Regular Session - January 29, 2013
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
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8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 January 29, 2013
11 11:07 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR DAVID CARLUCCI, 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 CARLUCCI: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and repeat with me the Pledge of
6 Allegiance.
7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: In the
10 absence of clergy, I ask that we bow our heads
11 for a moment of silence.
12 (Whereupon, the assemblage
13 respected a moment of silence.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
15 reading of the Journal.
16 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
17 January 28th, the Senate met pursuant to
18 adjournment. The Journal of Friday,
19 January 25th, was read and approved. On motion,
20 Senate adjourned.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
22 Without objection, the Journal stands approved
23 as read.
24 Presentation of petitions.
25 Messages from the Assembly.
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1 Messages from the Governor.
2 Reports of standing committees.
3 Reports of select committees.
4 Communications and reports from
5 state officers.
6 Motions and resolutions.
7 Senator Libous.
8 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 At this time could we please adopt
11 the Resolution Calendar, with the exception of
12 Resolution Numbers 167, 304, 309, and 317.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: All in
14 favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar, with
15 the exception of Resolutions 167, 304, 309, and
16 317, signify by saying aye.
17 (Response of "Aye.")
18 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
19 Opposed, nay.
20 (No response.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
22 Resolution Calendar is adopted.
23 Senator Libous.
24 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
25 Mr. President.
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1 I believe there's a resolution by
2 Senator Larkin, Number 317, at the desk. Could
3 we please have the title read and move for its
4 adoption.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
6 Secretary will read the title.
7 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
8 Resolution Number 317, by Senator Larkin,
9 commemorating Catholic Schools Week 2013.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
11 Senator Larkin.
12 SENATOR LARKIN: Mr. President,
13 throughout our great state and throughout across
14 this country, this week we will celebrate
15 Catholic School Week.
16 Those of us who have had our
17 districts see the diminishing of the number of
18 schools in there, it's been hard and it's been
19 testy. But we as a nation cannot forget that we
20 have an obligation -- whether it's Hebrew,
21 Lutheran, Catholic, public, whatever it is -- we
22 have an obligation for the responsibility to
23 these young people.
24 And I think we all join in the
25 Catholic faith this week and thank those who
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1 help us to provide this education to our young
2 children. I'm very happy for it.
3 I think that when you start to look
4 at just recently the decisions in New York City,
5 this year 24 new schools in the city will close
6 down. Between '10 and '11, we saw 70. By
7 celebrating this, we're telling everybody that
8 we're proud of those who continue our Catholic
9 education and we want to be there, just like
10 we're going to be there for any other religion.
11 Thank you very much.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
13 you, Senator Larkin.
14 Are there any other Senators wishing
15 to be heard on the resolution?
16 Senator Bonacic.
17 SENATOR BONACIC: Thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 I'd like to join with Senator Larkin
20 in thanking the contribution of the Catholic
21 schools to the leaders of America.
22 I myself have been a product of the
23 Catholic school system. It teaches the values,
24 the discipline, and the importance of education.
25 I also want to thank the parents who
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1 have to pay high tuition for their children who
2 go to these Catholic schools, in addition to
3 paying their public taxes.
4 So it's a trend we would like to see
5 reversed. But I know in these tough recessionary
6 times which have gone on for now almost six
7 years, everyone is squeezed, including our public
8 school system.
9 And so I want to thank
10 Senator Larkin for his remarks, and I want to
11 thank you, Mr. President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
13 you, Senator Bonacic.
14 Are there any other Senators wishing
15 to be heard on the resolution?
16 Senator Savino.
17 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 I want to thank Senator Larkin for
20 bringing this resolution today, and I want to
21 echo the comments of Senator Bonacic.
22 You know, I am a Catholic school
23 girl. I never set foot in a public school until
24 the day I took a civil service test -- elementary
25 school, high school, even Catholic university.
