Regular Session - March 9, 2010

                                                            1292



         1                 NEW YORK STATE SENATE

         2

         3

         4                THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD

         5

         6

         7

         8

         9                   ALBANY, NEW YORK

        10                     March 9, 2010

        11                       3:27 p.m.

        12

        13

        14                    REGULAR SESSION

        15

        16

        17

        18  SENATOR NEIL D. BRESLIN, Acting President

        19  ANGELO J. APONTE, Secretary

        20

        21

        22

        23

        24

        25



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

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

         3       Senate will come to order.

         4                  I ask all to rise and repeat with

         5       me the Pledge of Allegiance.

         6                  (Whereupon, the assemblage recited

         7       the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    We are

         9       honored today to have His Excellency, the Most

        10       Reverend Timothy Michael Dolan, who is the

        11       Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York.

        12                  Archbishop.

        13                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    Thank you,

        14       Senator Breslin.

        15                  And, Senators, I can only hope you

        16       realize what a distinct honor and joy it is

        17       for me to lead you in prayer.  I think the

        18       world of you.  And my prayers are with you

        19       every day, especially in what I know is kind

        20       of a troubling and difficult time.

        21                  So I've been here these last two

        22       days with about 2,000 Catholic leaders from

        23       across the state, and this morning I

        24       encouraged our hundreds and hundreds of young

        25       people to consider a vocation -- and I use



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         1       that word purposely -- a vocation to public

         2       service.  And I said, "You're going to meet

         3       Senators and Assemblymen and -women today, and

         4       elected officials, who will be the first to

         5       say they work for you.  And it's a very noble

         6       vocation, and these men and women are examples

         7       for us."  So that's the admiration and the

         8       appreciation that I have for you.

         9                  Again, I know it's tough times, but

        10       that's when we need prayer most.  Heck, I've

        11       become a Mets fan.  So --

        12                  (Laughter.)

        13                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    So it's an

        14       honor to pray with you and for you.  And my

        15       prayers are very sincere, and they represent

        16       the prayers, the solidarity of the entire

        17       Catholic family within our great State of

        18       New York.

        19                  Let us pray.

        20                  We acknowledge You, Lord our God,

        21       as the Sovereign of all the nations, the

        22       Supreme Law-Giver, the Heavenly Father of all

        23       Your children, the Author of life itself, our

        24       Creator, our Sustainer, the Goal of our lives.

        25                  We ask Your gifts of wisdom,



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         1       prudence and honor of actions and decisions

         2       upon this august body, the Senate of the great

         3       State of New York, as they realize their high

         4       call of service to Your people.

         5                  Our plans, projects and proposals

         6       are second to Yours and are bound to fail if

         7       not in conformity with Your divine will.  So

         8       may our dare and our dreaming be tempered by

         9       humility, our challenges always met with

        10       charity, our ways be molded to Your design,

        11       You who live forever and ever.  Amen.

        12                  Thank you.

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        14       you very much, Archbishop.

        15                  The reading of the Journal.  The

        16       Secretary will read.

        17                  THE SECRETARY:    In Senate,

        18       Monday, March 8, the Senate met pursuant to

        19       adjournment.  The Journal of Sunday, March 7,

        20       was read and approved.  On motion, Senate

        21       adjourned.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        23       Without objection, the Journal stands approved

        24       as read.

        25                  Presentation of petitions.



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         1                  Messages from the Assembly.

         2                  Messages from the Governor.

         3                  Reports of standing committees.

         4                  Reports of select committees.

         5                  Communications and reports from

         6       state officers.

         7                  Motions and resolutions.

         8                  Senator Klein.

         9                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, on

        10       behalf of Senator Stavisky, I move that the

        11       following bill be discharged from its

        12       respective committee and be recommitted with

        13       instructions to strike the enacting clause:

        14       Senate Number 1384.

        15                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    So

        16       ordered.

        17                  Senator Klein.

        18                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        19       this time I move that we adopt the Resolution

        20       Calendar in its entirety, with the exception

        21       of Senate Resolutions 4175, 4120, 4176 and

        22       4190.

        23                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    All

        24       those in favor of adopting the Resolution

        25       Calendar in its entirety, excluding



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         1       Resolutions 4175, 4120, 4176, and 4190, please

         2       signify by saying aye.

         3                  (Response of "Aye.")

         4                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         5       Opposed, nay.

         6                  (No response.)

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

         8       Resolution Calendar is adopted.

         9                  Senator Klein.

        10                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        11       this time I move to take up Senate Resolution

        12       Number 4176, by Senator Savino.  I ask that

        13       the resolution be read in its entirety and

        14       move for its immediate adoption and give

        15       Senator Savino the opportunity to speak on her

        16       resolution.

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        18       Secretary will read.

        19                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

        20       Savino, Legislative Resolution Number 4176,

        21       congratulating His Excellency Timothy M. Dolan

        22       upon being named Archbishop of New York by

        23       Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, and welcoming him

        24       to the New York State Capitol on March 9,

        25       2010.



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         1                  "WHEREAS, The spiritual guidance

         2       and nurturing of the citizens of the State of

         3       New York is of great importance to the

         4       vitality and well-being of our communities;

         5       and

         6                  "WHEREAS, It is the sense of this

         7       Legislative Body to bring full recognition and

         8       just tribute to those men and women of

         9       religious commitment who accept the

        10       responsibility of moral leadership and render

        11       the wisdom of human understanding; and

        12                  "WHEREAS, Attendant to such

        13       concern, and in full accord with its

        14       long-standing traditions, this Legislative

        15       Body is justly proud to congratulate his

        16       Excellency Timothy M. Dolan upon being" --

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    May we

        18       please have some quiet.  Thank you.

        19                  THE SECRETARY:    -- "His

        20       Excellency Timothy M. Dolan upon being named

        21       Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in

        22       2009, and to welcome him to the New York State

        23       Capitol on March 9, 2010; and

        24                  "WHEREAS, Timothy Michael Dolan was

        25       named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict



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         1       XVI on February 23, 2009.  He was installed as

         2       Archbishop of New York on April 15, 2009; and

         3                  "WHEREAS, He had served as

         4       archbishop of Milwaukee since he was named by

         5       Pope John Paul II on June 25, 2002.  He was

         6       installed as Milwaukee's tenth archbishop on

         7       August 28, 2002, at the Cathedral of St. John

         8       the Evangelist.  Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo,

         9       papal nuncio of the United States, installed

        10       Archbishop Dolan; and

        11                  "WHEREAS, Born February 6, 1950,

        12       Archbishop Dolan was the first of five

        13       children born to Shirley Radcliffe Dolan and

        14       the late Robert Dolan; and

        15                  "WHEREAS, In 1964 he began his high

        16       school seminary education at St. Louis

        17       Preparatory Seminary South in Shrewsbury,

        18       Missouri.  His seminary foundation continued

        19       at Cardinal Glennon College, where he earned a

        20       Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy; and

        21                  "WHEREAS, He then completed his

        22       priestly formation at the Pontifical North

        23       American College in Rome, where he earned a

        24       License in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical

        25       University of St. Thomas; and



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         1                  "WHEREAS, Archbishop Dolan was

         2       ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1976.

         3       He then served as associate pastor at

         4       Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights,

         5       Missouri, until 1979, when he began studies

         6       for a doctorate in American Church History at

         7       the Catholic University of America; and

         8                  "WHEREAS, Before completing the

         9       doctorate, he spent a year researching the

        10       late Archbishop Edwin O'Hara, a founder of the

        11       Catholic Biblical Association.  Archbishop

        12       O'Hara's life and ministry was the subject of

        13       the archbishop's doctoral dissertation; and

        14                  "WHEREAS, On his return to

        15       St. Louis, Archbishop Dolan served in parish

        16       ministry from 1983 through 1987, during which

        17       time he was also liaison for the late

        18       Archbishop John L. May in the restructuring of

        19       the college and theology programs of the

        20       archdiocesan seminary system; and

        21                  "WHEREAS, In 1987, Archbishop Dolan

        22       was appointed to a five-year term as Secretary

        23       to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington,

        24       D.C.  When he returned to St. Louis in 1992,

        25       he was appointed Vice Rector of



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         1       Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, serving also as

         2       Director of Spiritual Formation and Professor

         3       of Church History.  Furthermore, he was an

         4       Adjunct Professor of Theology at St. Louis

         5       University; and

         6                  "WHEREAS, In 1994, he was appointed

         7       Rector of the Pontifical North American

         8       College in Rome, where he served until

         9       June 2001; and

        10                  "WHEREAS, While in Rome, he also

        11       served as a Visiting Professor of Church

        12       History at the Pontifical Gregorian University

        13       and as a faculty member in the Department of

        14       Ecumenical Theology at the Pontifical

        15       University of St. Thomas Aquinas.  The work of

        16       the Archbishop in the area of seminary

        17       education has influenced the life and ministry

        18       of a great number of priests of the new

        19       millennium; and

        20                  "WHEREAS, On June 19, 2001, the

        21       25th anniversary of his ordination to the

        22       priesthood, then-Father Dolan was named the

        23       Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis by Pope John

        24       Paul II; and

        25                  "WHEREAS, Currently, he is the



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         1       chairman of Catholic Relief Services and a

         2       member of the Board of Trustees of the

         3       Catholic University of America; and

         4                  "WHEREAS, On June 29, 2009,

         5       Archbishop Dolan received the pallium, a

         6       symbol of his office as an archbishop, from

         7       His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, at St.

         8       Peter's Basilica; and

         9                  "WHEREAS, It is the practice of

        10       this Legislative Body that when a person of

        11       such noble aims and accomplishments is brought

        12       to our attention, it is appropriate to

        13       publicly and jubilantly proclaim and commend

        14       that individual for the edification of others;

        15       now, therefore, be it

        16                  "RESOLVED, That this Legislative

        17       Body pause in its deliberations to

        18       congratulate His Excellency Timothy M. Dolan

        19       upon being named Archbishop of New York by

        20       Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, and welcoming him

        21       to the New York State Capitol on March 9,

        22       2010; and be it further

        23                  "RESOLVED, That a copy of this

        24       resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted

        25       to His Excellency Timothy M. Dolan."



