Regular Session - March 21, 2016
1248
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 21, 2016
11 3:36 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL, President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
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25
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 THE PRESIDENT: The Senate will
3 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 THE PRESIDENT: In the absence of
10 clergy, may we please bow our heads in a moment
11 of silence.
12 (Whereupon, the assemblage
13 respected a moment of silence.)
14 THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
15 The reading of the Journal.
16 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Sunday,
17 March 20th, the Senate met pursuant to
18 adjournment. The Journal of Saturday,
19 March 19th, was read and approved. On motion,
20 Senate adjourned.
21 THE PRESIDENT: Without objection,
22 the Journal stands approved as read.
23 Presentation of petitions.
24 Messages from the Assembly.
25 Messages from the Governor.
1250
1 Reports of standing committees.
2 Reports of select committees.
3 Communications and reports from
4 state officers.
5 Motions and resolutions.
6 Senator DeFrancisco.
7 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Madam
8 President, on page 9 I offer the following
9 amendments to Calendar Number 128, Senate Print
10 2682, by Senator Robach, and ask that said bill
11 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
12 THE PRESIDENT: So ordered.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Also on
14 page 9, I offer the following amendments to
15 Calendar Number 127, Senate Print 1965, by
16 Senator Robach, and ask that said bill retain
17 its place on third reading.
18 THE PRESIDENT: So ordered.
19 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: And finally,
20 on page 22 I offer the following amendments to
21 Calendar 359, Senate Print Number 3048A, by
22 Senator Ortt, and ask that said bill retain its
23 place on the Third Reading Calendar.
24 THE PRESIDENT: So ordered.
25 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Madam
1251
1 President, could you please take up the
2 noncontroversial reading.
3 THE PRESIDENT: May we please have
4 the noncontroversial reading of the calendar.
5 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
6 115, by Senator Ortt, Senate Print 3115, an act
7 relating to authorizing.
8 THE PRESIDENT: There is a
9 home-rule message at the desk.
10 The Secretary will read the last
11 section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
17 section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 50.
19 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is
20 passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 122, by Senator Martins, Senate Print 241, an
23 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
24 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
25 section.
1252
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect on the 90th day.
3 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
6 result.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 50.
8 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 139, by Senator Lanza, Senate Print 3480, an act
11 to amend the Penal Law.
12 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
13 section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect on the 30th day.
16 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
19 result.
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
21 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 141, by Senator Croci, Senate Print 4520, an act
24 to amend the Penal Law.
25 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
1253
1 section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 2 --
3 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Please lay it
4 aside for the day.
5 THE PRESIDENT: Lay the bill aside
6 for the day.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 170, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 2928, an
9 act in relation to authorizing.
10 THE PRESIDENT: There is a
11 home-rule message at the desk.
12 The Secretary will read the last
13 section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 52.
19 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 202, by Senator Ranzenhofer, Senate Print 797, an
22 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
23 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
24 section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
1254
1 act shall take effect on the first of November.
2 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
5 result.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 50. Nays, 2.
7 Senators DeFrancisco and Perkins recorded in the
8 negative.
9 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 203, by Senator Golden, Senate Print 1452, an act
12 to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
13 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
14 section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect on the 90th day.
17 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 52.
20 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 205, by Senator Nozzolio, Senate Print 1584, an
23 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
24 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
25 section.
1255
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect on the first of April.
3 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Nozzolio to
6 explain his vote.
7 SENATOR NOZZOLIO: Thank you, Madam
8 President. I ask permission to explain my vote.
9 Madam President, I thank my
10 colleagues for supporting this measure, a measure
11 that enhances and honors the veterans of our
12 state by establishing a Veterans Remembrance
13 License Plate, the proceeds of which, after the
14 costs of developing the program and developing
15 the plate itself, those excess costs will be
16 provided to the Cemetery Fund for Veterans in
17 this state.
18 It's a small token of our thanks and
19 appreciation to the tremendous sacrifices made by
20 our veterans. The Veterans Cemetery program is a
21 place of honor and distinction for our veterans.