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1 The sad fact is our Catholic schools
2 are slowly disappearing in communities. As we
3 speak, the Archdiocese of New York City is
4 considering closing another 24, potentially two
5 more in my district.
6 Catholic schools have been an
7 important, integral part of our neighborhoods and
8 our communities, and they've been partners with
9 our public schools.
10 One of the things I have noticed,
11 though, over the eight years I've been in the
12 Senate I represented a community that had a very
13 high level of religious education, and that was
14 the community of Boro Park, where they have a
15 huge number of yeshivas. And the difference
16 between those of us of the Catholic faith is we
17 are not guaranteeing a quality religious
18 education for kids the way they do in communities
19 like Boro Park.
20 So my challenge to those of us who
21 are Catholics, both active and lapsed, is
22 remember the importance of those schools. Adopt
23 a school, contribute to it, help make those
24 schools viable so they are there for the next
25 generation of legislators who will come forward
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1 and talk about the quality of education both
2 public, private, and parochial.
3 Thank you, Senator Larkin.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
5 you, Senator Savino.
6 Senator Smith.
7 SENATOR SMITH: Thank you very
8 much, Mr. President.
9 Senator Larkin, thank you for
10 bringing this resolution to the floor today.
11 I am, along with Senator Savino,
12 also a product of Catholic school, but my family
13 more so. My sisters went to St. Pascal Baylon,
14 one of my other sisters went to Christ the King,
15 my son went to Molloy, my daughter went to
16 St. Francis Prep, I went to Christ the King, then
17 on to Jesuit high school. So the product that
18 you see here, like it or not --
19 (Laughter.)
20 SENATOR SMITH: -- is a product of
21 Catholic school education.
22 And I will tell you, as Senator
23 Savino said, it is very important that we
24 recognize the importance of what our educational
25 institutions are supposed to be doing for
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1 everybody that goes to those schools.
2 And while we are under siege, some
3 of our Catholic schools -- who I believe have
4 done a tremendous job -- we've also got to
5 remember the model of education that they
6 produced.
7 And so as we stand this day, Senator
8 Larkin, on the floor commemorating this day for
9 Catholic high schools, I say thank you. And I
10 think it's important that we continue to
11 recognize the work that they've done. And if we
12 can emulate that in the public school system, the
13 charter school systems as well, I think the state
14 and the country will be all the better, as we are
15 in this war in terms of intellectual competition
16 around the world.
17 Thank you.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
19 you, Senator Smith.
20 Senator Espaillat.
21 SENATOR ESPAILLAT: Thank you,
22 Mr. President.
23 I am also a product of a Catholic
24 high school. And, you know, the education, the
25 quality education received there is matched by
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1 none. In fact, the discipline displayed there, I
2 remember very distinctly the sign behind the desk
3 of the dean of discipline of that school that
4 said: "Be reasonable. Do it my way."
5 (Laughter.)
6 SENATOR ESPAILLAT: And so, you
7 know, Catholic schools provide the discipline and
8 the tradition. It becomes a family, really. I
9 went to Bishop Dubois High School, which is now
10 closed. Many other high schools have now
11 closed. Power Memorial closed. You know, many
12 other high schools in the city have shut down.
13 And so this is a tragedy, because
14 there is this perception, this myth out there
15 that the families that send their children to
16 parochial schools and Catholic high schools are
17 rich families. And that is not the case.
18 In fact, very often parents have to
19 work a second job, they have to drive a cab at
20 night or hold a second job to be able to afford
21 the tuition at these schools, which seems to be
22 escalating more and more.
23 I represent the district that has
24 the high school that my son went to, St. Agnes,
25 which is on the list to close, and Mother Cabrini
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1 High School, which is an all-girls school in
2 northern Manhattan with a fine tradition as
3 well.
4 So we must all find a way to bring
5 some help to these schools. There is no
6 difference, really, between many of the families
7 that send their children to parochial schools and
8 those that send their children to public
9 schools. I went to both public and parochial
10 schools.