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         1                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    May we

         2       first have some quiet.

         3                  Now, Senator Savino on the

         4       resolution.

         5                  SENATOR SAVINO:    Thank you,

         6       Mr. President.

         7                  It is my honor and my privilege to

         8       introduce this resolution and to invite

         9       Archbishop Dolan to address the Senate chamber

        10       here today.

        11                  It was just about a year ago that I

        12       believe his predecessor Cardinal Egan came to

        13       address us, and he stood up there and he

        14       talked to us in his final address to the

        15       New York State Senate prior to his retirement.

        16                  Cardinal Egan had been a beloved

        17       figure among not just Catholics in New York

        18       State but all people of faith in New York

        19       State, as well as those who are not people of

        20       faith, for his commitment to the service of

        21       the Catholic faith and the population that we

        22       all care about.  And we were somewhat

        23       concerned that as Cardinal Egan left us, we

        24       didn't know who was going to replace him.

        25                  And on April 15th, we were



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         1       privileged and blessed with the appointment of

         2       Archbishop Dolan.  Who came from Milwaukee --

         3       and we won't hold that against him -- but he

         4       came to New York and we immediately found him

         5       to be not just a priest and a spiritual

         6       leader, but a real New Yorker under the skin.

         7       He understands the communities that we

         8       represent.  He understands the difficulties

         9       that working families face.  He understands

        10       the mission of the Catholic Church.

        11                  And while he is the leader of the

        12       New York Archdiocese, with about 2.5 million

        13       Catholics, in many ways he is the titular head

        14       of all Catholics in New York State, which is

        15       about 7.5 million people.

        16                  He came here in a difficult year, a

        17       year of change, a year that has been hard on

        18       everyone in New York State.  He's leading

        19       Catholics and non-Catholics alike in a very

        20       difficult time.  And we are grateful that he

        21       is here to offer his words of blessing to the

        22       State Senate, as we've had a difficult year

        23       and a year of change as well.

        24                  And so I would hope, Archbishop

        25       Dolan, that you come often, you offer your



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         1       blessings.  And perhaps today you might want

         2       to offer a little general absolution to the

         3       Senate for its past transgressions.

         4                  (Laughter.)

         5                  SENATOR SAVINO:    Welcome to the

         6       Senate.  Welcome to New York.

         7                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    Thank you,

         8       Senator.  I appreciate you.

         9                  SENATOR SAVINO:    And I appreciate

        10       you too.

        11                  This resolution is open to any of

        12       my colleagues who wish to cosponsor it.

        13                  (Applause.)

        14                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        15       you, Senator Savino.

        16                  Are there any other Senators

        17       wishing to be heard on the resolution?

        18                  Senator Smith.

        19                  SENATOR SMITH:    Thank you very

        20       much, Mr. President.

        21                  And I just wanted to join and

        22       congratulate Senator Savino and all of my

        23       colleagues for honoring His Excellency

        24       Archbishop Dolan at being named the archbishop

        25       in 2009, and welcome him to the State Capitol.



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         1                  You were gracious when you welcomed

         2       me to your home.  And as a person who was

         3       raised in the Catholic Church from elementary

         4       school to high school to Jesuit college, I

         5       have never had a finer lunch than the one that

         6       you gave me.

         7                  But most importantly, to my

         8       colleagues, the man that you see over there --

         9       notwithstanding his representation of

        10       Catholics throughout this state and quite

        11       frankly throughout this country and throughout

        12       this world, when you look over his resume --

        13       stands for what I believe all of us stand for,

        14       and that is decency and also wanting to serve.

        15                  As you know, from week to week I

        16       will put a theme up in front of my office.

        17       And the theme of this week is "Service is a

        18       gift," to serve is a gift.  And I believe it's

        19       only fitting that you would come to the

        20       Capitol this week, which I believe epitomizes

        21       that statement, which is the gift of service.

        22                  And it is my hope, it is our hope

        23       that the prayer that you offer today for us is

        24       one that will cloak us as we move forward in

        25       the challenging times that we face here in the



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         1       state -- not because of the issues that we

         2       take up, but because of the circumstances that

         3       we find ourselves in.

         4                  None of us would have predicted

         5       that we would be in this challenging moment at

         6       this time, given all that the people of the

         7       State of New York are fearful of and concerned

         8       about.  However, as you know, God places

         9       individuals in a place at certain times for

        10       certain reasons.  And it is my firm belief

        11       that each and every one of us have been placed

        12       at this moment in time for service, and the

        13       service is to bring about a better state, to

        14       bring about a better understanding of our

        15       purpose in life.

        16                  And I am just happy and joyful that

        17       you are here today.  I appreciate the blessing

        18       that you passed to us.  And we also will pray

        19       for you as you continue to do what you do for

        20       the State of New York.

        21                  Thank you and God bless.

        22                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    Thank you,

        23       Senator.

        24                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        25       you, Senator Smith.



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         1                  Senator Padavan.

         2                  SENATOR PADAVAN:    Thank you,

         3       Mr. President.

         4                  Archbishop Dolan, it's a pleasure

         5       and a delight to have you with us.  And may I,

         6       on behalf of Senator Skelos and my colleagues

         7       on this side of the aisle, extend to you our

         8       best wishes.  We look forward to the day when

         9       another title will befit you -- it will begin

        10       with "C" -- and then we'll have another

        11       occasion to congratulate you.

        12                  You know, in the letter from James

        13       in the New Testament, he admonishes the

        14       leaders of the church at the time, in effect

        15       saying:  You can give all the admonitions for

        16       faith that you want, but without producing the

        17       goods, it doesn't mean anything.  Those are

        18       the words, paraphrased somewhat in a more

        19       common vernacular.

        20                  In your prayer today, I think you

        21       expressed the view that we have a

        22       responsibility in this state to be concerned

        23       about those who need to be clothed, need to be

        24       housed.  And we understand that.  And it's a

        25       difficult, difficult time we're in.



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         1                  We hope that you will continue to

         2       pray for us.  We need prayers now more than

         3       ever.  And while you're praying, you know,

         4       keep your fingers crossed and give us that

         5       Irish blessing.

         6                  Thank you.

         7                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    Thank you,

         8       Senator.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        10       you, Senator Padavan.

        11                  Senator Diaz.

        12                  SENATOR DIAZ:    Thank you.  Thank

        13       you, Mr. President.

        14                  Today is a glorious day here in

        15       Albany.  We have Archbishop Dolan from the

        16       Catholic Church and the leader, the leader,

        17       the maximal leader of the Catholic Church in

        18       New York.

        19                  I am not a Catholic; I am a

        20       Protestant.  I am a pastor of an evangelical

        21       church.  But being an evangelical, not being a

        22       Catholic, I am so proud to have Archbishop

        23       Dolan here today.  Because it is his

        24       leadership, it is the Catholic Church's

        25       leadership that have me inspired.



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         1                  It is not to go on Ash Wednesday

         2       and get the ashes on my head, it is not to go

         3       every Sunday to Mass, if I'm not going to

         4       follow their teaching.  Following the teaching

         5       is more important than to get the ash on the

         6       head.  And this leader and this church has

         7       sacrificed for many years, teaching, teaching

         8       what's right, teaching what's moral, teaching

         9       what it is that the church stands for.

        10                  So Archbishop Dolan, I'm an

        11       evangelical ministry.  But you could go to my

        12       office, all my staff have been strictly

        13       instructed:  Don't vote for anything before

        14       you consult the Catholic Conference.  And

        15       whatever the Catholic Conference says, that's

        16       what I'm going to vote.

        17                  So, ladies and gentlemen, we have

        18       the leader of the Catholic Church.  Follow,

        19       follow his leadership, follow the church

        20       instruction, follow to what they teach and be

        21       a good Catholic and God will bless all of you.

        22                  Thank you, sir, for being here

        23       today.

        24                  (Applause.)

        25                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank



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         1       you, Senator Diaz.

         2                  Senator Stewart-Cousins.

         3                  SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS:    Yes,

         4       thank you, Mr. President.  I also rise to

         5       greet the wonderful archbishop here in Albany.

         6                  I have the privilege of having seen

         7       Archbishop Dolan so many times in our

         8       district, whether it was to celebrate a church

         9       anniversary, whether it was at St. Cabrini

        10       with the opening of the extension for our

        11       seniors in that nursing home -- the archbishop

        12       was there to bless a very, very small, small

        13       group of very grateful seniors.  And the joy

        14       that he brought really just made the whole

        15       environment and the whole event special.

        16                  And of course with Firefighter

        17       Joyce and that incredible day.  The family was

        18       here just last week.  But he took time to be

        19       there to offer the blessings and the

        20       condolences of not only the church but the

        21       entire community.

        22                  We have here an archbishop who has

        23       found it not robbery to give of his time,

        24       whether it's the smallest or the largest.  We

        25       appreciate that level of leadership.  I'm



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         1       certainly happy to see you here and look

         2       forward to seeing you in the district, as you

         3       always are.

         4                  Thank you.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

         6       you, Senator Stewart-Cousins.

         7                  Senator Hassell-Thompson.

         8                  SENATOR HASSELL-THOMPSON:    I

         9       thank you, Mr. President.  I just want to join

        10       my colleagues in welcoming the archbishop to

        11       our chambers.

        12                  I'm Baptist, but that does not mean

        13       that I don't follow the leadership of the

        14       church.

        15                  We're welcoming you here today

        16       because many of your followers are here.  But

        17       we're followers of your word.  And hopefully

        18       what you bring to these chambers will be an

        19       enlightenment so that thinking happens and the

        20       way that we process the laws for the people of

        21       the State of New York will be what's in the

        22       best interests of their spirit as well as

        23       their souls.

