Regular Session - March 1, 2017
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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 March 1, 2017
11 3:44 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR JOSEPH GRIFFO, 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 GRIFFO: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask all present to please rise
5 and join with me as we recite the Pledge of
6 Allegiance to our Flag.
7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Today's
10 invocation will be offered by Rabbi Eli J.
11 Mansour, lead rabbi of the Edmond J. Safra
12 Synagogue, in Brooklyn.
13 Rabbi.
14 RABBI MANSOUR: Members of the
15 Senate, I would like to read an invocation of an
16 old prayer originally written in Hebrew. I will
17 translate it into English.
18 Master of the universe, God of all
19 works, who extends peace like a river and, like
20 a rapid stream, the glory of nations, look down
21 from Your holy dwelling and bless this land, the
22 United States of America, wherein we dwell.
23 Let not violence be heard in their
24 land, wasting and destruction within their
25 boundaries, but You shall call its walls
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1 salvation and its gates praise.
2 Grant them rain in due season so
3 that the earth shall yield her products and the
4 tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and
5 grant peace, goodness and a blessing on all the
6 inhabitants of the land, that they may lie down
7 with none to make them afraid. Pour down the
8 bounty of Your goodness upon them.
9 Ordain blessings to all the
10 prestigious members of this State Senate. Teach
11 them the good ways wherein they should walk, so
12 as to judge with clarity of mind, fairness, and
13 abundance of peace.
14 Members of the Senate, a personal
15 blessing. As I have committed myself as a rabbi
16 and a teacher, I bless you that you shall
17 continue to invest in education, as you have
18 done so well to this point. And I remind you of
19 the great counsel of Benjamin Franklin, as he
20 once said: An investment in knowledge pays the
21 best interest.
22 Amen.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
24 you, Rabbi Mansour.
25 The reading of the Journal.
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1 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
2 Tuesday, February 28th, the Senate met pursuant
3 to adjournment. The Journal of Monday,
4 February 27th, was read and approved. On
5 motion, Senate adjourned.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Without
7 objection, the Journal will stand approved as
8 read.
9 Presentation of petitions.
10 Messages from the Assembly.
11 Messages from the Governor.
12 Reports of standing committees.
13 Reports of select committees.
14 Communications and reports from
15 state officers.
16 Motions and resolutions.
17 Senator DeFrancisco.
18 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO:
19 Mr. President, on page 16 I offer the following
20 amendments to Calendar Number 116, Senate Print
21 874, by Senator Ortt, and ask that said bill
22 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Can I
24 have some order in the house, please.
25 The amendments are received and the
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1 bill shall retain its place on third reading,
2 Senator DeFrancisco.
3 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Can we now
4 take up previously adopted Resolution 758, by
5 Senator Stewart-Cousins, read it in its entirety,
6 and call on Senator Stewart-Cousins to speak.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: I'm going
8 to ask for some order in the house again, please.