11 So I join the resolution by
12 Senator Larkin, and I hope that we can do better
13 for these schools.
14 Thank you.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
16 you, Senator Espaillat.
17 Are there any other Senators wishing
18 to be heard on the resolution?
19 Seeing none, those in favor signify
20 by saying aye.
21 (Response of "Aye.")
22 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
23 Opposed, nay.
24 (No response.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
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1 resolution carries.
2 Senator Libous.
3 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I believe Senator Larkin would like
6 to open that up to all members. And as the
7 policy goes here in the chamber, if for some
8 reason you wish not to be a sponsor of the
9 resolution, please let the desk know. Otherwise,
10 your name will be noted as a sponsor.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
12 resolution is open for cosponsorship. If you do
13 not wish to be a cosponsor, please notify the
14 desk.
15 Senator Libous.
16 SENATOR LIBOUS: I believe there's
17 a resolution at the desk by Senator Smith,
18 Number 167. I would ask that it be read in its
19 entirety and move for its adoption.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Will
21 the Secretary please read the entirety of the
22 resolution.
23 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
24 Resolution Number 167, by Senator Smith, mourning
25 the death of Juanita E. Watkins, distinguished
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1 citizen and devoted member of her community.
2 "WHEREAS, It is the custom of this
3 Legislative Body to pay tribute to citizens of
4 the State of New York whose lifework and civic
5 endeavor served to enhance the quality of life in
6 their communities and the great State of
7 New York; and
8 "WHEREAS, Juanita E. Watkins of
9 Queens, New York, died on January 20, 2013, at
10 the age of 78; and
11 "WHEREAS, A former councilwoman,
12 Juanita E. Watkins took her seat in the New York
13 City Council in 1982. The 31st Council District
14 has the largest land mass of all the council
15 districts in New York City, covering the
16 community of Arverne, Bayswater, Edgemere, Far
17 Rockaway, JFK Airport, Laurelton, Rosedale,
18 Springfield Gardens, and parts of Cambria Heights
19 and South Ozone Park; and
20 "WHEREAS, Councilwoman Juanita E.
21 Watkins was a strong advocate for her community
22 on a number of fronts. She fought for
23 constituents' rights in the battles over
24 megastores, homeless shelters, and commuter van
25 services; and
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1 "WHEREAS, The new JFK Sheraton Hotel
2 is the result of her five-year fight to close the
3 former Kennedy Inn, a hotel converted into a
4 homeless shelter, located in the middle of a
5 residential community of single family homes; and
6 "WHEREAS, As a Councilwoman,
7 Juanita E. Watkins made advocacy for senior
8 citizens one of her top priorities, sponsoring
9 Senior Empowerment Conferences for seniors within
10 her district; and
11 "WHEREAS, Juanita E. Watkins played
12 a major role in having New York City declared a
13 disaster area eligible for federal funding after
14 the severe flooding that took place in 1999; and
15 "WHEREAS, Juanita E. Watkins
16 distinguished herself in her profession and by
17 her sincere dedication and substantial
18 contribution to the welfare of her community; and
19 "WHEREAS, Juanita E. Watkins'
20 commitment to excellence, and her spirit of
21 humanity, carried over into all fields of
22 enterprise, including charitable and civic
23 endeavors; and
24 "WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic
25 spirit and imbued with a sense of compassion,
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1 Juanita E. Watkins leaves behind a legacy which
2 will long endure the passage of time and will
3 remain as a comforting memory to all she served
4 and befriended; now, therefore, be it
5 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
6 Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the
7 death of Juanita E. Watkins, distinguished
8 citizen and devoted member of her community; and
9 be it further
10 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
11 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
12 the family of Juanita E. Watkins."
13 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
14 Senator Smith on the resolution.
15 SENATOR SMITH: Thank you very
16 much, Mr. President.