        24                  So I thank you, Archbishop, for

        25       being with us today.  And I thank Father



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         1       Gorman, who is one of our stalwart leaders in

         2       the Bronx who is accompanying you today, and

         3       some of the other leaders that I have met in

         4       the past and the new ones that I've met today.

         5                  We are in a period where we need

         6       prayer from whatever quarter it may come.  So

         7       keep the candles lit for us that we may do

         8       that which is in the best interests of our

         9       people in the State of New York as well as in

        10       the eyes of God.

        11                  Thank you.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        13       you, Senator Hassell-Thompson.

        14                  The question is on the resolution.

        15       All those in favor signify by saying aye.

        16                  (Response of "Aye.")

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        18       Opposed, nay.

        19                  (No response.)

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        21       resolution is adopted.

        22                  Senator Savino has invited

        23       everybody in the Senate to be cosponsors of

        24       this resolution.  Anyone not wishing to be a

        25       cosponsor please notify the desk.



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         1                  Thank you very much, Archbishop

         2       Dolan.

         3                  ARCHBISHOP DOLAN:    Thank you.

         4                  (Standing ovation.)

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         6       Senator Klein.

         7                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

         8       can we return to the order of standing

         9       committees.

        10                  I believe there's a report of the

        11       Finance Committee at the desk.  I ask that it

        12       be read at this time.

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Yes,

        14       Senator Klein.  Returning to the order of

        15       standing committees, there is a report of the

        16       Finance Committee at the desk.

        17                  The Secretary will read.

        18                  THE SECRETARY:    Senator Kruger,

        19       from the Committee on Finance, reports the

        20       following nomination.

        21                  As Commissioner of the Department

        22       of Labor, Colleen Crawford Gardner, of

        23       Schenectady.

        24                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        25       Senator Kruger.



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         1                  SENATOR CARL KRUGER:    Thank you,

         2       Mr. President.  May we please move that

         3       nomination.

         4                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         5       Senator Farley, on the nomination.

         6                  SENATOR FARLEY:    Thank you,

         7       Mr. President.

         8                  I rise to support enthusiastically

         9       Colleen Crawford Gardner for Commissioner of

        10       Labor.

        11                  Let me just say there's nobody that

        12       I've seen that's been appointed commissioner

        13       who's had a better career in labor than

        14       Colleen.  She's a graduate of the Cornell

        15       School of Industrial and Labor Relations, one

        16       of the most academically aggressive schools in

        17       the country, and has had a career that has

        18       absolutely been spectacular, and she's been a

        19       leader in the labor movement throughout her

        20       career.

        21                  She's also been a constituent of

        22       mine.  And as I mentioned earlier, she's been

        23       a softball coach for the Colonie Girls'

        24       Softball Team and has really been a great

        25       community person and somebody that really will



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         1       serve this state well.

         2                  It's an outstanding appointment,

         3       because she's had a lot of experience in this

         4       area.  She's also married to one of the most

         5       distinguished attorneys in Schenectady County,

         6       Christopher Gardner, who is the County

         7       Attorney and renowned for leading the

         8       Schenectady County Legislature and Schenectady

         9       County Redevelopment.

        10                  Now, I rise in support of Colleen

        11       and congratulate the Governor on this

        12       outstanding appointment because she's really

        13       running one of the largest agencies that we

        14       have, and is somebody that I'm confident is

        15       going to do a great job.  And I again am

        16       pleased to move her nomination.

        17                  Thank you, Senator Kruger.

        18                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        19       Senator Onorato.

        20                  SENATOR ONORATO:    Thank you,

        21       Mr. President.

        22                  I rise to thank the Governor for

        23       this wonderful, wonderful nomination.  And I'm

        24       very, very pleased to second this nomination.

        25                  I met with Colleen Gardner as the



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         1       chairman of the Labor Committee.  We had a

         2       very, very nice conversation.  And she's got a

         3       world of background.  And she's so highly

         4       qualified for the job that I urge everyone in

         5       this chamber to work very closely with her,

         6       because she's going to do an outstanding job

         7       as the commissioner.

         8                  She was the deputy commissioner for

         9       many years there, so she knows the job inside

        10       out.  And I look forward to working with her

        11       over these many years.

        12                  God bless you and your family and

        13       your husband, Christopher, who's with you

        14       today.

        15                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    As an

        16       aside, if I was out there, I would be saying

        17       the same things as Senator Farley and Senator

        18       Onorato.

        19                  The question, then, is on the

        20       nomination of Colleen Crawford Gardner to

        21       become Commissioner of the Department of

        22       Labor.  All those in favor please signify by

        23       saying aye.

        24                  (Response of "Aye.")

        25                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:



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         1       Opposed, nay.

         2                  (No response.)

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

         4       nomination is approved.

         5                  (Applause.)

         6                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:     the

         7       commissioner is joined by her husband, Chris,

         8       and her daughter, Caroline.  Congratulations.

         9                  (Applause.)

        10                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        11       Secretary will continue to read.

        12                  THE SECRETARY:    As a member of

        13       the Administrative Review Board for

        14       Professional Medical Conduct, Peter S. Koenig,

        15       Sr., of DeWitt.

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        17       Senator Kruger.

        18                  SENATOR CARL KRUGER:    Thank you,

        19       Mr. President.  Can we please move that

        20       nomination.

        21                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        22       question is on the nomination of Peter S.

        23       Koenig as a member of the Administrative

        24       Review Board for Professional Medical Conduct.

        25       All those in favor please signify by saying



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         1       aye.

         2                  (Response of "Aye.")

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         4       Opposed, nay.

         5                  (No response.)

         6                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

         7       nomination is confirmed.  Congratulations.

         8                  The Secretary will continue to

         9       read.

        10                  THE SECRETARY:    As members of the

        11       Advisory Council to the Commission on Quality

        12       of Care and Advocacy for Persons with

        13       Disabilities, Dale R. Angstadt, of Gansevoort;

        14       James H. Bopp, of Garrison; Mary Hope Derby,

        15       of Geneseo; Judith Eisman, of Great Neck;

        16       Loretta Goff, of Westbury; Andrea

        17       Haenlin-Mott, of Cortland; Richard P. Johnson,

        18       of Schenectady; Deborah S. Lee, of Flushing;

        19       Jeffry Luria, of Central Bridge; Loretta H.

        20       Murray, of Brooklyn; and Regis Obijiski, of

        21       Kingston.

        22                  As members of the Board of Visitors

        23       of the Binghamton Psychiatric Center, Kathleen

        24       Ann Calvey, of Binghamton; Frances Felice, of

        25       Binghamton; and John J. Wiktor, of Binghamton.



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         1                  As members of the Board of Visitors

         2       of the Brooklyn Psychiatric Center, Judi

         3       Dolgow, of the Bronx, and Marilyn Doris

         4       Rodriguez, of New York City.

         5                  As members of the Board of Visitors

         6       of the Broome Developmental Disabilities

         7       Services Office, Alvern Gelder, of Binghamton,

         8       and Luella Rogers, of Walton.

         9                  As a member of the Board of

        10       Visitors of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center,

        11       Tadeusz S. Pietrzak, of Buffalo.

        12                  As members of the Board of Visitors

        13       of the Capital District Developmental

        14       Disabilities Services Office, Katherine T.

        15       Less, of Scotia; Elizabeth J. Pieper, of

        16       Scotia; and Linda E. Sartoris, of Clifton

        17       Park.

        18                  As a member of the Board of

        19       Visitors of the Elmira Psychiatric Center,

        20       Joanna M. Papontos, of Schenectady.

        21                  As members of the Board of Visitors

        22       of the Helen Hayes Hospital, Wellington Y.

        23       Liu, of New York City, and Martin C.

        24       Wortendyke, of Upper Nyack.

        25                  As a member of the Board of



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         1       Visitors of the Hudson Psychiatric Center,

         2       Patricia C. Colbert, of Fishkill.

         3                  As a member of the Board of

         4       Visitors of the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric

         5       Center, Beverly Piechowicz, of Marcy.

         6                  As members of the Board of Visitors

         7       of the Rochester Psychiatric Center, Barbara

         8       Bates, of Bergen, and Hilda R. Escher, of

         9       Rochester.

        10                  As members of the Board of Visitors

        11       of the Rockland Psychiatric Center, John A.

        12       Murphy, of Orangeburg; Marra Lori

        13       Schneider-Wendt, of Monticello; and Gerry

        14       Trautz, of Suffern.

        15                  As a member of the Board of

        16       Visitors of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric

        17       Center, Patrick R. Rourk, of Norwood.

        18                  And as a member of the Board of

        19       Visitors of the Sunmount Developmental

        20       Disabilities Services Office, Wayne P. Rogers,

        21       of Malone.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        23       Senator Kruger.

        24                  SENATOR CARL KRUGER:    Thank you,

        25       Mr. President.  On these nominations, can we



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         1       please move them.

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

         3       question is on the motion to confirm the

         4       nominations.  All those in favor please

         5       signify by saying aye.

         6                  (Response of "Aye.")

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         8       Opposed, nay.

         9                  (No response.)

        10                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        11       motion carries.  The nominations are

        12       confirmed.

        13                  Senator Klein.

        14                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        15       this time can we please recall Senate

        16       Resolution 3593, by Senator Seward.  I ask

        17       that the title only be read and allow Senator

        18       Seward to speak on his resolution.

        19                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        20       Secretary will read.

        21                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

        22       Seward, Legislative Resolution Number 3593,

        23       congratulating the Marathon Girls' Field

        24       Hockey Team and Coach Karen Funk upon the

        25       occasion of winning the New York State Class C



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         1       Championship.

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         3       Senator Seward.

         4                  SENATOR SEWARD:    Yes, thank you,

         5       Mr. President.

         6                  I appreciated a few weeks ago all

         7       the members of the Senate joining with me in

         8       passing this resolution honoring the Marathon

         9       Girls' Field Hockey Team.  And today I'm very,

        10       very pleased to welcome our New York State

        11       Class C Champion Marathon Girls' Hockey Team

        12       and their Coach Karen Funk to the chamber here

        13       today.  The team is up in the gallery.