9 The Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
11 Resolution Number 758, by Senator
12 Stewart-Cousins, memorializing Governor Andrew M.
13 Cuomo to proclaim March 2017 as Women's History
14 Month in the State of New York.
15 "WHEREAS, March is Women's History
16 Month; and
17 "WHEREAS, March 8th is International
18 Women's Day; and
19 "WHEREAS, Each year New York State
20 officially sets aside time to recognize the
21 unique contributions that women have made to
22 New York State; and
23 "WHEREAS, New York State has a
24 distinguished history of monumental achievements
25 in the area of women's rights; and
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1 "WHEREAS, In 1826, New York State
2 opened one of the first public high schools for
3 girls, resulting in a future for women in which
4 they were no longer confined to the home, a
5 future in which they were educated and able to
6 use this education to better their social and
7 economic status; and
8 "WHEREAS, In 1848 in New York, the
9 first women's rights convention was held at
10 Seneca Falls to secure for all women the right to
11 vote; and
12 "WHEREAS, In 1903, The Women's Trade
13 Union League of New York was formed to represent
14 working women, later becoming the nucleus for the
15 International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; and
16 "WHEREAS, In 1918, one year after
17 New York guaranteed women the right to vote in
18 all elections, the first two women, Ida Sammis
19 and Mary Lilly, were elected to the New York
20 State Legislature; and
21 "WHEREAS, In 1967, Muriel Siebert
22 became the first woman to own a seat on the
23 New York Stock Exchange, opening the door for
24 women to gain positions of greater economic
25 power; and
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1 "WHEREAS, In 1968, New York State
2 Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm became the first
3 black woman elected to Congress, and in 1972, she
4 ran for President of the United States, another
5 first for black women; and
6 "WHEREAS, In 1970, New York City was
7 the site of the first Women's Strike for
8 Equality, in which 50,000 people marched for
9 equal rights; and
10 "WHEREAS, In 1983, New York State
11 women legislators established the Legislative
12 Women's Caucus to improve the participation of
13 women in all areas of government, support issues
14 that benefit women and provide a network of
15 support for women in the State Legislature; and
16 "WHEREAS, In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor
17 was the first Hispanic Justice appointed to the
18 United States Supreme Court; and
19 "WHEREAS, In 2014, four women from
20 New York State participated in Olympic events
21 held in Sochi, Russia: Anneliese Cooke, Saranac
22 Lake - Biathlon; Jamie Gruebel, Lake Placid -
23 Bobsled, earned a Bronze medal; Erin Hamlin,
24 Remsen - Luge, earned a Bronze medal; and
25 Josephine Pucci, Pearl Lake - Women's Hockey,
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1 earned a Silver medal; and
2 "WHEREAS, In 2015, Loretta Elizabeth
3 Lynch was appointed as Attorney General of the
4 United States, becoming the first
5 African-American woman to serve in this esteemed
6 position; and
7 "WHEREAS, New York has been the home
8 of many extraordinary women who have led society
9 to a better future: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
10 Susan B. Anthony led the campaign for women's
11 suffrage; Sojourner Truth spoke out for the
12 abolition of slavery and for suffrage for women;
13 and
14 "WHEREAS, Carrie Chapman Catt became
15 the first president of the League of Women
16 Voters; Emma Willard opened the first endowed
17 institution for the education of women; Civil War
18 surgeon Dr. Mary E. Walker was the only woman
19 ever awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor;
20 Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist who led slaves
21 to freedom by way of the Underground Railroad in
22 the 19th century; and
23 "WHEREAS, Elizabeth Blackwell and
24 Belva Lockwood were the first women in the fields
25 of medicine and law; pioneer birth control
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1 educator and advocate Margaret Sanger established
2 a research center in New York City; and
3 "WHEREAS, Emma Goldman founded the
4 Free Speech League, which led to the American
5 Civil Liberties Union; humanitarian Eleanor
6 Roosevelt served as United States delegate to the
7 United Nations; and
8 "WHEREAS, Civil rights lawyer and
9 New York State Senator Constance Baker Motley
10 became the first black woman to sit on the U.S.
11 District Court in New York, and there have been
12 so many more known and unknown women who
13 championed rights and opportunity for all; and
14 "WHEREAS, New York State has hosted
15 many conventions, campaigns and events of the
16 Women's Rights Movement, from the 1848 convention
17 at Seneca Falls to the 1999 Berkshire Conference
18 of Women Historians, which was held to improve
19 the status of women in history and in the
20 historical professions; and
21 "WHEREAS, Today, 58 women serve in
22 the New York State Legislature, holding
23 leadership positions in both houses and bringing
24 the diverse experiences of women into law and
25 public policy, the largest class of women in the
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1 history of New York; now, therefore, be it
2 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
3 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
4 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim March 2017,
5 as Women's History Month in the State of
6 New York; and be it further
7 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
8 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
9 the Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the
10 State of New York, and the Legislative Women's
11 Caucus of New York State."
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
13 Stewart-Cousins.
14 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank
15 you, Mr. President.
16 I rise because it is such a
17 privilege to serve in this body. It's certainly
18 a privilege to be a woman in this body. It's
19 certainly a privilege to be able to represent the
20 aspirations of so many women and so many people
21 in New York State.
22 Over the weekend, the Caucus
23 Weekend, I had my grandkids up, and we looked at
24 a lot of the paintings around and looked at the
25 early depictions of the chamber, where, again,
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1 there were no women allowed, no women allowed to
2 even set foot on the floor here. Women were able
3 to look down and see what was happening and what
4 the business was that the men conducted.