17 And thank you, colleagues, for
18 allowing this moment during our legislative
19 session to deliberate and to pause to honor
20 certain individuals.
21 One of the most promising moments
22 that I've had on this floor is doing resolution
23 work. I know there are those that will argue
24 doing budgets are significant and when we pass
25 budgets there are so many lives that we are
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1 affecting and we are helping. It's probably the
2 pinnacle of their moment being involved in this
3 legislative body.
4 For me, while that is somewhat true,
5 most important to me and what I find to be most
6 exciting is being able to take a moment during
7 our deliberation and honor individuals who have
8 had such an impact on our state, on our city and
9 our communities.
10 Juanita Watkins was sort of the
11 Shirley Chisholm of Queens. And I'm sure that
12 Senator Stavisky, Senator Gianaris,
13 Senator Sanders, Senator Addabbo, Senator Avella
14 all remember Juanita Watkins.
15 And you know when she gave you the
16 finger -- and I mean her pointer -- you knew that
17 you were in trouble. She had this distinguished
18 tone in her voice that clearly made you
19 understand that the intellectual level that she
20 was approaching was one that you better be
21 prepared to respond to or you would quickly lose
22 the argument.
23 She was also someone who
24 distinguished herself by being the first
25 African-American woman to chair the county
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1 committee in the Borough of Queens.
2 And those of you that traveled
3 through Kennedy Airport, when you went to the JFK
4 Sheraton Hotel and you rested yourself there, you
5 have no idea the fight that she put up to have
6 that particular place turned into a hotel.
7 So when you are resting there and
8 enjoying your moment, just remember Juanita
9 Watkins, who made such a tremendous commitment to
10 making sure that seniors and individual
11 communities in Queens were treated fairly. She
12 traveled to Washington, she traveled to
13 conventions. There are some people that you
14 don't know who are unsung heroes; she's one of
15 them.
16 And that's why today, while there
17 are many things that we are excited about -- we
18 are clearly going to be excited about Tony
19 Avella's resolution as it relates to the comfort
20 women. We also know what we did today about
21 Catholic dedication.
22 But I will tell you, for me, doing
23 what we are doing here for Juanita Watkins is
24 very special. It's special for her family, for
25 her mother, who she was close to, it's special
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1 for many people who I know in Queens who will
2 recognize when we bring this resolution forward
3 in another meaningful way.
4 So I thank you, Mr. President, for
5 this time, and I thank my colleagues for allowing
6 me to have this moment to share something that
7 was not only heartfelt but was very important to
8 the people of Queens.
9 Thank you, Mr. President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
11 you, Senator Smith.
12 Senator Sanders on the resolution.
13 SENATOR SANDERS: Thank you,
14 Mr. President. I also pause to draw attention to
15 Juanita Watkins.
16 Councilmember Watkins was my
17 predecessor at the City Council. I found her to
18 be hardworking, a giant, a person who really
19 loved getting things done. And she set the goal,
20 the bar, if you wish, that I try to live up to.
21 She fought hard for her
22 constituents. She made her name, or one of the
23 things that drew attention to her was she fought
24 in 1999 to get federal support during the floods
25 that ravaged our district. And yet here we are
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1 again, I guess drawing tribute to her. I will
2 lean on her strength to figure out how to get
3 some federal support now for our district.
4 She loved her family, she loved her
5 church, she loved her constituents, she loved her
6 political party. That was Juanita Watkins. And
7 I'm sure that my other colleagues will bring
8 their memories to task, so I will stop there.
9 Thank you very much.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
11 you, Senator Sanders.
12 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
13 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yes, very
14 briefly, Mr. President.
15 I too remember Juanita Watkins with
16 great affection because she was an affectionate
17 woman. She was a warm, compassionate leader in
18 her community who fought for the things that she
19 thought were worth fighting for. She was a part
20 of a culture of Queens.