        14                  This past November, the Olympians

        15       captured the state title, defeating Port

        16       Jefferson, from Senator LaValle's district, in

        17       the championship game 3-1.  Now, this is the

        18       eighth state championship in field hockey,

        19       girls field hockey, on behalf of Marathon.  So

        20       they have a true dynasty at Marathon Central

        21       School.

        22                  The Marathon girls are synonymous

        23       with excellence both on and off the playing

        24       field.  Along with compiling a very impressive

        25       record of 18-2-1 during the 2009 field hockey



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         1       season, this group of outstanding young women

         2       also stands out in the classroom as well.  The

         3       Marathon Girls' Field Hockey Team was named a

         4       New York State Scholar Athlete Team, with a

         5       combined average of 91.977.  That's an

         6       impressive record.  They truly epitomize the

         7       term "student athlete."

         8                  Now, these girls are also very much

         9       outstanding citizens of the Marathon community

        10       and find the time in their busy schedules to

        11       give back to their community that has been

        12       supportive of their endeavors.  Under the very

        13       steady guidance of Coach Funk, they have spent

        14       time raising funds for the National Breast

        15       Cancer Awareness Month.  They have also

        16       conducted food drives to help support the

        17       Marathon Food Pantry.

        18                  And these fine young women are true

        19       champions in every sense of the word.  They

        20       are fine sportswomen, wonderful students, and

        21       exceptional community ambassadors.  The

        22       Marathon community and all of us in the State

        23       of New York are very, very proud of your

        24       accomplishments.  This outstanding group

        25       epitomizes all the best in New York State's



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         1       young people.  And as they embark on even more

         2       accomplishments in their young lives, they

         3       certainly represent all the best for the

         4       future of the State of New York.

         5                  So, Mr. President, I would ask that

         6       you formally welcome this outstanding team to

         7       the chamber and give us all an opportunity to

         8       recognize them.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

        10       you very much, Senator Seward.

        11                  Before that, Senator LaValle.

        12                  SENATOR LaVALLE:    Thank you.

        13       Thank you, Mr. President.

        14                  I rise to congratulate the Marathon

        15       Field Hockey Team.  I live in the Village of

        16       Port Jefferson, and I know we had sugarplums

        17       dancing in our head that we were going to win

        18       a state championship.

        19                  But what is probably so important

        20       is that you have demonstrated your prowess

        21       both on and off the field in the academic

        22       scholastic area by the achievement that

        23       Senator Seward mentioned.  And it also

        24       hopefully shows that we in the Legislature,

        25       whether we win or lose, we recognize winning



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         1       teams here in the New York State Senate and

         2       their accomplishments.

         3                  So, ladies, congratulations on a

         4       great victory.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank

         6       you very much, Senator LaValle.

         7                  Senator DeFrancisco.

         8                  SENATOR DeFRANCISCO:    I also want

         9       to rise and congratulate you on your state

        10       championship.

        11                  Being from Syracuse, New York, the

        12       home of the champions, we have team after team

        13       after team come through here.  And it's so

        14       nice that you would do this for Senator

        15       Seward.  And it's nice that you would do this

        16       for him year after year after year.  Because

        17       if it wasn't for your team, he would be a very

        18       depressed, despondent Senator.

        19                  So by your great work, you have

        20       helped this Senate move forward and your

        21       Senator do the best work he can possibly do.

        22       So keep that in mind next year when you're

        23       going for your next state championship.

        24                  Thank you.

        25                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    Thank



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         1       you, Senator DeFrancisco.

         2                  This resolution was previously

         3       adopted on January 12th.  But the field hockey

         4       team from Marathon, Senator Seward, please

         5       rise and we'll give you a big round of

         6       applause.

         7                  (Applause.)

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

         9       Senator Klein.

        10                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President,

        11       can you please recognize Senator Libous.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        13       Senator Libous.

        14                  SENATOR LIBOUS:    Mr. President,

        15       thank you for recognizing me.

        16                  On page 9, on behalf of Senator

        17       LaValle, I offer up the following amendments

        18       to Calendar Number 147, and I believe that is

        19       Senate Print 3632A, and ask that the said

        20       print be retained on the Third Reading

        21       Calendar.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    So

        23       ordered, Senator Libous.

        24                  SENATOR LIBOUS:    Thank you, sir.

        25                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:



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         1       Senator Klein.

         2                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

         3       this time there will be an immediate meeting

         4       of the Rules Committee in Room 332.

         5                  Pending the return of the Rules

         6       Committee, can we please stand at ease.

         7                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    There

         8       will be an immediate meeting of the Rules

         9       Committee in Room 332.

        10                  Pending the return of the Rules

        11       Committee, we will stand at ease.

        12                  (Whereupon, the Senate stood at

        13       ease at 4:07 p.m.)

        14                  (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened

        15       at 4:29 p.m.)

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        17       Senator Klein.

        18                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        19       believe there's a report of the Rules

        20       Committee at the desk.  I move that we accept

        21       the report at this time.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    There

        23       is a report of the Rules Committee at the

        24       desk.

        25                  The Secretary will read.



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         1                  THE SECRETARY:    Senator Smith,

         2       from the Committee on Rules, reports the

         3       following bills:

         4                  Senate Print 3555, by Senator

         5       Serrano, an act to amend the Public Officers

         6       Law;

         7                  And Senate Print 6924B, by Senator

         8       C. Kruger, an act to amend the Legislative Law

         9       and the State Finance Law.

        10                  Both bills ordered direct to third

        11       reading.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        13       question is on the adoption of the Rules

        14       Committee report.  All those in favor please

        15       signify by saying aye.

        16                  (Response of "Aye.")

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:

        18       Opposed, nay.

        19                  (No response.)

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        21       Rules Committee report is adopted.

        22                  Senator Klein.

        23                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        24       believe Senator Sampson has a resolution at

        25       the desk.  I ask that the resolution be read



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         1       in its entirety and move for its immediate

         2       adoption.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    We

         4       will return to the order of motions and

         5       resolutions.

         6                  Senator Klein, has that resolution

         7       been deemed privileged and submitted by the

         8       office of the Temporary President?

         9                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Yes, it has,

        10       Mr. President.

        11                  ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN:    The

        12       Secretary will read.

        13                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

        14       Sampson, legislative resolution commemorating

        15       the 99th Anniversary of International Women's

        16       Day and celebrating New York State's women

        17       leaders, past and present.

        18                  "WHEREAS, International Women's

        19       Day, March 8th, is a global day of celebrating

        20       the economic, political, and social

        21       achievements of women, past, present and

        22       future; and

        23                  "WHEREAS, In 1908, 15,000 women

        24       marched through New York City demanding

        25       shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights;



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         1       and

         2                  "WHEREAS, One year later, the first

         3       National Woman's Day was observed across the

         4       United States on February 28th.  Women

         5       continued to celebrate National Woman's Day on

         6       the last Sunday of February until 1913; and

         7                  "WHEREAS, In 1911, International

         8       Women's Day was officially honored for the

         9       first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and

        10       Switzerland, on March 19th.  More than 1

        11       million women and men attended International

        12       Women's Day rallies campaigning for women's

        13       rights to work and vote, and to end

        14       discrimination and to run for and hold public

        15       office; and

        16                  "WHEREAS, Less than a week later,

        17       on March 25th, the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist

        18       Fire in New York City took the lives of more

        19       than 140 working women, most of them Italian

        20       and Jewish immigrants.  This disastrous event

        21       drew significant attention to working

        22       conditions and labor legislation in the United

        23       States, which became a focus of subsequent

        24       International Women's Day events and

        25       particularly so in the State and City of



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         1       New York; and

         2                  "WHEREAS, New York State has been

         3       the birthplace and home of countless numbers

         4       of accomplished and famous women who have been

         5       leaders in academia, eleemosynary

         6       institutions, industry and politics; and

         7                  "WHEREAS, New York State's famous

         8       women leaders have included Susan B. Anthony,

         9       who was a leader in the abolitionist and

        10       temperance movements in her late 20s and

        11       founded the National Women's Suffrage

        12       Association, along Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and

        13       was chosen to be the first American woman and

        14       one of only two New Yorkers depicted upon

        15       United States currency; and

        16                  "WHEREAS, Elizabeth Cady Stanton

        17       was one of the founders of the women's

        18       movement, when she and other New Yorkers

        19       convened the first Women's Rights Convention

        20       in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, bringing

        21       more than 300 individuals together, including

        22       the great orator Frederick Douglass, to fight

        23       for women's equality; and

        24                  "WHEREAS, Shirley Chisholm was

        25       elected to the New York State Assembly in



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         1       1964, and Congress in 1968.  She was a

         2       founding member of the National Women's

         3       Political Caucus, and in 1972 became the first

         4       woman and first African-American to have her

         5       name placed in nomination by a major political

         6       party for the office of president; and

         7                  "WHEREAS, The great State of

         8       New York is honored to have been the

         9       birthplace and home of countless influential

        10       women leaders, among whom were Sojourner

        11       Truth, Elizabeth Blackwell, Eleanor Roosevelt,

        12       Zora Neale Hurston, Margaret Mead, Althea

        13       Gibson, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and

        14       Justice Sonia Sotomayor; now, therefore, be it

        15                  "RESOLVED, That this Legislative

        16       Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate

        17       the 99th Anniversary of International Women's

        18       Day and to celebrate New York State's women

        19       leaders, past and present; and be it further

        20                  "RESOLVED, That this Legislative

        21       Body calls upon its members and fellow

        22       New Yorkers to observe International Women's

        23       Day as a day in service to our families,

        24       friends, neighbors, and those less fortunate

        25       than ourselves, to moral causes greater than



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         1       ourselves, and to the ongoing work of the

         2       women's movement; and be it further

         3                  "RESOLVED, That copies of this

         4       resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted

         5       to the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls,

         6       the National Women's History Museum in

         7       Alexandria, Virginia, and to the National

         8       Organization for Women."

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        10       Senator Hassell-Thompson, on the resolution.