22 New York State, and this legislative body in
23 particular, made the commitment to honor veterans
24 through the Veterans Cemetery Remembrance Fund,
25 and this measure helps additional monies go into
1256
1 that fund.
2 Thank you, Madam President. I
3 strongly support this measure.
4 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Nozzolio
5 will be recorded in the affirmative.
6 Announce the result.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 56.
8 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 206, by Senator Flanagan, Senate Print 2136, an
11 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
12 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
13 section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect on the 120th day.
16 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
19 result.
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. Nays, 1.
21 Senator Parker recorded in the negative.
22 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 207, by Senator Flanagan, Senate Print 4220, an
25 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
1257
1 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
2 section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
4 act shall take effect on the first of November.
5 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
6 (The Secretary called the roll.)
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54. Nays, 2.
8 Senators Montgomery and Perkins recorded in the
9 negative.
10 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 217, by Senator Savino, Senate Print 3243A, an
13 act to amend the Penal Law.
14 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
15 section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
17 act shall take effect on the 60th day.
18 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Savino.
21 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you, Madam
22 President.
23 Four years ago I stood in front of a
24 subway station with then-Public Advocate Bill de
25 Blasio, who's now the current mayor of the City
1258
1 of New York. He joined me and a member of the
2 Assembly, Mike Cusick, calling on the Legislature
3 to introduce legislation to create the penalty of
4 a felony of sexual abuse in the subway, of
5 forcible touching.
6 It was in response to a Court of
7 Appeals case where the Court of Appeals found
8 that their hands were tied, that the law did not
9 allow them to adequately punish some of these
10 predators that were in our subway system preying
11 on women, and young women in particular.
12 We introduced that legislation; it
13 has passed this house more than once.
14 Unfortunately, it has not gotten through the
15 Assembly. Instead, the Assembly has continued to
16 treat this crime trivially. And in fact, they
17 have maintained that the current penalties are
18 sufficient.
19 Well, since last year, the level of
20 offenses in our subway system has risen
21 33 percent. And in fact, the sex crimes unit in
22 the transit system has reached out to say we need
23 to do more. So we are again going to pass this
24 bill today, and we're going to add a new crime as
25 well, the crime of public lewdness in public
1259
1 transit.
2 We are seeing some of the worst
3 predators -- and I know there are young women in
4 the chamber today; hopefully they will never
5 experience this in our subway system. But if you
6 are a young woman and you are riding in the
7 New York City subway system or on the buses, you
8 will encounter this every day. You will see this
9 if you are locked in a train from station to
10 station. You may be physically touched, you may
11 be forcibly touched, you may be exposed to
12 someone who is exposing themselves to you, who is
13 menacing you with his body parts exposed, who is
14 threatening you. And right now the law does not
15 treat those predators as seriously as that threat
16 is against you.
17 This piece of legislation will do
18 that. It is time for us to stop pretending that
19 this is not serious. These are not flashers in a
20 trench coat, they're not hiding in the bushes.
21 They are vicious sexual predators preying on
22 women in our public transit system. We must
23 treat them as they are -- vicious sexual
24 predators. We need to send a message.
25 The MTA has most recently, at their
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1 board meetings, said they are trying to figure
2 out how to prevent these people from ever riding
3 the subway again. They're talking about banning
4 them from using public transportation. That's
5 how serious they think this crime is. It's time
6 that the New York State Legislature realizes how
7 serious it is.
8 I vote aye, Madam President.
9 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Savino to
10 be recorded in the affirmative.
11 Announce the result.
12 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
13 Calendar 217, those recorded in the negative are
14 Senators Dilan, Hamilton, Hassell-Thompson,
15 Krueger, Montgomery, Parker, Peralta, Perkins and
16 Sanders.
17 Ayes, 50. Nays, 9.
18 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 300, by Senator Peralta, Senate Print 1250, an
21 act to amend the Penal Law.
22 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
23 section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 8. This
25 act shall take effect on the first of November.
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1 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the result.
4 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
5 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 357, by Senator Carlucci, Senate Print 6595, an
8 act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law.