5 I took a picture in front of that
6 painting, because it was a reminder for me and a
7 teaching tool for them of how far we've come and
8 why it's important that the voices of everyone be
9 brought to a legislative process.
10 Earlier today, as women gathered to
11 commemorate this year as the centennial for
12 New York's women's right to vote -- because we
13 were able to begin voting in 1917 here in
14 New York, but we couldn't vote on a national
15 level until the ratification of the
16 19th Amendment. But it's been only a
17 hundred years since New York women were allowed
18 to vote. When my mother was born, she
19 technically could not vote.
20 So when you look at how far we've
21 gone, we have to remember that it's only been a
22 short time. And so much has changed in this
23 short time, but the fact is so much of that
24 change was pushed by women who understood that
25 equality and justice was essential. When women
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1 come to the table, they bring their vision, but
2 the vision is generally for a broader
3 cross-section of the population.
4 That's why you see the amount of
5 activism of women right now in the streets of
6 New York and all over the country. Women are
7 realizing that they push so much of an agenda
8 that's all-encompassing and really provides an
9 opportunity for growth for everyone. And we also
10 realize that we cannot go backwards.
11 I was also saying earlier about
12 someone named Frances Perkins, and I think it
13 just, again, crystallizes what women can bring to
14 the table. When FDR became the president, he
15 decided to appoint the very first woman to his
16 cabinet, and that was a New York woman, Frances
17 Perkins. Frances Perkins was, in 1933, in the
18 Department of Labor.
19 And it is Frances Perkins that
20 pushed the idea of Social Security, that pushed
21 the idea of providing, after you had spent your
22 time working and doing what you had to do, having
23 a little something to prevent poverty. It is
24 Social Security today that allows us to not have
25 a higher impoverishment of our seniors as they
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1 retire.
2 It was this woman, this New York
3 woman, one of so many women whose names were read
4 in the resolution, the women's whose names will
5 not be spoken -- our mothers, who went through so
6 much in order to advantage us to be able to sit
7 in these chambers, look at those pictures,
8 realize how far we've come, realize how far we
9 have to go, but also to realize the agitation,
10 the input, and the vision of women helped to get
11 this society where it needs to be. We rise, and
12 we lift everyone as we rise.
13 So thank you very, very much.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
15 you, Senator Stewart-Cousins.
16 Senator Alcantara.
17 SENATOR ALCANTARA: Yes, hello. I
18 would like to congratulate all my colleagues in
19 the State Senate. Today we heard that it's a
20 record number of women that are serving in the
21 Legislature, and that New York is not last, like
22 it used to be.
23 It would be nice if New York and the
24 United States in general can get up to par to
25 other European nations, where you have a high
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1 number of women serving in elected office.
2 Women's History Month is an
3 opportunity for all of us to celebrate the
4 accomplishments of women from all over New York
5 and to celebrate each other and to support each
6 other.
7 As the only Latina sitting in the
8 State Senate, I know how tough it was for me to
9 run for office. I would like to congratulate my
10 colleagues, because I know that they probably had
11 the same challenges that I did, regardless of
12 your race and your background.
13 And I think it's a great time that
14 we get through the whole month of March to
15 celebrate the accomplishments of women, not only
16 in politics, but also in labor -- housewives, who
17 have made the decision to stay at home. And we
18 can talk about all the achievements that we have.
19 We saw for the first time a woman
20 running, being the nominee of one of the two
21 biggest parties in our country, and that she was
22 able to make it that far. And regardless of our
23 political affiliation, that's an achievement in
24 itself, and it shows how far we have come as a
25 society.
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1 Thank you.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
3 Sanders.
4 SENATOR SANDERS: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 You know me as State Senator
7 Sanders, but today I want to give another title.
8 I am the proud son of mother Lois, my mother, who
9 was in her own way a pioneering woman who decided
10 to move her children forward. And she showed me
11 that women can do every single thing that anybody
12 else can do, in spite of the difficulties that
13 may be launched on them.
14 But I also stand because I have
15 numerous aunts who upheld that. I have two
16 sisters, and I stand for them. I certainly stand
17 for my three nieces and one granddaughter.