        11                  SENATOR HASSELL-THOMPSON:    Thank

        12       you, Mr. President.

        13                  I rise to thank Senator Sampson for

        14       his resolution and the acknowledgment of

        15       International Women's Day.

        16                  For nearly a century, parts of the

        17       world have been celebrating International

        18       Women's Day on the eighth day of every March.

        19       Around the globe, hundreds of events have

        20       occurred to commemorate the economic,

        21       political, and social achievements of women.

        22                  This year, Women for Women

        23       International sponsored peace demonstrations

        24       on 70 bridges throughout the world, including

        25       New York's very own Brooklyn Bridge.  On a



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         1       bridge between Rwanda and the Democratic

         2       Republic of Congo, thousands of women gathered

         3       to support peace movements.  These events were

         4       to honor the resilience of millions of women

         5       survivors of war around the world.

         6                  While we must be proud of how far

         7       the women's movement has progressed, we cannot

         8       ignore the hardship that many women still

         9       suffer throughout this state, the nation and

        10       overseas, whether they be victims of domestic

        11       violence, discrimination in the workplace,

        12       religious and political turmoil, or lack of

        13       education.

        14                  Women have always been and always

        15       will be the backbone of our society.  They are

        16       the foundation of our future.

        17                  Marianne Williamson said:  "Our

        18       deepest fear as women is not that we are

        19       inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are

        20       powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not

        21       our darkness, that frightens us most.  We ask

        22       ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

        23       talented and famous?  Actually, who are you

        24       not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your

        25       playing small does not serve the world.  There



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         1       is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that

         2       people won't feel insecure around you.  We

         3       were born to make manifest the glory of God

         4       that is within us.  It is not just in some of

         5       us, it's in all of us.  And when we let our

         6       light shine, we unconsciously give others

         7       permission to do the same.  As we are

         8       liberated from our own fear, our own presence

         9       automatically liberates others."

        10                  Thank you for today, Senator

        11       Sampson, because sadly, in this great country

        12       and across the world, women are still victims

        13       of unequal systems of justice and of

        14       discrimination at work and in their paychecks.

        15       Women continue to struggle for equality in

        16       male-dominated fields such as politics.  Women

        17       make up 51 percent of the population, but in

        18       the U.S. Congress, only 17 percent of its

        19       members are women.

        20                  As we celebrate today the

        21       accomplishments of women, we cannot ignore the

        22       trials and tribulations that women still face.

        23       We must take a stand against inequality in our

        24       lives and in the lives of our mothers,

        25       sisters, friends and colleagues every day.



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         1                  Thank you.

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

         3       you, Senator Hassell-Thompson.

         4                  Senator Liz Krueger, on the

         5       resolution.

         6                  SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER:    Thank you

         7       very much, Mr. President.

         8                  I too rise in support of the

         9       recognition of International Women's History

        10       Day.  And in fact, there are other resolutions

        11       that move through this house.  One is on

        12       Women's Equality Day, wherein I often say to

        13       people I'd actually like to be alive when we

        14       have all 365 days of equality.

        15                  So on this honorable day and in

        16       recognition of John Sampson highlighting the

        17       importance of women, and my colleague Senator

        18       Ruth Hassell-Thompson just having laid out

        19       very eloquently how much further we have to

        20       go, I stand to say women need to be

        21       represented at every table.

        22                  They need to be the voices of power

        23       in the Legislature representing the interests

        24       of all 19 million New Yorkers.  They need to

        25       have their voices in every room, whether it's



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         1       a corporate room, a religious institution, a

         2       governmental room, a community room.  Because

         3       in fact we are such a significant part of the

         4       population and we do bring to the table, no

         5       matter what the table is, a different

         6       perspective.

         7                  And so I am honored to be among the

         8       small group of women who serve here in the

         9       New York State Senate -- and a slightly larger

        10       group who serve in the New York State Assembly

        11       on the other side of this hallowed building.

        12                  But I look forward to the day where

        13       we can say there is full equality for women in

        14       this country, there is full equality in our

        15       legislative bodies, there is full equality on

        16       equal pay and equal rights, there is full

        17       equality in our membership in every

        18       organization and institution of this great

        19       country.

        20                  And so it is true this state has

        21       been the home to many great leaders for

        22       women's equality.  Eleanor Roosevelt is the

        23       woman who comes to mind for me most often,

        24       although I'm very proud to have Geraldine

        25       Ferraro as a constituent in my own district,



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         1       who was the first Democratic woman candidate

         2       for Vice President.

         3                  But for our sisters, our daughters,

         4       those who come after us, our young men, to

         5       understand the importance of where we need to

         6       go -- and we're not there yet.  I was

         7       delighted to see my colleagues speaking out in

         8       support of a young women's sports team just a

         9       few minutes ago in this chamber.  Even the

        10       argument of making sure that young women in

        11       our school system have equal funds for them to

        12       participate in sports is still a fight to this

        13       day.

        14                  So it's great that we have women

        15       champions on the sports fields, but let's not

        16       forget we have a lot of work to do to ensure

        17       that those young women who stood before us

        18       today, and every young woman in the State of

        19       New York, is growing up in a state and a

        20       country where they have full equality and full

        21       ability to share in the greatness of this

        22       country and in the State of New York.

        23                  Thank you, Mr. President.

        24                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

        25       you, Senator Krueger.



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         1                  Senator Parker, on the resolution.

         2                  SENATOR PARKER:    Thank you very

         3       much, Mr. President.  On the resolution.

         4                  I really am just rising to add my

         5       voice to the chorus of my colleagues who are

         6       celebrating International Women's Day, its

         7       99th anniversary.

         8                  And this day is important because

         9       internationally we really want to spend some

        10       time and take a moment to honor those women

        11       who don't have a voice, and really a lot of

        12       those women who did have a voice and wouldn't

        13       use their voice to take no for an answer.

        14                  We all come from women.  It is the

        15       most, you know, kind of prime thing in most of

        16       our life.  For most of us, you know, as

        17       children, "mother" was the name for God for

        18       us.  That our mothers become our models for

        19       what womanhood is.

        20                  Obviously, here in the halls of the

        21       Legislature, we focus on political

        22       accomplishments.  And we're fortunate here in

        23       New York to have history on our side.  New

        24       York has been at the forefront of women's

        25       equality for centuries in terms of the



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         1       historical women's rights movement.  The

         2       Women's Rights Convention was held in Seneca

         3       Falls here in New York.  At that 1848

         4       convention, more than 300 people came

         5       together, alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton and

         6       Frederick Douglass, lending their voice to a

         7       movement that was just born.

         8                  New York has also been the leader

         9       for protection of women in the workplace.

        10       Nearly a century ago, more than 140 working

        11       women -- many immigrants -- lost their lives

        12       in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, leading to

        13       stronger regulations of working conditions

        14       that we continue to advance today.

        15                  Further, countless women who have

        16       shaped our culture have continued to call

        17       New York home, such as Shirley Chisholm, the

        18       first woman and first African-American to have

        19       her name put in nomination by a major party

        20       for the office of President, as well as

        21       Geraldine Ferraro, Liz Krueger's constituent,

        22       the first woman to be named on a national

        23       ticket for the office of Vice President.

        24                  New York is the home or the

        25       birthplace of Sojourner Truth, Eleanor



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         1       Roosevelt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia

         2       Sotomayor, Hillary Clinton, Margaret Mead,

         3       Elizabeth Blackwell, Althea Gibson, to name

         4       others.

         5                  Women have made great progress, but

         6       as long as women remain without a voice, there

         7       is work that we must commit to.  And I think I

         8       stand here with the rest of my colleagues

         9       recommitting ourselves to the work of

        10       creating, as Liz Krueger again, you know,

        11       talked about, 365 days of equality for women.

        12                  But still in our country women

        13       remain the victims of domestic violence,

        14       unequal systems of justice, and labor market

        15       discrimination.  Women continue to struggle

        16       for equality in a male-dominated field such as

        17       politics, where women are 51 percent of the

        18       population but in the U.S. Congress only

        19       17 percent of the members are women.  And I

        20       think far less here, definitely, in the State

        21       Senate and not much higher in the State

        22       Assembly.

        23                  And so we have to recommit

        24       ourselves to the important work of making sure

        25       that everyone has a place and opportunity here



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         1       in our society.  And how can we call ourselves

         2       a just society when 51 percent of the

         3       population are the victims of discrimination

         4       every single day?

         5                  And so we are just remembering and

         6       calling on some of our ancestors and some of

         7       the sheroes whose shoulders that we all stand

         8       on, particularly those sheroes from New York

         9       State.  And some of them I mentioned.

        10                  Sojourner Truth, born in 1798 to

        11       1883.  She was an abolitionist and a women's

        12       rights activist.  She was born into slavery in

        13       Swartekill, New York.  Her best known speech,

        14       "Ain't I A Woman," was delivered in 1851 at

        15       the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron,

        16       Ohio.

        17                  We have Elizabeth Blackwell, born

        18       in 1821, passed in 1910, who became the first

        19       woman doctor of medicine in the United States

        20       and set up practice for her sister, Emily

        21       Blackwell, in New York State.

        22                  We have Eleanor Roosevelt, of

        23       course, born in 1884 and passed in 1962.  And

        24       she was the First Lady and wife of President

        25       Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  She spent her



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         1       adult years working in politics and social

         2       reform.  Her warmth and compassion inspired

         3       the nation.  And she later became the U.S.

         4       delegate to the United Nations.  The U.N.

         5       Declaration of Human Rights was largely her

         6       work, and she chaired the first ever

         7       Presidential Commission on the Status of Women

         8       in the United States.

         9                  You have Zora Neale Hurston, one of

        10       my personal sheroes, born in 1891 to 1960.