9 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
10 section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect immediately.
13 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Carlucci to
16 explain your vote.
17 SENATOR RITCHIE: Thank you, Madam
18 President.
19 I rise to support this very
20 important legislation. What this legislation
21 would do would give every county throughout the
22 State of New York the authority to implement and
23 create problem-solving courts. Problem-solving
24 courts are not a new concept. They've been
25 around for some time. Many of our municipalities
1262
1 may have drug courts or other types of courts.
2 But what that does is gives another
3 tool to our district attorneys to refer
4 individuals to the appropriate court that they
5 might be able to get the most help from.
6 We've seen an increase throughout
7 the United States, throughout the state, of
8 district attorneys, of judges wanting to create
9 these courts. Unfortunately, in New York State
10 that's barred right now for our local courts.
11 What this legislation would do is
12 give the district attorney another tool, allow
13 them to create these specialty courts where the
14 judge is specially trained for a particular
15 issue. It could be a veterans court, mental
16 health court, domestic violence court, youth
17 court, homeless court.
18 And as you can imagine, by having
19 almost those wrap-around services, having a judge
20 that's experienced on this issue, having other
21 services that can help, we don't just treat the
22 symptom, but we go after the problem.
23 What we've seen in studies where
24 problem courts are in force, where individuals
25 have the opportunity to go through them, we've
1263
1 seen a decrease of about 70 percent of the
2 recidivism rate. So we're not only lowering the
3 incarceration rates, but we're getting people the
4 help, the treatment that they need to become
5 productive members of society and also increase
6 the quality of life of everyone living in the
7 community by lowering the chances of people
8 becoming victims.
9 So I want to thank the District
10 Attorneys Association of New York State for
11 having the foresight of working with me to bring
12 our laws into the 21st century, to give another
13 tool to our judicial system to make sure that
14 people are getting the treatment that they need.
15 I enthusiastically support this
16 legislation and will be voting aye and encourage
17 my colleagues to do the same.
18 Thank you, Madam President.
19 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Carlucci
20 will be recorded in the affirmative.
21 Announce the result.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
23 Senator DeFrancisco recorded in the negative.
24 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
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1 377, by Senator Gallivan, Senate Print 404, an
2 act to amend the Penal Law.
3 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
4 section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
6 act shall take effect on the first of November.
7 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
10 result.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
12 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 381, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 1142, an
15 act to amend the Penal Law.
16 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last
17 section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 THE PRESIDENT: Announce the
23 result.
24 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
25 Calendar 381, those recorded in the negative are
1265
1 Senators Comrie, Croci, Griffo, Parker and
2 Perkins.
3 Ayes, 55. Nays, 5.
4 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is passed.
5 Mr. Floor Leader, that completes the
6 noncontroversial reading of the calendar.
7 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, Madam
8 President, could you go back to motions and
9 resolutions and please take up Resolution 3440,
10 by myself and Senator Flanagan, and read the
11 title only.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
13 Secretary will read.
14 The reso is not before the house at
15 this point, Senator DeFrancisco.
16 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: (Carrying
17 resolution to desk.) Not at the desk?
18 (Laughter.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Just like
20 Mercury did a long time ago.
21 Title only, is that the request,
22 Senator DeFrancisco?
23 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
25 Secretary will read.
1266
1 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
2 Resolution Number 3440, by Senators DeFrancisco
3 and Flanagan, honoring Vice Chancellor Anthony S.
4 Bottar for his 20 years of distinguished service
5 to the New York State Board of Regents.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO:
7 Resolution for Vice Chair Bottar.
8 Senator DeFrancisco.
9 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Thank you.
10 I've got to do everything around here, even get
11 the resolution to the desk. I'm getting tired.
12 (Laughter.)
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Anthony
14 Bottar was on the Board of Regents, I think it's
15 six terms. But since I don't have the resolution
16 in front of me, I'm going by memory.
17 But this is an outstanding citizen
18 of Central New York who gave of his time for I
19 believe it's 18 years as a Regent, in probably
20 the most tumultuous time of all time to be on
21 that board. He handled everything with great
22 reason, great respect, and also with great
23 dignity.