18 Women hold up half the sky. If this
19 world collapses, if we are going to be troubled
20 one way or the other, it's because we didn't
21 allow women to hold up their end. So we men
22 really need to understand this. And the solution
23 sometimes is not going to come from us. We're
24 going to have to let women in, or else this
25 planet is going to go down the drain.
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1 Every step forward for women has
2 been a step forward for humankind. Every step
3 forward that they have made has moved all people
4 forward. And it's not just yesterday. We can
5 look to women still organizing. The Million
6 Woman March took place on all over -- every
7 continent that there is. I even heard they were
8 marching in Antarctica. I can't understand that,
9 but that's all right. I don't have to march with
10 them in Antarctica, but I will march with them
11 everyplace else.
12 So the struggle is nowhere near
13 over. Even in this state we need to ratify that
14 women get equal pay for equal work. It's just
15 ridiculous. We need to just ratify, codify this
16 stuff and just say, all right, whatever
17 foolishness, stupidity -- I'll be kind --
18 whatever backwardness we had years ago, we don't
19 have it anymore. Women, if you can do the job,
20 you get the pay. End of conversation.
21 We need to defend people's rights to
22 choose. All of these things that we -- we
23 shouldn't just have women in some theoretical --
24 on a pedestal, but side by side, fighting for
25 moving the world forward to that beloved
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1 community that we should be trying to go to.
2 So today is a day in this month that
3 allows us to rededicate ourselves to ourselves,
4 to rededicate ourselves to moving the human
5 family forward. And we can do that by
6 rededicating ourselves to the simple principle
7 that women are equal to men.
8 Thank you very much.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
10 Bailey.
11 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
12 Mr. President.
13 Apparently I'm rather shy when if
14 comes to speaking on resolutions.
15 I want to thank my leader, Andrea
16 Stewart-Cousins, for introducing this resolution
17 today.
18 And Beyoncé said, Who runs the
19 world? Girls! In my house they certainly do.
20 My house is run by my two little girls, Giada and
21 Carina, and my wonderful wife, Giamara. They run
22 my world. They are the reason why I'm in front
23 of you today. Without them, I am nothing.
24 I am also the grandson of Lena Belle
25 Bailey and Flora Pittman. Without them, I am
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1 nothing. I am the proud son of Elmertine Hunter
2 Bailey. Without her, again -- there's a theme --
3 I am nothing.
4 I was walking down the corridor
5 today and I was so pleased to see the artwork on
6 the side on the way in, and it made me stop and
7 pause and just reflect about the role of women in
8 my life and in all of our lives, I'm sure.
9 It's such an amazing thing that
10 women have made so many sacrifices for us, yet
11 they lag behind us in pay, they lag behind us in
12 representation. And I just want to say how happy
13 I am to be in the conference led by Andrea
14 Stewart-Cousins, to be around so many amazing
15 women in this body -- not just my party, this
16 entire body -- that are doing positive things
17 for the State of New York.
18 And I talked about sacrifice. And
19 as we begin this season of Lent, as I see many of
20 my colleagues with ashes on their foreheads, we
21 talk about the ultimate sacrifice that was made,
22 and I think about the sacrifice that my mom made.
23 And I will leave you with something from
24 Tupac Shakur:
25 "There's no way I can pay you back
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1 But the plan is to show you that I
2 understand
3 You are appreciated."
4 Thank you, Mr. President.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
6 Little.
7 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you,
8 Mr. President.
9 I just want to remind everyone that
10 just a year ago this body passed the legislation
11 that created the Women's Suffrage Committee and
12 Commission, and that commission met again today
13 and reported on some of the activities. So we
14 are underway celebrating the 100th anniversary of
15 New York passing women's right to vote, and the
16 many women in New York State and the many sites
17 in New York State that people can visit and learn
18 more about this history, women's history in
19 New York State.
20 So very happy we have a website. We
21 are going to be advertising. And as was
22 mentioned, as you walk through the tunnel on the
23 way over, some great posters from the women's
24 movement.
25 Also, in my own district we had a
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1 woman who lived in New York City but summered in
2 Essex County, in the Town of Lewis, Inez
3 Milholland. And she is one of our women's
4 history women that we are honoring this month.