21 And it's very difficult to explain
22 to somebody who doesn't live in Queens what a
23 large family we are. We may look different, but
24 we are friends. We work together and we care
25 about each other. And I cared very much about
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1 Juanita Watkins. I remember her mother with
2 great fondness also, and Senator Sanders is
3 nodding his head. She was also a remarkable
4 woman who died only a few years ago.
5 But when we get together in the
6 future, we're going to talk about people such as
7 Juanita Watkins and the tremendous impact she had
8 on the lives of the people not just in Jamaica
9 but in the county and in fact the city and
10 state.
11 Thank you, Mr. President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
13 you, Senator Stavisky.
14 Are there other Senators wishing to
15 be heard on the resolution?
16 Seeing none, those in favor of the
17 resolution signify by saying aye.
18 (Response of "Aye.")
19 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI:
20 Opposed, nay.
21 (No response.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
23 resolution is adopted.
24 Senator Libous.
25 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President,
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1 could we please have a moment of silence for this
2 remarkable individual.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: If we
4 would please rise and pause for a moment of
5 silence in memory of Juanita Watkins.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
7 a moment of silence.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
9 you.
10 Senator Libous.
11 SENATOR LIBOUS: Also I believe,
12 Mr. President, that Senator Smith would like to
13 open this up to all members.
14 And again, as the policy goes, if
15 you wish not to be on the resolution, please
16 advise the desk.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
18 resolution is open for cosponsorship. If you do
19 not wish to be a cosponsor, please notify the
20 desk.
21 Senator Libous.
22 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President, I
23 believe there's a resolution at the desk by
24 Senator Avella, Number 304. I would ask that you
25 read it in its entirety, and then I would ask for
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1 its immediate adoption, after you call on
2 Senator Avella.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
4 Secretary will please read the resolution.
5 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
6 Resolution Number 304, by Senator Avella,
7 memorializing a Memorial Monument in the State of
8 New York that pays tribute to those who have
9 become known to the world as "Comfort Women."
10 "WHEREAS, During the Japanese
11 colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the
12 Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the
13 duration of World War II, approximately 200,000
14 young women were coerced into the Comfort Women
15 system of forced military prostitution; and
16 "WHEREAS, On June 16, 2012, the
17 Comfort Women Memorial Monument was established
18 in the Veterans Memorial at Eisenhower Park in
19 Westbury, New York, to honor and commemorate the
20 victims of the Comfort Women system; and
21 "WHEREAS, The Memorial Monument,
22 being the second memorial of its kind in the
23 United States, symbolizes suffering endured by
24 'Comfort Women' and serves as a reminder of the
25 crime against humanity committed through the
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1 Comfort Women system; and
2 "WHEREAS, It is the custom of this
3 Legislative Body to recognize historical
4 monuments within the State of New York that are
5 established to increase awareness of serious
6 events that have taken place in history; and
7 "WHEREAS, The United Nations reports
8 that 2.4 million people across the globe are
9 victims of human trafficking at any one time, and
10 80 percent of them are being exploited as sexual
11 slaves; now, therefore, be it
12 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
13 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize a
14 Memorial Monument in the State of New York that
15 pays tribute to those who have become known to
16 the world as 'Comfort Women'; and be it further
17 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
18 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
19 the Korean American Public Affairs Committee, the
20 Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Korean
21 American Civic Empowerment."
22 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Senator
23 Avella on the resolution.
24 SENATOR AVELLA: Thank you,
25 Mr. President.
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1 On December 31, 2012, President
2 Obama proclaimed January as the National Slavery
3 and Human Trafficking Prevention Month,
4 rededicating America's commitment to ending any
5 form of human trafficking.
6 In recognition of the National
7 Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, I
8 am honored to introduce Senate Resolution 304,
9 which will also be introduced in the Assembly by
10 Assemblyman Lavine, which memorializes the
11 victims of the "comfort women" system, also known
12 as one of the largest case of human trafficking
13 in the 20th century.