24 Even before he was a Regent, he was
25 a member of the local school board, actually the
1267
1 North Syracuse School Board, and served with
2 distinction there as well. He's always been
3 involved in community service and education.
4 And I believe that the Board of
5 Regents has been diminished by him not asking to
6 be reappointed to the board. But he should be
7 commended for his many, many years of outstanding
8 service in the field of education as a Board of
9 Regents member to the State of New York.
10 Thank you, Mr. President.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
12 you, Senator DeFrancisco.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I assume we
14 have already passed that resolution?
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: This
16 resolution has been previously adopted, Senator
17 DeFrancisco.
18 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, I just
19 wanted to make sure you knew that.
20 Now would you please take up
21 previously adopted resolution --
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
23 DeFrancisco, you have another member that wishes
24 to speak, if that's okay.
25 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: If it's
1268
1 Senator Valesky, yes.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
3 Valesky.
4 SENATOR VALESKY: How could you
5 guess, Senator DeFrancisco?
6 I just want to thank Senators
7 DeFrancisco and Flanagan for this resolution and
8 definitely want to agree with the comments that
9 my colleague has just made. Tony Bottar was a
10 tremendous asset to the New York State Board of
11 Regents the 20 years he served.
12 And I had the great privilege and
13 honor, when he was reappointed for what would be
14 the last term, had the opportunity to second the
15 nomination during that election process, I guess
16 it would have been five years ago.
17 So the educational community will
18 certainly miss his efforts in the Central
19 New York judicial district, but I'm sure he will
20 continue to be in close contact. His passion for
21 education and particularly children in Central
22 New York is unmatched. And we thank him for his
23 service.
24 Thank you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
1269
1 you, Senator Valesky.
2 And as noted, Senator DeFrancisco,
3 that resolution was passed previously on
4 January 26th, which was a Tuesday.
5 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Thank you.
6 Now would you please take up
7 previously adopted Resolution 4298, by Senator
8 Flanagan, read the title only and recognize
9 Senator Flanagan.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
13 Resolution Number 4298, by Senator Flanagan,
14 honoring Dr. Merryl H. Tisch for her many years
15 of distinguished service to the New York State
16 Board of Regents.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Flanagan.
19 SENATOR FLANAGAN: Thank you,
20 Mr. President. And I appreciate the opportunity
21 to speak on this resolution.
22 Let me add my voice to the voices of
23 Senator DeFrancisco and Senator Valesky about
24 Regent Bottar. And I believe he is a gentleman
25 in every sense of the word and served with
1270
1 distinction as a member of the Board of Regents.
2 And I would like to speak about
3 Merryl Tisch. Merryl Tisch, I am fortunate to be
4 able to say that I'm one of her friends. We
5 started out as colleagues, but became one of her
6 friends. I think she and Regent Bottar and
7 people who serve as New York State Regents, it is
8 a very difficult job, as you all know. The pay,
9 of course, is nonexistent, the hours are long,
10 the challenges are great. The rewards are many,
11 particularly if you are dedicated and passionate,
12 as many of these folks have been.
13 I just want to single out Dr. Tisch
14 for her work as a Regent, for her work as the
15 Chancellor, for her passion and dedication and
16 devotion to the great State of New York, to
17 children all across the state. Regent Tisch I
18 know has come out to my area on a number of
19 occasions.
20 And she was Chancellor during a very
21 tumultuous time. I believe that she epitomizes
22 what it means to be a lady, a leader, a fabulous
23 public servant, and someone who cares very deeply
24 about every child in every community across the
25 State of New York.
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1 And I'll just close on this.
2 Probably the thing that I admire most about
3 Regent Tisch is her own dedication and devotion
4 and undying love for her family. We were better
5 served while she was a Regent and Chancellor, and
6 she will certainly be missed. But let me say
7 thank you to her from the bottom of my heart for
8 all her good work and service.
9 Thank you, Mr. President.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
11 you, Senator Flanagan.
12 As noted, the resolution was
13 previously adopted on March 15th of 2016.