5 Inez Milholland only lived for 30
6 years -- and she died actually speaking to a
7 group in California, collapsed and died shortly
8 after that -- constantly promoting women's right
9 to vote. She led the parade that happened
10 February 12, 1917, when women marched from
11 New York City to Washington, D.C., to lobby for
12 the right to vote to that administration.
13 And the picture -- you probably have
14 seen it before -- she was all dressed in white on
15 a white horse. But she was a New Yorker, among
16 the many other women who were New Yorkers.
17 So this is a great month for us to
18 recognize that. And I look forward to having you
19 learn about all the other things we're going to
20 be doing this year.
21 Thank you.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
23 Persaud.
24 SENATOR PERSAUD: Thank you.
25 I would just like to commend my
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1 leader for bringing the resolution to the floor.
2 As we all know, as we celebrate
3 Women's History Month, it is important to us
4 women to acknowledge how far we've come and to
5 acknowledge how far we still have to go. We
6 still have a long way to go.
7 And so to my colleagues, I encourage
8 us all as women to keep fighting, keep fighting
9 for us, keep fighting for the young girls we see
10 each day, keep telling them that it's okay, their
11 place will be here also. There is a place for
12 them.
13 And I just want to read something to
14 you. It says:
15 "Call me what you want, but I know
16 who I am;
17 "I am her, who wakes up before dawn,
18 and does not sleep till the house is quiet;
19 "I am her, who bears the pains
20 because she knows that the future is what she
21 births;
22 "I am her, who fights for every one
23 of her children and never lets go till they are
24 safe;
25 "I am her, who shoulders the weight
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1 so you can stand tall and proud;
2 "I am her, whose tears are only seen
3 by the night and meets the morning head on;
4 "I am her, who will never quit,
5 never stop, never faint, till she is heard;
6 I am woman."
7 That's what we teach our young
8 girls. We are women, and this is our month.
9 Thank you all.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
11 Krueger.
12 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
13 Mr. President.
14 I also rise to thank my leader for
15 introducing this resolution today and to stand
16 proudly, as a woman in the New York State Senate,
17 saying we're 51 percent of the population.
18 I'm thrilled we got the vote, but we
19 have a long, long way to go. I'm thrilled that
20 many of my male colleagues are standing up in
21 support for equal treatment of women, but we
22 still have a long, long way to go.
23 We should have equal rights in our
24 Constitution. We should have equal rights in
25 every institution in the State of New York. And
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1 we should be represented in numbers that
2 reflect our balance in the population.
3 I have occasionally gotten up on the
4 floor of this Senate when we do some kind of
5 resolution on behalf of women, pointing out --
6 maybe it's Women's Equality Day, maybe it's
7 Women's History Month. But I personally believe
8 women should have equality all 365 days of each
9 and every year.
10 So I am proud to stand here as a
11 woman who fights for equal rights for all in
12 New York State. And I bet if all of us worked as
13 hard to try to make sure that we had equal
14 treatment for women in this state, we'd have gone
15 so much further. And I hope we can.
16 Thank you, Mr. President.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Savino.
19 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 I also rise, I want to thank Senator
22 Stewart-Cousins for sponsoring this resolution.
23 And I join all of my colleagues in commemorating
24 Women's History Month.
25 I also want to particularly say to
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1 the gentlemen in the chamber, we thank you for
2 your support and we thank you for the fact that
3 you love us dearly, but you have an opportunity
4 right now to help us, I think, a little bit more.
5 We're in the midst of something for
6 the next six weeks -- I'm sorry, four weeks --
7 the budget process. And here's an opportunity to
8 really show how much you honor women. We have a
9 chance to really put our money where our mouth is
10 and recognize that the traditional roles that
11 have been imposed on women in fact have held us
12 back.
13 I am lucky in that I don't have any
14 children, so I don't have to worry about
15 balancing work life and my family life. But for
16 millions of New York women, they have to do that
17 every day. And we have a chance in this budget
18 process to decide, are we going to put some of
19 our childcare dollars in place so we can level
20 the playing field for those women who every day
21 face that challenge?