        11       She was born in Alabama, raised in Florida,

        12       educated in D.C., where she got a Ph.D. from

        13       Howard University.  Hurston came to New York

        14       City in 1925, where she joined many others in

        15       the movement now known as the Harlem

        16       Renaissance.  She studied at Barnard with

        17       Franz Boas, Ruth Benedict, and Gladys

        18       Reichard.

        19                  Many of you who are Alice Walker

        20       fans and who have seen the play and read the

        21       book The Color Purple, Alice Walker really has

        22       much of her inspiration due to Zora Neale

        23       Hurston.  That technique, if you've ever read

        24       not the screenplay of The Color Purple but the

        25       actual novel, of actually writing in the way



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         1       that the people spoke in the period that she

         2       was trying to cover, comes from Zora Neale

         3       Hurston's technique.  And really, really

         4       important.

         5                  She actually did, as an

         6       anthropologist, did a great deal to talk about

         7       Southern black towns that were governed by

         8       black people, many of which don't even exist

         9       anymore.  But she grew up in one of those

        10       towns in both Alabama and in Florida.

        11                  Other sheroes include Margaret

        12       Mead, born in 1901, who passed in 1978.  And

        13       of course Margaret Mead was an anthropologist

        14       whose career included the study of numerous

        15       peoples and nations, as well as extensive

        16       fieldwork.  Margaret Mead really is one of the

        17       architects of modern anthropology.

        18                  Althea Gibson, born in 1927, passed

        19       in 2003.  And in 1957 Althea Gibson became the

        20       first African-American tennis player to win at

        21       Wimbledon and Forest Hills.  Her influence as

        22       a role model for aspiring athletes has been

        23       profound, including the Williams sisters, who

        24       now frequently win at Wimbledon -- but they

        25       stand on the shoulders of Althea Gibson.



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         1                  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, born in 1933,

         2       is a Supreme Court justice.  She's spent her

         3       career working to eliminate gender-based

         4       stereotyping and discrimination.  Justice

         5       Ginsburg is the second woman appointed to the

         6       United States Supreme Court in its 212-year

         7       history.

         8                  And of course the Bronx's own Sonia

         9       Sotomayor.  Born in 1954 in the Bronx, Justice

        10       Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Supreme Court

        11       justice and the third woman appointed to the

        12       Court.

        13                  And so we want to remember all of

        14       these sheroes for all of their great works,

        15       and use them not just for women but also for

        16       men.  Young boys need to know that there are

        17       women who have been part of the development of

        18       this nation, part of -- you know, outside of

        19       just the work that they've done in the home,

        20       that they have been part of the development of

        21       our constitutional system, our business lives,

        22       you know, science.  In almost every endeavor

        23       that we engage in, women have been at the

        24       forefront.

        25                  But I want to go back and just



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         1       remind us about the International Ladies'

         2       Garment Workers' Union.  And it was founded in

         3       1900 in New York City by seven local unions

         4       with a few thousand members between them, and

         5       it grew up in those years.

         6                  And I will be creating a bill to

         7       commemorate the 100th anniversary of the

         8       tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York

         9       City that took the lives of over 140 working

        10       women.  That fire led to legislation requiring

        11       the improving of factory safety standards and

        12       helped spur the growth of the ILGWU, which

        13       fought for better and safer work conditions

        14       for sweatshop workers in that industry.

        15                  And so we say congratulations to

        16       all the women of this house and the women of

        17       our great state as we remember International

        18       Women's Day.

        19                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

        20       you, Senator Parker.

        21                  Senator Montgomery, on the

        22       resolution.

        23                  SENATOR MONTGOMERY:    Thank you,

        24       Mr. President.

        25                  I rise with my colleagues, and I



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         1       want to thank Senator Sampson for this

         2       resolution honoring International Women's Day.

         3                  And I join my colleagues who have

         4       already spoken so eloquently to honor and to

         5       acknowledge and to thank all of the sisters

         6       that have gone on before us and who have

         7       fought for many aspects of freedom for many of

         8       us in this room, men and women.

         9                  And, Mr. President, I happened to

        10       be present at the 150th anniversary of the

        11       celebration in Seneca Falls.  And it was very,

        12       very interesting, because I stayed in a hotel

        13       in Auburn, New York, and right up the street

        14       from the hotel was one of our prisons, one of

        15       our first prisons, the Auburn prison facility.

        16       And in the other direction, a little ways

        17       over, there was the homestead of Harriet

        18       Tubman.  And a ways up the road, at Seneca

        19       Falls, was the site where Elizabeth Cady

        20       Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and Frederick

        21       Douglass came together in 1848 to create a

        22       women's movement, a suffrage movement.

        23                  And I could just imagine how

        24       exciting it must have been -- all of these

        25       people who were so determined that women



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         1       should have rights and that African-Americans

         2       should have rights.

         3                  And Harriet Tubman walking and

         4       making all of those trips to help free her

         5       brothers and sisters from slavery.  And how

         6       they must have had many midnight journeys in

         7       that region, moving from the South, where

         8       Harriet Tubman originated, into Canada, where

         9       people could raise their hands in freedom if

        10       they were African-American and moving away

        11       from slavery.

        12                  How wonderful it must have been to

        13       be part of that movement.  And how they had

        14       real arguments -- because, Mr. President,

        15       there was a divide even back then.  Because

        16       they had to decide if it was suffrage first or

        17       if it was freedom from slavery for

        18       African-Americans, if they were going to fight

        19       for rights of women to vote or

        20       African-American men to vote.

        21                  So who won?  Who won?  The

        22       African-American men.  They got the vote

        23       before women.  However, the women did not give

        24       up.

        25                  So I'm thankful to these women.  So



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         1       many of them originated here in New York.  I

         2       think my colleague Senator Parker has called

         3       the names of many of them.  Shirley Chisholm,

         4       sister, who was right from Brooklyn, where I

         5       represent now.  As a matter of fact, her

         6       district was part of what the district is that

         7       I represent today.

         8                  I'm thankful for the women who

         9       decided at some point that it wasn't enough

        10       just to be comfortable.  Because I think many

        11       of these women in fact were very comfortable.

        12       They did not have to worry about where their

        13       next meal was coming from.  But they cared

        14       enough about all of the sisters and the

        15       brothers that they continued to wage a very,

        16       very significant battle.

        17                  And I have been asked and it is my

        18       pleasure to name a number of women who have

        19       served in this body as Senators, women who

        20       happen to be Senators.  But I warn that there

        21       has only been 29 in total since the beginning.

        22                  However -- however, in the words of

        23       Sojourner Truth, "Ain't I A woman" -- I'm in

        24       the Senate, but ain't I a woman.

        25                  And of course I honor my sisters



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         1       who are here today.  My congratulations to

         2       each of you, Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, Senator

         3       Shirley Huntley, Senator Liz Krueger, Senator

         4       Diane Savino, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson,

         5       chair of our conference, Senator Betty Little,

         6       Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senator

         7       Catharine Young.

         8                  Congratulations to all of us.  We

         9       all know what we go through each day, but

        10       still I rise -- Senator Toby Stavisky.  Toby

        11       Stavisky.  I owe you a special thanks, Toby.

        12                  And can I just mention some past

        13       Senators who have come before us, who left

        14       before we did, but nonetheless we can thank

        15       them and we owe them, many of them.  Because

        16       when they came, there wasn't a toilet on this

        17       floor for women.  So they made that happen.

        18       That was big for us.

        19                  Senator Rhoda Fox Graves, elected

        20       in 1934.  She was the first woman elected to

        21       the New York State Senate.  Senator Constance

        22       Baker Motley, the first African-American woman

        23       elected to the Senate.  Senator Mary Ellen

        24       Jones.  Senator Karen Burstein.  Senator Carol

        25       Berman.  Senator Carol Bellamy.  Senator Linda



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         1       Winikow.  Senator Mary Anne Krupsak.  Senator

         2       Anna Jefferson.  Senator Mary B. Goodhue.

         3       Senator Catherine Abate.  Senator Janet Hill

         4       Gordon.  Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffmann.

         5       Senator Patricia McGee.  Senator Olga Mendez.

         6       Senator Mary Lou Rath.  Senator Nellie

         7       Santiago.  Senator Ada Smith.  And Senator

         8       Gladys Buck.

         9                  Mr. President, I offer these names

        10       for your record, for our record.  And I say,

        11       as a woman and representing the women in this

        12       house, as well as the women in this body, in

        13       the Senate, in the Assembly, and the women in

        14       this building, who every day have to spend

        15       many, many hours preparing for us and making

        16       sure -- and I hope that I shall never again

        17       see a young woman carrying the books of one of

        18       my male Senators.  Let's just stop that today

        19       going forward.  That would be a wonderful

        20       tribute to the women in the State Legislature

        21       who work for us.

        22                  So in the words of Maya Angelou,

        23       who I love, one of the poets in our wonderful

        24       state:  As a woman, still I rise. There will

        25       be more to come, and we hope in very short



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         1       order.

         2                  Thank you, Mr. President.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

         4       you, Senator Montgomery.

         5                  Senator Stewart-Cousins, on the

         6       resolution.

         7                  SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS:    Thank

         8       you, Mr. President.

         9                  There's very little for me to say

        10       because my colleagues have so beautifully

        11       articulated, I think, the past, the present,

        12       and the future of what women can look forward

        13       to.

        14                  But I rise and I had to rise

        15       because my mother couldn't rise.  Because she

        16       would not have ever dreamt that anyone like

        17       herself, and then even her daughter, would be

        18       able to stand in the Senate chambers.

        19                  I always talk about looking at the

        20       very earliest pictures of the chambers and

        21       seeing the women up in the gallery in little

        22       bonnets and gloved.  They weren't allowed even

        23       to walk on the floors.  Nor could they clean

        24       the desks.

        25                  And now, we have so many women



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         1       Senators.  But as we've spoken, it's certainly

         2       less than 20 percent and certainly not

         3       representative of the number of women in this

         4       great state.