14 While most of us are familiar with
15 the heinous war crimes committed through the
16 Holocaust, the issue of comfort women has yet to
17 gain a level of recognition. Approximately
18 200,000 young women from Korea, China, Thailand,
19 Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
20 Australia and the Netherlands were coerced into
21 the comfort women system of forced military
22 prostitution.
23 In order to memorialize the
24 suffering endured by comfort women, the Comfort
25 Women Memorial Monument was established in the
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1 Veterans Memorial at Eisenhower Park in Westbury,
2 New York, in June 2012.
3 It's always been said if we do not
4 learn from past mistakes, we are bound to repeat
5 them. For this reason I strongly believe it is
6 important for New Yorkers to learn about the
7 crime against humanity and violence against women
8 committed through the comfort women system.
9 I want to thank Senator Skelos,
10 Senator Klein, and Senator Stewart-Cousins for
11 allowing this resolution to come before this
12 body, and I also want to thank the Korean
13 community members who are here today who
14 dedicated their time and efforts to honor and
15 support comfort women in their fight for proper
16 acknowledgment and apology by the Japanese
17 government.
18 Especially I would like to
19 recognize, from the Korean American Public
20 Affairs Committee, Mr. David Lee, the president;
21 Mr. In Bong Kang; Dr. Sonny Lee; Dr. Ilsuk Kim;
22 Dr. Hodal Kim. From the Korean American
23 Association of Albany, Mr. Hyun Jae Kang,
24 president; Ms. Myung Steenburgh; Mr. Wook Jin
25 Hwang. And from the Senior Citizen Voters
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1 Federation of New York, Mr. Hyung Bin Im, the
2 president, and Mr. Il Yoon Kim.
3 Thank you, gentlemen, for your help
4 in putting this together for your recognition.
5 And I want to encourage all my
6 colleagues to vote for the resolution, and I
7 thank you again for bringing this to the
8 forefront.
9 Thank you, Mr. President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
11 you, Senator Avella.
12 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
13 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yes, thank you,
14 Senator Avella, for introducing this resolution,
15 which highlights some really significant issues.
16 But first to my Korean friends, may
17 I say "Ayn yong haseyo," which is the way we say
18 "hello."
19 May I also wish our Korean American
20 friends a Happy Lunar New Year: "Saehae bok
21 mahni badeuseyo."
22 I think this highlights the
23 multiculturalism that is the State of New York.
24 And this issue of comfort women is
25 an important one because it highlights the need
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1 to focus on human trafficking no matter where it
2 occurs, whether it occurred during the Second
3 World War in Nanjing -- women in China were
4 subjected to the same kinds of indignities and
5 disgraceful behavior on the part of the
6 aggressive nations -- whether they be part of the
7 various massacres that have occurred. These are
8 issues of crimes against women because they are
9 women.
10 And I commend, as I said, Senator
11 Avella for the resolution.
12 Let me also urge my colleagues, if
13 they happen to be in Queens County at any time,
14 that they come visit the holocaust museum, the
15 Kupferberg Center at Queensborough Community
16 College, which is an interactive museum of sorts,
17 but it's a living museum, and there's a section
18 deeming with the Korean comfort women.
19 And it highlights the needs of
20 society to recognize that human trafficking,
21 which exists even as we meet here today, that
22 that attitude, that pervasive attack on women
23 because they are women, that has to end.
24 So again, I welcome our friends to
25 Albany and urge the adoption of this resolution.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
2 you, Senator Stavisky.
3 Senator Smith on the resolution.
4 SENATOR SMITH: Thank you very
5 much, Mr. President.
6 And also let me thank Senator Avella
7 for bringing this resolution forward.
8 As one who has ancestors who
9 understands what human trafficking and slavery is
10 all about, one who knows how that can be so
11 deleterious to one's state of mind, colleagues, I
12 believe we have and we owe it to every person, in
13 particular the comfort women who want to bring
14 this to the forefront, to recognize -- just as
15 Senator Avella said the President has recognized
16 this month -- that we will not allow that, we
17 will not tolerate it.
