Regular Session - February 1, 2011
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 February 1, 2011
11 12:11 p.m.
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13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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18 SENATOR JOHN J. FLANAGAN, Acting President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask everyone to rise and repeat
5 the Pledge.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: In
9 the absence of clergy, I would ask that we bow
10 our heads in a moment of silence.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage
12 respected a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
14 reading of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
16 Monday, January 31, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Sunday,
18 January 30, was read and approved. On motion,
19 Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
21 Without objection, the Journal stands approved
22 as read.
23 Presentation of petitions.
24 Messages from the Assembly.
25 Messages from the Governor.
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1 Reports of standing committees.
2 Reports of select committees.
3 Communications and reports from
4 state officers.
5 Motions and resolutions.
6 Senator Libous.
7 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
8 Mr. President.
9 At this time could we please adopt
10 the Resolution Calendar.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: All
12 in favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar
13 signify by saying aye.
14 (Response of "Aye.")
15 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
16 Opposed, nay.
17 (No response.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
19 resolution calendar is adopted.
20 Senator Libous.
21 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
22 Mr. President.
23 Mr. President, I believe that
24 there's a privileged resolution at the desk by
25 Senator Young. May we please have the title
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1 read and move for its immediate adoption.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: By Senator Young,
5 Legislative Resolution Number 412,
6 commemorating the 200th Anniversary of
7 Chautauqua County, New York.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
9 Senator Young.
10 SENATOR YOUNG: Thank you,
11 Mr. President.
12 It's with great pride that we pass
13 this resolution today. As you know,
14 Chautauqua County is the furthest county west
15 in the State of New York. It's a land of
16 great lakes and beautiful lakes, and it's a
17 place where people are just wonderful.
18 So I just want to say to everyone,
19 thank you for your support today. We are
20 looking forward to an entire year of
21 celebration honoring our 200th birthday in
22 Chautauqua County.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
25 question is on the resolution. All those in
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1 favor signify by saying aye.
2 (Response of "Aye.")
3 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
4 Opposed, nay.
5 (No response.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
7 resolution is adopted.
8 Senator Libous.
9 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
10 Mr. President.
11 I believe there is a privileged
12 resolution at the desk by Senator
13 Hassell-Thompson. Could we please have it
14 read in its entirety and then please call on
15 Senator Hassell-Thompson, please.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
17 Secretary will read.
18 THE SECRETARY: By Senator
19 Hassell-Thompson, Legislative Resolution
20 Number 411, honoring Sergeant Deon L. Taylor
21 posthumously upon the occasion of his
22 designation for special recognition by the
23 New York Army National Guard.
24 "WHEREAS, Members of the armed
25 services from the State of New York, who have
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1 served so faithfully and courageously in wars
2 in which our nation's freedom was at stake, as
3 well as in the preservation of peace during
4 peacetime, deserve a special salute from this
5 Legislative Body; and
6 "WHEREAS, this Legislative Body is
7 justly proud to honor Sergeant Deon L. Taylor
8 posthumously upon the occasion of his
9 designation for special recognition by the
10 New York Army National Guard, to be celebrated
11 at its Black History Month Kick-Off
12 celebration on Tuesday, February 1, 2011; and
13 "WHEREAS, This year's national
14 theme is 'An African-American Tribute to Our
15 Troops and Their Families'; and
16 "WHEREAS, This special celebration
17 will include the name of Sergeant Deon Taylor
18 as a recipient of state recognition. This
19 particular award was established as one of the
20 Empire State's highest honors for community
21 service; and
22 "WHEREAS, Sergeant Deon Taylor grew
23 up in the Bronx, New York, dreaming about
24 making a difference in other people's lives.
25 According to his grandmother, Shirley Taylor,
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1 'he always wanted to be a cop, ever since he
2 was a little boy he always wanted to help';
3 and
4 "WHEREAS, Sergeant Deon Taylor went
5 to high school in Lewiston, Maine, where he
6 was a notable athlete. After high school, he
7 joined the New York Army National Guard in
8 1997 and was based with the 27th Brigade
9 Combat Team in Syracuse. He later transferred
10 to the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery in
11 the Bronx; and
12 "WHEREAS, In 2003 Sergeant Deon
13 Taylor graduated from Old Westbury College in
14 Long Island with a degree in sociology and
15 criminology. He joined in New York Police
16 Department in 2005 as a transit cop, and a
17 year later he was promoted to the Narcotics
18 Division in Brooklyn; and
19 "WHEREAS, Sergeant Deon Taylor
20 faced danger daily as an undercover narcotics
21 operative. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly
22 said 'Deon Taylor made a difference in his
23 short time on the force. He took the most
24 dangerous drugs off the streets, along with
25 obtaining crucial evidence that led to search
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1 warrants. He did it all while remaining
2 modest, polite and respectful of others'; and
3 "WHEREAS, Sergeant Deon Taylor was
4 a dedicated family man who lived upstate with
5 his 8-year-old son, DaRue. He was truly a
6 devoted, hands-on father. He also cared for
7 his mother, Pamela; and
8 "WHEREAS, Sergeant Deon Taylor was
9 a fire-direction specialist, zeroing in on
10 terrorist targets when he was killed in
11 Western Afghanistan on October 22, 2008, just
12 as he was nearing the end of his deployment
13 and planning an August wedding to his fiancee,
14 Caitlin Casey. Sergeant Deon Taylor
15 courageously served his city at home and his
16 nation abroad; and
17 "WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is
18 moved with great respect and reverent esteem,
19 and on behalf of all of the citizens of the
20 Empire State, to renew its tribute to the men
21 and women of New York State who so
22 courageously served their state and nation in
23 defense of freedom and democracy; now,
24 therefore, be it
25 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
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1 Body pause in its deliberations to honor
