Resolution

        11       Calendar in its entirety.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

        13       those in favor of adopting the Senate

        14       Resolution Calendar in its entirety please

        15       signify by saying aye.

        16                  (Response of "Aye.")

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        18       Opposed, nay.

        19                  (No response.)

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        21       Resolution Calendar is adopted.

        22                  Senator Klein.

        23                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

        24       can we please move to a noncontroversial



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         1       reading of the calendar.

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         3       Secretary will proceed with the

         4       noncontroversial reading of Senate Calendar

         5       15.

         6                  THE SECRETARY:    Calendar Number

         7       56, by Senator Klein, Senate Print 1881, an

         8       act to amend the Public Service Law.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Read

        10       the last section.

        11                  Senator Klein.

        12                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

        13       can we lay this bill aside just for the day.

        14                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        15       bill is laid aside for the day.  Calendar

        16       Number 56 is laid aside for the day.

        17                  THE SECRETARY:    Calendar Number

        18       64, by Senator Stachowski, Senate Print 1411,

        19       an act to amend Chapter 276 of the Laws of

        20       1993.

        21                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    There

        22       is a home-rule message at the desk.

        23                  The Secretary will read the last

        24       section.



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         1                  THE SECRETARY:    Section 2.  This

         2       act shall take effect immediately.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Call

         4       the roll.

         5                  (The Secretary called the roll.)

         6                  THE SECRETARY:    Ayes, 59.

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         8       bill is passed.

         9                  Senator Klein, that concludes the

        10       noncontroversial reading of Senate Calendar

        11       15.

        12                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        13       this time can we take up Supplemental Calendar

        14       15A.

        15                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        16       Secretary will proceed with the

        17       noncontroversial reading of Senate

        18       Supplemental Calendar 15A.

        19                  THE SECRETARY:    Calendar Number

        20       92, substituted earlier, Assembly Budget Bill,

        21       Assembly Print Number 152, an act making

        22       appropriations for the legal requirements of

        23       the state debt service.

        24                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Read



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         1       the last section.

         2                  THE SECRETARY:    Section 2.  This

         3       act shall take effect immediately.

         4                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Call

         5       the roll.

         6                  (The Secretary called the roll.)

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         8       Senator Maziarz, to explain his vote.

         9                  SENATOR MAZIARZ:    Thank you,

        10       Mr. President, to explain my vote.  I don't

        11       think it would be in order to ask any

        12       questions right now, because we're on the roll

        13       call, so I'll skip that part of it,

        14       reluctantly skip that part of it.

        15                  I'm going to be voting in the

        16       negative on this bill, Mr. President, because

        17       just in the Finance Committee meeting it's

        18       really unclear to me at this point where the

        19       money is coming for this bill.

        20                  And I fear -- I don't know, but I

        21       fear that some of the money for this budget

        22       bill, this debt service bill, may be coming

        23       from, may be coming from the $750 million that

        24       was stolen from the people of Niagara, Erie,



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         1       and St. Lawrence Counties, from their -- one

         2       of the few assets that they have in Western

         3       New York, in Erie and Niagara County, is the

         4       New York Power Authority, the Robert Moses

         5       Power Plant in the Town of Lewiston.

         6                  So I vote in the negative.  Thank

         7       you.

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         9       Senator Maziarz will be recorded in the

        10       negative.

        11                  Senator LaValle, to explain your

        12       vote?  We are on the roll call.  Do you wish

        13       to explain your vote?

        14                  SENATOR LaVALLE:    No,

        15       Mr. President.

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        17       Secretary will announce the results.

        18                  THE SECRETARY:    Those recorded in

        19       the negative on Calendar Number 92 are

        20       Senators Griffo, Hannon, LaValle, Marcellino,

        21       Maziarz, Morahan, Ranzenhofer and Robach.

        22                  Ayes, 52.  Nays, 8.

        23                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        24       bill is passed.



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         1                  Senator Klein, that completes the

         2       noncontroversial reading of the Senate

         3       supplemental calendar.

         4                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, is

         5       there any further business at the desk?

         6                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    There

         7       is none.

         8                  SENATOR KLEIN:    There being none,

         9       I move that we adjourn until Monday,

        10       March 9th, at 3:00 p.m., intervening days

        11       being legislative days.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    On a

        13       motion by Senator Klein, the Senate stands

        14       adjourned until Monday, March 9th, at

        15       3:00 p.m., intervening days to be legislative

        16       days.

        17                  (Whereupon, at 11:42 a.m., the

        18       Senate adjourned.)

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