14 Senator DeFrancisco.
15 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: And we would
16 offer each of those resolutions, for Mr. Bottar
17 and Dr. Tisch, for cosponsorship.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Both
19 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
20 you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify
21 the desk.
22 Senator DeFrancisco.
23 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Now would you
24 please go to Resolution Number 3784, by Senator
25 Marchione. It was previously adopted. Read the
1272
1 title only, and recognize Senator Marchione.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
5 Resolution Number 3784, by Senator Marchione,
6 memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
7 proclaim March 21, 2016, Down Syndrome Awareness
8 Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with
9 the observance of World Down Syndrome Day.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
11 Marchione.
12 SENATOR MARCHIONE: Thank you,
13 Mr. President.
14 I rise for the purpose of speaking
15 on my legislative resolution, J3784, which
16 memorializes Governor Cuomo to proclaim today,
17 March 21, 2016, as Down Syndrome Awareness Day
18 here in New York State.
19 Today's designation is in
20 conjunction with the international observance of
21 World Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day
22 that's been officially recognized by the
23 United Nations since 2012.
24 Last year I had the honor and
25 privilege of speaking at the United Nations
1273
1 during their International World Down Syndrome
2 Day conference.
3 And also last year, if you remember,
4 I gave all of you a pair of these Lots of Socks,
5 which is part of an important public awareness
6 campaign for World Down Syndrome.
7 Lots of Socks, as you can see, are
8 fun, bright-colored socks, and they're intended
9 to start a conversation that really hopefully
10 leads to a genuine dialogue about World Down
11 Syndrome. When you wear Lots of Socks, it's my
12 hope that someone will ask you about them and
13 then you can talk about this very important
14 topic.
15 Today, of course, I'm wearing my
16 Lots of Socks. And I found out that next year
17 I'm going to need to give everyone a new pair of
18 socks, because I've heard conversations like "My
19 kids really like them, and they continue to wear
20 them, and continue to wear them." How awesome is
21 that, if you shared with them the importance of
22 these socks.
23 Each year the voice of people with
24 Down Syndrome and those who love them grows
25 stronger and more powerful. There's an estimated
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1 7 million people who have Down Syndrome
2 worldwide; 400,000 of those live here in the
3 United States, with about 6,000 babes being born
4 every year with Down Syndrome.
5 The great news is now people with
6 Down Syndrome live to be 60 years of age and
7 older. And that isn't just modern medicine, it's
8 a marvelous miracle, one that myself and millions
9 of Americans are truly grateful for.
10 More and more New Yorkers know
11 someone, work with someone, and love someone who
12 has Down syndrome. For me, it's my great-nephew
13 Nathan.
14 Today is all about recognizing them
15 and respecting their gifts. I thank you all for
16 supporting my resolution and for supporting this
17 growing nationwide and international effort.
18 I certainly welcome anyone to speak
19 about this resolution, and would open it to all
20 on the floor.
21 Thank you.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
23 you, Senator Marchione.
24 Senator Seward.
25 SENATOR SEWARD: Thank you,
1275
1 Mr. President.
2 I rise to thank Senator Marchione
3 for presenting this resolution. My only regret
4 is I left my socks at home, I didn't pack them
5 this week, they're safely in my sock drawer. But
6 next year. Next year.
7 But having said that, you know,
8 World Down Syndrome Day holds a very special
9 place in my heart. For close to 35 years, I've
10 had the privilege of serving on the Board of
11 Trustees at Pathfinder Village, which is located
12 in Edmeston, New York, near Cooperstown.
13 You know, this is a world-renowned
14 residential home and research facility. It's a
15 leader in community-based services for children
16 and adults with Down syndrome as well as other
17 developmental disabilities.
18 Plain and simple, Pathfinder is a
19 very special place. You know, the teachers and
20 the staff at Pathfinder do an absolutely
21 incredible job and are truly changing lives for
22 the better each and every day.