2 Sergeant Deon L. Taylor posthumously upon the
3 occasion of his designation for special
4 recognition by the New York Army National
5 Guard; and be it further
6 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this,
7 suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Sergeant
8 Taylor's parents, Leon and Pamela."
9 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
10 Senator Hassell-Thompson.
11 SENATOR HASSELL-THOMPSON: Thank
12 you, Mr. President.
13 I rise to thank this body for
14 allowing this resolution to be read in its
15 entirety.
16 The parents of Deon Taylor are from
17 my district, and they are so pleased tonight
18 that the Governor is going to honor his memory
19 at the African-American recognition ceremony.
20 And I wanted to be able to present
21 this resolution on behalf of the State Senate,
22 in thanks to him for the life that he lived
23 and for the service that he gave to his
24 country and certainly to the State of
25 New York. He made us proud.
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1 So I thank you, Mr. President, for
2 allowing me to opportunity to address his
3 memory and to congratulate his family on being
4 the recipient of this award posthumously.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: Thank
6 you, Senator Hassell-Thompson.
7 Senator Larkin, on the resolution.
8 SENATOR LARKIN: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 And I want to thank Senator
11 Hassell-Thompson for putting this resolution
12 in.
13 Too often we forget that young men
14 and women are sent daily on a mission in
15 harm's way. I see our good Deputy Minority
16 Leader looking here; he can tell you his own
17 experience with his brothers. His brother was
18 a very well decorated Vietnam veteran, highly
19 decorated, Silver Star and others.
20 But this is a case of a young man
21 that we're seeing on a regular basis. Last
22 weekend there were eight Americans that were
23 killed. There was a NATO group killed. And,
24 you know, sometimes we as individuals and as
25 group fail to sit and take a moment and
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1 reflect on what commitment these young people
2 have made for this great country of ours.
3 If you look at Senator McDonald,
4 combat veteran, Vietnam, Cambodia. And then
5 we have young kids today, Iraq and
6 Afghanistan, some of them on their third and
7 fourth time. They've been wounded the first
8 time, maybe the second time. But on the third
9 and fourth, the mailman comes up and says
10 "Your son was killed in action."
11 It isn't an easy thing. We don't
12 sometimes grasp what the nation we have is
13 doing and how we're treating our young people.
14 This is a National Guard person. A lot of
15 people say to me, Well, the National Guard,
16 well, they're not in combat. Listen, I
17 remember them in combat in World War II and in
18 Korea and in Vietnam.
19 This is a young life that has been
20 taken away from us. And you never really
21 understand it.
22 My first killed in action was
23 August the 4th, 2:30, 1950. I will never
24 forget it. And some commander of Taylor's
25 group will never forget it. And we as a body
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1 should never forget.
2 I don't think it's funny, Senator.
3 I don't think it's very funny at all. This is
4 a very serious matter. You might not think it
5 is, but I do. I'll never disrespect you when
6 you're on the floor. Don't disrespect me.
7 So I say this is a resolution.
8 Maybe we all ought to get a copy of it and
9 think about what he did for us that makes us
10 the greatest nation in the world, because we
11 have men and women who volunteer, raise their
12 right hand and say "I will serve my country,
13 and I will defend and protect you."
14 Thank you very much, Senator
15 Hassell-Thompson.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: Thank
17 you, Senator Larkin.
18 Is there any other Senator wishing
19 to be heard on the resolution?
20 Seeing none, the question is on the
21 resolution. All those in favor signify by
22 saying aye.
23 (Response of "Aye.")
24 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN:
25 Opposed, nay.
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1 (No response.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: The
3 resolution is adopted.
4 Senator Libous.
5 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President,
6 is there any further business at the desk?
7 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: There
8 is none, Senator Libous.
9 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President,
10 at this time I ask that we all join together,
11 those who wish to go as a group or
12 individually to the Hart Theater for the
13 Governor's budget presentation.
14 And there being no further
15 business, Mr. President, before the Senate
16 today, I would ask that we adjourn until
17 Monday, February 7th, at 3:00 p.m.,
18 intervening days being legislative days.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT FLANAGAN: On
20 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
21 Monday, February 7th, at 3:00 p.m.,
22 intervening days being legislative days.
23 (Whereupon, at 12:22 p.m., the
24 Senate adjourned.)
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