Extraordinary Session - July 4, 2009
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 July 4, 2009
11 11:05 a.m.
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14 EXTRAORDINARY SESSION
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18 SENATOR ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, Acting President
19 ANGELO J. APONTE, Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
3 The Senate will please come to order.
4 Senator Smith.
5 SENATOR SMITH: Yes, Madam
6 President. Would you please recognize my
7 esteemed colleague Senator Skelos, please.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
9 Senator Skelos.
10 SENATOR SKELOS: Thank you,
11 Senator.
12 Before I do my regular routine, I
13 would ask, as we celebrate the Fourth of July
14 and the great nation that we live in, if each
15 of the members who have served in the Armed
16 Forces, veterans, if they would come forward
17 and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
19 Thank you, Senator.
20 SENATOR SKELOS: Senator Larkin.
21 Colonel Larkin.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
23 So we have to lead us in the pledge Senator
24 DeFrancisco, Senator Larkin, Senator Owen
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1 Johnson, Senator Padavan, Senator Farley,
2 Senator Leibell, Senator McDonald, Senator
3 Nozzolio, Senator Monserrate, Senator Onorato.
4 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
5 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
7 In the absence of clergy, may we all bow our
8 heads for a moment of silence.
9 (Whereupon, the assemblage
10 respected a moment of silence.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
12 Thank you.
13 The Senators will come to order.
14 Senator Smith.
15 SENATOR SMITH: Yes, Madam
16 President.
17 Is there a proclamation from the
18 Governor that is at the desk that needs to be
19 read?
20 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
21 Yes, Senator Smith, there is a proclamation
22 here at the desk.
23 The Secretary will read.
24 THE SECRETARY: "I hereby amend
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1 the proclamation issued on the first day of
2 July, two thousand nine, pursuant to the power
3 vested in me by Article IV, Section 3 of the
4 Constitution, convening the Senate of the
5 State of New York in Extraordinary Session, at
6 the Capitol, in the City of Albany, on the
7 fourth day of July, two thousand nine, to
8 change the time for such extraordinary session
9 from three o'clock p.m. to eleven o'clock a.m.
10 "Given under my hand and the Privy
11 Seal of the State in the City of Albany this
12 third day of July in the year two thousand
13 nine, by the Governor, David A. Paterson."
14 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
15 Senator Smith.
16 SENATOR SMITH: Yes, Madam
17 President. Would you please recognize my
18 colleague Senator Skelos.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
20 Yes, certainly.
21 Senator Skelos, excuse me just one
22 moment.
23 The proclamation having been read,
24 the Senate is in extraordinary session.
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1 Senator Skelos.
2 SENATOR SKELOS: Thank you. Good
3 morning, Senator Stewart-Cousins.
4 This extraordinary session is
5 convened at the call of the Governor, in
6 keeping with the decision of the court.
7 On June 8th, a majority members of
8 this body elected Senator Pedro Espada as
9 temporary president and myself as majority
10 leader. Under the rules adopted that day, we
11 do not recognize you as the appropriately
12 designated presiding officer.
13 Despite that, I would still like to
14 point out your beautiful scarf in celebration
15 of Independence Day and would like to wish
16 everybody a happy Fourth of July.
17 That being said, I would remind
18 everybody that we will be joining each other
19 tomorrow at the call of the Governor at
20 6:00 p.m., and I would ask at this time that
21 the bills be laid aside and move that we
22 adjourn this extraordinary session sine die.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
24 Thank you, Senator.
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1 Senator Smith.
2 SENATOR SMITH: Thank you, Madam
3 President, duly recognized.
4 I would like to read a brief
5 statement in the spirit of today. As we know,
6 this is the Fourth of July. Our colleagues
7 are here looking refreshed, looking forward to
8 getting to spend time with their family.
9 But I do just want to remind us
10 that 236 years ago, on this day, a band of
11 courageous patriots, representing the hearts
12 and minds of a new world, gave birth to our
13 nation. Founded upon the sacred principles of
14 life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, an
15 ideal was born, one that has lit the world
16 over two centuries.
17 Today that idea lives on in each
18 and every one of us. It is heard in this
19 chamber when a Senator stands up to speak on
20 behalf of his or her constituents, as it is
21 demonstrated around the globe by brave men and
22 women of our armed services who have chosen to
23 put themselves in harm's way to protect our
24 country.
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1 We may celebrate this day with
2 barbecues, fireworks, salutes to our Flag, but
3 more than that, it is also about the
4 declaration that was signed by 56 individuals
5 of the Continental Congress, including four
6 New Yorkers, two of which became members of
7 this esteemed body, Senator Philip Livingston
8 and Senator William Floyd.
9 Madam President, this is a great
10 day for our country, it's a great day for all
11 of us. To all of my colleagues, to my
12 friends, to those who are visiting, to all
13 those who are now seeing and hearing us
14 vis-a-vis the media, I wish each and every one
15 of you a wonderful Fourth of July. God bless
16 you. We will all continue to pray for you as
17 we move forward.
18 In regard to that, Madam President,
19 I ask that we adjourn sine die.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS:
21 Thank you, Senator Smith.
22 Before we adjourn, I did want to
23 recognize Senator Morahan. I know you were
24 here as a veteran, and I think I neglected to
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1 mention you. So thank you.
2 On motion of Senator Smith, we will
3 adjourn till tomorrow, 6:00 p.m., sine die.
4 (Whereupon, at 11:11 a.m., the
5 Senate adjourned.)
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