23 You know Pathfinder has grown
24 significantly over the years. It now encompasses
25 some 300 acres, includes a dairy farm, community
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1 youth soccer fields, and recently opened a health
2 center for the community. But at its core,
3 Pathfinder Village is about the individuals with
4 Down syndrome. You know, it's very, very
5 inspiring to see firsthand the boundless
6 capabilities of those with Down syndrome. This
7 is exhibited every day at Pathfinder and
8 throughout the State of New York, for that
9 matter.
10 And I'm very, very pleased to stand
11 and pay tribute to those very special
12 individuals, their families, their caregivers, in
13 support of World Down Syndrome Day.
14 Thank you, Mr. President.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
16 you, Senator Seward.
17 As noted, the resolution was
18 previously adopted on February 9th of 2016.
19 Do you want to speak, Senator
20 DeFrancisco?
21 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, I would.
22 I just want to congratulate Senator
23 Marchione. This is a very important resolution.
24 In Syracuse we have a place called
25 GiGi's Playhouse, and basically it's a place for
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1 individuals with Down syndrome to congregate and
2 to socialize and to actually begin efforts to try
3 to lobby legislators such as myself for the
4 issues that are important to them.
5 And there's this young woman who
6 works there with Down syndrome, her name is
7 Kayla, who is truly an amazing young woman. She
8 is probably one of the most effective lobbyists
9 I've ever had. She is so respectful, so direct
10 to the point, so honest -- just an absolutely
11 beautiful young girl. And she brings to my
12 attention and to everybody who meets her that
13 everybody has certain limitation or certain
14 difficulties, but they still can be extremely
15 effective, more effective than many without those
16 same issues that they may have.
17 So this is an important issue. And
18 Senator Marchione brought it up last year, and I
19 just want to thank her again. This is a
20 wonderful thing she's doing today.
21 Thank you, Mr. President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
23 you, Senator DeFrancisco.
24 Again, the resolution had been
25 previously adopted on February 9th of 2016.
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1 And it is open for cosponsorship.
2 Should you choose not to be a cosponsor, please
3 notify the desk.
4 Senator DeFrancisco.
5 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, would
6 you now please take up previously adopted
7 Resolution 4126, by Senator Ritchie, read it in
8 its entirety, and call on Senator Ritchie.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
10 Secretary will read.
11 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
12 Resolution Number 4126, by Senator Ritchie,
13 congratulating the Thousand Island-Alexandria
14 Islanders Girls Hockey Team upon the occasion of
15 capturing the New York State Girls Ice Hockey
16 Championship.
17 "WHEREAS, Excellence and success in
18 competitive sports can be achieved only through
19 strenuous practice, team play and team spirit,
20 nurtured by dedicated coaching and strategic
21 planning; and
22 "WHEREAS, Athletic competition
23 enhances the moral and physical development of
24 the young people of this state, preparing them
25 for the future by instilling in them the value of
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1 teamwork, encouraging a standard of healthy
2 living, imparting a desire for success and
3 developing a sense of fair play and competition;
4 and
5 "WHEREAS, The members of the
6 Thousand Island-Alexandria Islanders Hockey Team
7 captured the New York State Girls Ice Hockey
8 Championship on Saturday, February 6, 2016, in
9 Albany, New York; and
10 "WHEREAS, In the championship game,
11 the Lady Islanders faced off against
12 Kenmore-Grand Island; and
13 "WHEREAS, With the score knotted 2-2
14 in the final period, Thousand Island-Alexandria
15 scored with a shot which tucked the puck between
16 the pads of the Kenmore-Grand Island keeper,
17 providing the game-winning goal; and
18 "WHEREAS, The Lady Islanders reached
19 the New York State Girls Ice Hockey Championship
20 game after defeating Beekmantown by a score of 4
21 to 1 in the semifinals on Friday, February 5,
22 2016; and
23 "WHEREAS, The athletic talent
24 displayed by the Lady Islanders Girls Hockey Team
25 is due in great part to the efforts and mentoring
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1 of the team's dedicated coaches; and
2 "WHEREAS, The team was loyally and
3 enthusiastically supported by family, fans,
4 friends and the community at large; and
5 "WHEREAS, The hallmarks of the team