18 Unfortunately, it goes on right now,
19 in Brooklyn. Senator Savino knows that as well.
20 As we stand here in 2013, human trafficking is
21 happening right now. And it absolutely is
22 appalling. It makes no sense when here we are in
23 a time when we are texting and emailing and
24 talking about moving people to Mars and the moon,
25 and yet we still have human trafficking going on
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1 in this world.
2 I believe that today we need to make
3 it our oath of office as we have taken that we
4 will not tolerate this, that we will do all that
5 is necessary, through within our power, through
6 our committees and through our ability to
7 communicate with law enforcement and others, that
8 we will eradicate human trafficking as it exists
9 today, that we will forever honor our women, who
10 for some reason are still in a place where they
11 are not treated as equal.
12 And I do applaud the Governor for
13 his initiative that will be coming to this floor
14 sometime soon this year.
15 But to my colleagues and to my
16 friends who are here, know that on this day you
17 can be assured that the State Senate of New York
18 is with you and we will no longer allow this to
19 go on, and that you have friends that understand
20 the plight and will be moving forward from this
21 day to reassure that the comfort women recognize
22 and we recognize how important this issue is.
23 I thank you very much. And Senator
24 Avella, seriously, I thank you for bringing this
25 forward. Many people don't recognize the
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1 significance of this, nor have they taken the
2 time to figure out what is going on. And I
3 really thank you for what you've done today.
4 Thank you, Mr. President.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Thank
6 you, Senator Smith.
7 Are there any other Senators wishing
8 to be heard on the resolution?
9 Seeing none, those in favor of the
10 resolution say aye.
11 (Response of "Aye.")
12 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Those
13 opposed, nay.
14 (No response.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
16 resolution is adopted.
17 Senator Libous.
18 SENATOR LIBOUS: Thank you,
19 Mr. President.
20 Mr. President, I believe Senator
21 Avella would like to open the resolution up for
22 sponsorship.
23 So if there's any members wishing
24 not to go on the resolution, please let the desk
25 know.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
2 resolution is open for cosponsorship. If you do
3 not wish to be a cosponsor, please notify the
4 desk.
5 Senator Libous.
6 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President, in
7 consultation with Senator Stewart-Cousins,
8 Senator Klein, Senator Skelos, the Democratic
9 Conference will hand up the following membership
10 lists to be filed in the Journal.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: So
12 ordered.
13 Senator Libous.
14 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President, at
15 this point the Senate will stand at ease.
16 But members who have very important
17 things to do in the district or meetings in the
18 Capitol may need to do so and will not need to
19 return to the chamber. We will handle those
20 affairs with my colleagues the Deputy Democratic
21 Leader and the Deputy IDC Leader.
22 So the Senate will stand at ease.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: The
24 Senate will stand at ease.
25 (Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease
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1 at 11:39 a.m.)
2 (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at
3 12:21 p.m.)
4 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: Senator
6 Libous.
7 SENATOR LIBOUS: At this time,
8 Mr. President, I would like to hand up, on behalf
9 of Senator Skelos and Senator Klein, the
10 following Majority Coalition committee
11 assignment.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: So
13 ordered.
14 Senator Libous.
15 SENATOR LIBOUS: Mr. President, is
16 there any further business at the desk?
17 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: There
18 is no business at the desk.
19 SENATOR LIBOUS: There being no
20 further business, I move that we adjourn until
21 Monday, February 4th, the day after the
22 Super Bowl, at 3:00 p.m., intervening days being
23 legislative days.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT CARLUCCI: On
25 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
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1 February 4th, at 3:00 p.m., intervening days
2 being legislative days.
3 (Whereupon, at 12:22 p.m., the
4 Senate adjourned.)
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