         5                  And the same is mirrored,

         6       legislature after legislature, throughout the

         7       country and throughout the world.  You see

         8       progress on some levels.  But what is

         9       imperative is that every International Women's

        10       Day, we who have a voice stand up for those

        11       who are voiceless, (A) to inspire and (B) to

        12       remind.

        13                  I was at my colleague Senator

        14       Klein's African-American history event, and we

        15       had an opportunity to celebrate many great

        16       people.  And I had an opportunity to say a few

        17       words.  And when I did, I recalled my mother

        18       and her experience of not having the

        19       opportunities.  And later a young woman who

        20       was a lawyer, studying -- well, she was

        21       actually studying for her bar exam.  And she

        22       came up to me and thanked me for reminding her

        23       of what my mother had gone through.

        24                  Because we can forget.  We can

        25       think that it is second nature to see women in



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         1       all these places.  We can think that women

         2       have always had the rights and always had the

         3       opportunity and always had say over themselves

         4       and their educational opportunities.  Whatever

         5       opportunities that people assumed men could

         6       have, people think that women had.

         7                  But not too long ago, not too long

         8       ago, women even in the great, leading state of

         9       New York did not have the opportunities.  And

        10       still, now, women fight every day.

        11                  So we stand because we can.  We

        12       stand because we must.  We stand because we

        13       are leaders and we stand to inspire the next

        14       generation to go forward and to never forget

        15       where we came from.

        16                  Thank you.

        17                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

        18       you, Senator Stewart-Cousins.

        19                  Senator Adams, on the resolution.

        20                  SENATOR ADAMS:    Thank you,

        21       Mr. President.

        22                  I want to join my colleagues and

        23       add my voice to celebrating or acknowledging

        24       the International Women's Day.

        25                  And as you know, I have always



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         1       taken the position that we must take into

         2       account the everyday women who contribute.

         3       And they are the unsung heroes.  They're not

         4       the stars, they're basically the supporting

         5       cast that is often not acknowledged.

         6                  I want to look at three areas of

         7       the International Women's Day.  Because it's

         8       one thing just to pause on this day and give

         9       acknowledgement to the contribution of women,

        10       but I think we need a take a very real look at

        11       what this means.

        12                  The first area I want to look at is

        13       roles redefined.  For years we criticized the

        14       mothers, we criticized the women that stayed

        15       at home and reared our children.  And we see

        16       the by-product of the absence of their most

        17       important role.  We compared the role of a

        18       housewife or a mother who was home every day

        19       as being insignificant.  And now history has

        20       shown us, in a period of reflection, that not

        21       only was it significant, it was crucial to

        22       continue our country and nation moving

        23       forward.

        24                  I will contest and I believe that

        25       if mothers were home as children were leaving



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         1       every day, we wouldn't have a society of

         2       children that don't realize a belt loop is

         3       supposed to have a belt in it.  And instead of

         4       teaching our children those very basic things,

         5       because we demonize and criticize the

         6       important roles of having a mother in the

         7       household and made it a bad thing instead of a

         8       good thing for a man or woman to play that

         9       role, I think it hurt us.

        10                  The second area I would like to

        11       look at:  terms.  People conceive and view

        12       life not only from that which is in front of

        13       them, but that is what impacts their

        14       subconscious.  We use terms such as storms and

        15       hurricanes to name women.  We use all things

        16       that are negative to name women.  That plays

        17       on the psyche of people.

        18                  And as we talk about acknowledging

        19       the International Women's Day, we need to

        20       acknowledge how we consider and how we make

        21       women appear in a global sense.  And that is

        22       when you start moving the entire globe in the

        23       right direction of truly acknowledging a woman

        24       for who and what she is.

        25                  Lastly, overcoming obstacles.  The



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         1       only common denominator on the planet for all

         2       cultures, no matter if it's in Africa or if

         3       it's in Afghanistan, there is a common

         4       denominator of men abusing the women of their

         5       society.

         6                  In India there was a term called

         7       sati.  Whenever a man died, his wife had to

         8       commit suicide by throwing herself on the fire

         9       and burning herself to death.  In China, a

        10       woman had to squeeze her feet into a small

        11       pair of shoes so that she can look appealing

        12       to a man.  In Africa, women were forcibly

        13       circumcised so that they couldn't enjoy any

        14       physical pleasure, so that the insecurities of

        15       their husband would be protected.

        16                  All across the globe, there was

        17       international domestic violence, where a man

        18       was allowed to kill his wife and get away with

        19       it.  The laws and rules of that particular

        20       area permitted it.

        21                  So the issue of International

        22       Women's Day is not merely just to acknowledge

        23       the importance of one or two or a handful of

        24       women, some of the success that they've done

        25       in their day, it is our time to pause for a



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         1       moment and state what are we doing to change

         2       the image of what our opposite, as a man, is

         3       in life, and that are our companions and that

         4       are women.

         5                  And for those of us who think it's

         6       not important, all we should ask is how do we

         7       want our daughters to be, what type of

         8       universe do we want our daughters to grow up

         9       in.  Do we want them to be forcibly

        10       circumcised?  Do we want them to have to throw

        11       themselves on the flames because their mate

        12       died?  Do we want them to have to squeeze into

        13       a small pair of shoes just to be physically

        14       appealing?  Do we want them to feel as though

        15       they have to live through some ridiculous

        16       standard?

        17                  So it is easy to say these rules

        18       are not incorrect or not wrong when it doesn't

        19       impact you directly.  I think they are wrong.

        20       And I think countless number of men have

        21       joined side by side with the women not only of

        22       America but of the globe, in creating

        23       standards and creating a lifestyle that all

        24       human beings, regardless of their gender,

        25       should have the right to participate in the



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         1       prosperity of being a member of one of the

         2       greatest races alive, and that's the human

         3       race.

         4                  Thank you, Mr. President.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

         6       you, Senator Adams.

         7                  Senator Savino, on the resolution.

         8                  SENATOR SAVINO:    Thank you,

         9       Mr. President.

        10                  I want to first thank Senator

        11       Sampson for bringing this resolution in honor

        12       of International Women's Day, and of course

        13       congratulate and thank all of my colleagues,

        14       especially my women colleagues here, for

        15       pausing to recognize the importance of

        16       International Women's Day.

        17                  Senator Montgomery and Senator

        18       Parker talked about a lot of the

        19       accomplishments of women right here in

        20       New York State, whether it was leading the way

        21       for the right to vote or enacting labor laws,

        22       long before the federal government did it,

        23       that protected women and children in the

        24       workplace, or all of the other firsts that we

        25       have seen come out of New York State on issues



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         1       that were brought forward by women.  And it's

         2       very appropriate that we stop and we recognize

         3       those things.

         4                  But I also don't want to just talk

         5       about the past, I want to talk about the

         6       future.  Senator Adams mentioned changing the

         7       image of women.  And while certainly some of

         8       the atrocities that he talked about are issues

         9       we should all be concerned about -- and we

        10       would want to change those images -- I'm a

        11       little bit more concerned about changing the

        12       circumstances for the women of New York State.

        13                  And we still have a long way to go

        14       in achieving real equality here in New York

        15       State.  But we have opportunities.  We have an

        16       opportunity this year, in this legislative

        17       session, to rectify a 75-year-old injustice

        18       that affects women when we pass the Domestic

        19       Workers' Bill of Rights.  We have an

        20       opportunity to improve our domestic violence

        21       laws right here in New York State when we pass

        22       some of the bills that I will be bringing

        23       forward, and a bill that Senator Schneiderman

        24       introduced yesterday making choking a felony

        25       offense.  We have an opportunity to strengthen



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         1       our child support laws, something that

         2       seriously needs to be dealt with here in

         3       New York State.

         4                  And we have a real opportunity in

         5       this budget process this year.  The Governor

         6       has handed us a budget that is

         7       disproportionately harmful to women -- with

         8       cuts to daycare, with cuts to after-school

         9       programs, with tremendous cuts to human

        10       services -- at a time when women are suffering

        11       more than ever in New York State.  Our

        12       unemployment rate is at 10 percent, and they

        13       are disproportionately women who have

        14       unemployed.  They need that safety net now

        15       more than ever.

        16                  So while we pause to celebrate the

        17       accomplishments of women who have come before

        18       us, and rightfully so, we have an opportunity

        19       to rectify some injustices that exist for

        20       women right now, right here in New York

        21       State -- women that aren't seeking the

        22       spotlight, who don't want to change the world,

        23       who just want to raise a family and just want

        24       to be able to survive.

        25                  So I want to thank Senator Sampson



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         1       for bringing this forward, and I look forward

         2       to working with all of my colleagues to begin

         3       to write the next chapter in women's history

         4       in New York State.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

         6       you, Senator Savino.

         7                  Senator Oppenheimer, on the

         8       resolution.

         9                  SENATOR OPPENHEIMER:    That was

        10       very well said, and I'm glad you said that,

        11       Senator Savino.

        12                  I wanted to just take a moment to

        13       say what has happened in the last few decades

        14       that I think is very positive.  And yes,

        15       indeed, all the women in this chamber are

        16       standing on the shoulders of women that have

        17       come before us.  But the events that I have

        18       seen I think should be noted.

        19                  And that is when I became mayor of

        20       my village in Westchester in 1977, I was the

        21       first female mayor in Westchester's history.

        22       Now we have so many female heads of government

        23       in Westchester that we outnumber the men.

        24                  So I think that is quite a nice

        25       achievement over a 30-year period.  Though I



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         1       must say in the beginning when I would go

         2       around to every women's group I could find to

         3       talk about coming into government, because

         4       local government was a wonderful place for a

         5       mother to be -- because we all had kids.  And

         6       I said, and you're close to your children.  So

         7       if your children leave their lunch at home,

         8       you can get it over to their school.  Whereas

         9       if you go back down to Manhattan, you won't be

        10       able to do that for your child.

        11                  I must say I talked a lot for about

        12       a decade.  And finally, after about a decade,

        13       some people started to take my word.  And

        14       also, I guess, they saw me, with five small

        15       children, managing.  So that's part of being,

        16       I guess, a mentor, where people will see you

        17       and say if that person can do it, I can do it

        18       too.