6 throughout the season were their close
7 camaraderie, athletic ability, good
8 sportsmanship, and honor, demonstrating that
9 these team players are second to none; and
10 "WHEREAS, Sports competition
11 instills the values of teamwork, pride and
12 accomplishment; these outstanding athletes have
13 clearly made a contribution to the spirit of
14 excellence which is a tradition of the Lady
15 Islanders Hockey Team; now, therefore, be it
16 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
17 Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate
18 the Thousand Islands-Alexandria Islanders Girls
19 Hockey Team, its members: Kelsey Cullen, Mikayla
20 Cipullo, Maddie Coene, Miranda Kolb, Mia Coene,
21 Talia Parker, Emilie Walti, Lindsey Bradley,
22 Taylor Hudon, Maddy Cullen, Emily Rose, Madison
23 Flemming, Keeley Rose, Kaitlin Irvine, Kelsey
24 Bannister, Annika Balk, Kayla McCabe, Sydney
25 Aubertine and Kyleigh Prance; Team Managers Lydia
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1 Cantwell, Addisson Reed and Renzi Youngs; and
2 Coaches Brian Hudon, Matt Cullen and Jamie Wiley,
3 on capturing the New York State Girls Ice Hockey
4 Championship and on their outstanding season; and
5 be it further
6 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
7 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
8 the members of the Thousand Island-Alexandria
9 Islanders Girls Hockey Team, and Coaches Brian
10 Hudon, Matt Cullen and Jamie Wiley."
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
12 Ritchie.
13 SENATOR RITCHIE: Thank you,
14 Mr. President.
15 I rise today to welcome the Lady
16 Islanders Hockey team to the chamber. I want to
17 congratulate you on your impressive win.
18 It will probably come as no surprise
19 to many of my colleagues that they had an
20 opportunity to be interviewed after their great
21 season and their championship win, and one of the
22 things they mentioned most often was teamwork.
23 And we all know without teamwork you
24 can be the greatest player, have the best skills,
25 but you're not going to go anywhere. The thing
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1 is with this team, what's so amazing is that
2 there are five schools that participate on this
3 team. They are Thousand Islands, Alexandria,
4 IHC, Indian River, and General Brown.
5 And I think that championship win
6 just means so much more because it does show the
7 teamwork between the five schools and all of you
8 and how you were able to work together and have
9 such a tremendous season.
10 And I want to thank you, first of
11 all, for your teamwork, but for becoming such
12 positive role models for so many young women
13 across the North Country. I've heard time and
14 time again the respect for this team time from
15 the community and the North Country at large.
16 So I want to welcome you, hope your
17 day at the Capitol is good today. I know you had
18 the opportunity to go to the Assembly. We're
19 certainly honored to have you here with us today
20 and look forward to seeing what you're going to
21 do in the future. And, you know, for all of you,
22 continue to do the great things that you're
23 doing. We're all so very proud of you.
24 Thank you, Mr. President.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
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1 you, Senator Ritchie.
2 We want to extended our
3 congratulation to the Thousand Island-Alexandria
4 Islanders. Congratulations, girls, on winning
5 the state championship. Coaches, staff and
6 ladies.
7 (Applause.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Again, we
9 welcome you and extend the courtesies and
10 privileges of the house.
11 It is so noted that the resolution
12 was adopted previously on March 8th of 2016.
13 Senator DeFrancisco.
14 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, this is
15 also -- Senator Ritchie has asked that this be
16 open for cosponsorship as well.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The reso
18 is open for cosponsorship. Should you choose not
19 to be a cosponsor, notify the desk.
20 Senator DeFrancisco.
21 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Is there any
22 further business at the desk?
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There is
24 no further business at the desk.
25 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: That being
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1 the case, I move to adjourn until Tuesday,
2 March 22nd, at 3:00 p.m.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On
4 motion, the Senate will stand adjourned until
5 Tuesday, March 22nd, at 3:00 p.m.
6 The Senate stands adjourned.
7 (Whereupon, at 4:11 p.m., the Senate
8 adjourned.)
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