        19                  So -- and also another area that

        20       has seen amazing achievement for women.  When

        21       I got my MBA at Columbia, we were two women,

        22       two women in a class of a few hundred.  Now,

        23       getting pretty close to half the class in the

        24       MBA program at Columbia is female.

        25                  So these are things that have



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         1       happened in the last 30, 40 years.  And while

         2       I can't say that our numbers here in the

         3       Senate are extraordinary, I think the Assembly

         4       is doing a lot better than we are.  And we

         5       certainly hope never to displace the men, but

         6       to just be there equally with them, sort of in

         7       the equal numbers that our population is.

         8                  So I honor the people that have

         9       been here before us.  And we know the

        10       gratitude that we owe them, because we would

        11       not be here if they had not blazed the trail

        12       for us.

        13                  Thank you.

        14                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

        15       you, Senator Oppenheimer.

        16                  The question is on the resolution.

        17       All in favor signify by saying aye.

        18                  (Response of "Aye.")

        19                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        20       Opposed, nay.

        21                  (No response.)

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        23       resolution is adopted.

        24                  Senator Klein.

        25                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at



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         1       this time could we please move to a reading of

         2       the supplemental calendar.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         4       Secretary will proceed with a reading of

         5       Senate Supplemental Calendar 18A.

         6                  THE SECRETARY:    In relation to

         7       Calendar Number 218, Senator Kruger moves to

         8       discharge, from the Committee on Finance,

         9       Assembly Bill Number 9949A and substitute it

        10       for the identical Senate Bill Number 6924B,

        11       Third Reading Calendar 218.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        13       Substitution ordered.

        14                  THE SECRETARY:    Calendar Number

        15       218, by Member of the Assembly Destito,

        16       Assembly Print Number 9949A, an act to amend

        17       the Legislative Law and the State Finance Law.

        18                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Read

        19       the last section.

        20                  THE SECRETARY:    Section 2.  This

        21       act shall take effect immediately.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Call

        23       the roll.

        24                  (The Secretary called the roll.)

        25                  THE SECRETARY:    Ayes, 59.



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         1                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         2       bill is passed.

         3                  THE SECRETARY:    Senator Klein,

         4       that completes the reading of Supplemental

         5       Calendar 18A.

         6                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

         7       this time could we go back to motions and

         8       resolutions.

         9                  I believe Senator Sampson has

        10       another resolution at the desk.  I ask that

        11       the title of the resolution be read and move

        12       for its immediate adoption.

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        14       Secretary will read.

        15                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

        16       Sampson, legislative resolution commending the

        17       Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty upon

        18       the occasion of hosting its Food For Life

        19       Awards Ceremony.

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        21       Senator Klein, was this resolution deemed

        22       privileged and submitted by the office of the

        23       Temporary President?

        24                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Yes, it was,

        25       Mr. President.



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         1                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

         2       those in favor of adopting the resolution

         3       signify by saying aye.

         4                  (Response of "Aye.")

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         6       Opposed, nay.

         7                  (No response.)

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         9       resolution is adopted.

        10                  Senator Klein.

        11                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        12       believe Senator LaValle has a resolution at

        13       the desk.  I ask that the title of the

        14       resolution be read and move for its immediate

        15       adoption.

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        17       Senator Klein, has this resolution been deemed

        18       privileged and submitted by the office of the

        19       Temporary President?

        20                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Yes, it has,

        21       Mr. President.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        23       Secretary will read.

        24                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

        25       LaValle, legislative resolution congratulating



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         1       Dr. Nicholas P. Samios upon the occasion of

         2       his designation for special recognition as a

         3       2010 Inductee of the Long Island Technology

         4       Hall of Fame.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         6       question is on the resolution.  All in favor

         7       signify by saying aye.

         8                  (Response of "Aye.")

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        10       Opposed, nay.

        11                  (No response.)

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        13       resolution is adopted.

        14                  Senator Klein.

        15                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        16       believe Senator Marcellino has a resolution at

        17       the desk.  I ask that the title of the

        18       resolution be read and move for its immediate

        19       adoption.

        20                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        21       Senator Klein, has this resolution been deemed

        22       privileged and submitted by the office of the

        23       Temporary President?

        24                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Yes, it has,

        25       Mr. President.



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         1                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         2       Secretary will read.

         3                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

         4       Marcellino, legislative resolution

         5       congratulating ReiJane Huai upon the occasion

         6       of his designation for personal recognition as

         7       Entrepreneur of the Year by the Long Island

         8       Technology Hall of Fame.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All in

        10       favor of adopting the resolution signify by

        11       saying aye.

        12                  (Response of "Aye.")

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        14       Opposed, nay.

        15                  (No response.)

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        17       resolution is adopted.

        18                  Senator Klein.

        19                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, I

        20       believe Senator LaValle has another resolution

        21       at the desk.  I ask that the title of the

        22       resolution be read and move for its immediate

        23       adoption.

        24                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        25       Senator Klein, has this resolution been deemed



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         1       privileged and submitted by the office of the

         2       Temporary President?

         3                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Yes, it has,

         4       Mr. President.

         5                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         6       Secretary will read.

         7                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

         8       LaValle, legislative resolution congratulating

         9       Nikola Tesla, posthumously, upon the occasion

        10       of his designation for special recognition as

        11       a 2010 Inductee of the Long Island Technology

        12       Hall of Fame.

        13                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

        14       those in favor of adopting the resolution

        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 is adopted.

        22                  Senator Klein.

        23                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        24       this time I move to take up Senate Resolution

        25       Number 4175, by Senator Foley.  I ask that the



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         1       title of the resolution be read and move for

         2       its immediate adoption.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         4       Secretary will read.

         5                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator Foley,

         6       Legislative Resolution Number 4175, commending

         7       George Bloom upon the occasion of 40 years of

         8       distinguished service to Local 1104,

         9       Communication Workers of America, as he is

        10       honored by the Long Island Federation of Labor

        11       on March 4, 2010.

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

        13       those in favor of adopting the resolution

        14       signify by saying aye.

        15                  (Response of "Aye.")

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        17       Opposed, nay.

        18                  (No response.)

        19                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        20       resolution is adopted.

        21                  Senator Klein.

        22                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        23       this time can we take up Senate Resolution

        24       Number 4120, by Senator Liz Krueger.  I ask

        25       that the title of the resolution be read and



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         1       move for its immediate adoption.

         2                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         3       Secretary will read.

         4                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

         5       L. Krueger, Legislative Resolution Number

         6       4120, memorializing Governor David A. Paterson

         7       to proclaim March 7 through 13, 2010, as World

         8       Glaucoma Week in the State of New York.

         9                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        10       Senator Liz Krueger, on the resolution.

        11                  SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER:    Thank you,

        12       Mr. President.

        13                  I rise to briefly highlight for the

        14       record and to the people of New York that this

        15       is World Glaucoma Week.

        16                  Glaucoma is the number-two cause of

        17       blindness in the world.  The earlier you catch

        18       this, the more you can to prevent blindness.

        19       There is so much more we can do to prevent

        20       blindness in this country and throughout the

        21       world, through both research and education.

        22                  And I would just like to remind my

        23       colleagues to make sure you get your own tests

        24       to see whether you have early glaucoma, so

        25       that you can avoid future blindness, urge



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         1       everyone you know to do the same.

         2                  And I would like to open this

         3       resolution for sponsorship by anybody who

         4       wishes to.

         5                  Thank you, Mr. President.

         6                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    Thank

         7       you, Senator Krueger.

         8                  All in favor of adopting the

         9       resolution signify by saying aye.

        10                  (Response of "Aye.")

        11                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        12       Opposed, nay.

        13                  (No response.)

        14                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        15       resolution is adopted.

        16                  Senator Krueger has asked that the

        17       resolution be open to cosponsorship by all

        18       members.  Anyone wishing not to cosponsor the

        19       resolution should notify the desk.

        20                  Senator Klein.

        21                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at

        22       this time I move we take up Senate Resolution

        23       Number 4190, by Senator Espada.  I ask that

        24       the resolution be read title only and move for

        25       its immediate adoption.



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         1                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

         2       Secretary will read.

         3                  THE SECRETARY:    By Senator

         4       Espada, Legislative Resolution Number 4190,

         5       memorializing Governor David A. Paterson to

         6       proclaim March 2010 as Women's History Month

         7       in the State of New York.

         8                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    All

         9       those in favor of adopting the resolution

        10       signify by saying aye.

        11                  (Response of "Aye.")

        12                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        13       Opposed, nay.

        14                  (No response.)

        15                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        16       resolution is adopted.

        17                  Senator Klein.

        18                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, on

        19       behalf of Senator Smith, I hand up the

        20       following committee notice to be filed with

        21       the Journal.

        22                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    So

        23       ordered.

        24                  Senator Klein.

        25                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, at



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         1       this time can you please recognize Senator

         2       Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

         3                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

         4       Senator Hassell-Thompson.

         5                  SENATOR HASSELL-THOMPSON:    Thank

         6       you, Mr. President.

         7                  Immediately following session

         8       today, there will be a meeting of the Majority

         9       in Room 332.  Immediately.

        10                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        11       Immediate meeting of the Senate Majority in

        12       Room 332.

        13                  Senator Klein.

        14                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Mr. President, is

        15       there any further business at the desk?

        16                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    The

        17       desk is clear.

        18                  SENATOR KLEIN:    Are you sure?

        19                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:

        20       Positive.

        21                  (Laughter.)

        22                  SENATOR KLEIN:    There being none,

        23       Mr. President, I move that we adjourn until

        24       Wednesday, March 10th, at 3:00 p.m.

        25                  ACTING PRESIDENT VALESKY:    On



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         1       motion, the Senate stands adjourned until

         2       Wednesday, March 10th, at 3:00 p.m.

         3                  (Whereupon, at 5:21 p.m., the

         4       Senate adjourned.)

         5

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