22 Are we going to try and figure
23 out -- are we going to use this budget process to
24 lift women up so that we can have college
25 affordability for all women? Because the best
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1 way for women to improve their economic
2 circumstances is through education.
3 We can do that in this budget
4 process. We can work together, not just talking
5 about how important women are, but showing how
6 important women are in the way we spend the
7 state's dollars and allocate resources, whether
8 it's housing, education, childcare, social
9 services. That's the best way to honor women and
10 move them forward and lift them up. That's the
11 best way for them to achieve equity in the
12 workforce.
13 When we recognize that those
14 traditional roles that have held women back are
15 still there -- because women are still the
16 primary childcare providers, we know that -- and
17 those things get in the way of their career,
18 let's level that playing field for them in the
19 way we can. We can do it in the budget.
20 So I want to congratulate everyone
21 for recognizing women's history, but let's really
22 make women's history with the State Budget.
23 Thank you, Mr. President.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
25 resolution was previously adopted on
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1 February 28th, yesterday.
2 That concludes the speakers, Senator
3 DeFrancisco.
4 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Would you
5 please call on Senator Croci for an introduction.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
7 Croci.
8 SENATOR CROCI: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 It's fitting and appropriate that
11 we're talking about very dynamic women, women who
12 have had an impact on our history, because today
13 we're going to honor an organization that was
14 founded by a very famous and dynamic woman,
15 Clara Barton. And today we're honoring the
16 American Red Cross.
17 And I know that there are members of
18 the different chapters of the American Red Cross
19 here today in our gallery.
20 For those of you who do not know,
21 the American Red Cross responds to over 3,700
22 disasters a year -- that's 10 a day.
23 Twelve thousand individuals are helped every year
24 by the American Red Cross. And whether it's
25 financial assistance or healthcare assistance at
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1 the scene of a disaster, a bottle of water and a
2 blanket and a clean towel, the American Red Cross
3 is there.
4 I would say that for those of us who
5 have survived Superstorm Sandy -- and I know
6 there are a number of members who represent such
7 districts -- when you're digging out somebody's
8 living room of mud and debris because a storm has
9 taken their house, and the American Red Cross
10 shows up on the street or at a nearby center,
11 it's a breath of hope in a rather dire situation.
12 So I'd like to honor, Mr. President,
13 all of the men and women who have joined us today
14 from the different chapters of the American Red
15 Cross, to thank them for their tireless efforts
16 to help humanity. And I would like to also
17 recognize the great woman who started the
18 American Red Cross, Clara Barton.
19 Mr. President.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
21 you, Senator Croci.
22 We extend the privileges of the
23 house, and we welcome you to the Senate today and
24 thank you for your service to our communities
25 across the state and nation.
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1 Please rise and be recognized.
2 (Applause.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
4 DeFrancisco.
5 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Would you
6 please take up the noncontroversial reading of
7 the calendar.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
9 Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 80,
11 by Senator Serino, Senate Print 2159, an act to
12 amend the Penal Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
14 last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect on the first of November.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
18 roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
21 Senator Montgomery recorded in the negative.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
23 is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 110, by Senator Ortt, Senate Print 726A, an act
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1 to amend the General Municipal Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
5 act shall take effect immediately.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57. Nays, 3.
10 Senators Díaz, Krueger and Sanders recorded in
11 the negative.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 162, by Senator Little, Senate Print 2582, an act
16 to amend the Penal Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
20 act shall take effect on the first of November.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
25 Little to explain her vote.
875
1 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you. And
2 thank everyone for voting for this bill.
3 This is a bill that would make it a
4 crime for an employee of a school district to
5 have a relationship with any student in that
6 school district. Many of these employees --
7 administrators, teachers -- are persons of power
8 and trust. And despite the fact that the legal
9 age for consent to sexual activity is 17, it is
10 inappropriate that anyone working in a school
11 have a relationship like this with a student.
12 And I thank everyone for their vote
13 on this. I look forward to having it pass in the
14 Assembly. We do have Assembly sponsors.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
16 Little to be recorded in the affirmative.
17 Announce the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
20 is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 167, by Senator Flanagan, Senate Print 3525, an
23 act to amend the Penal Law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
25 last section.
876
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect on the 90th day.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
4 roll.
5 (The Secretary called the roll.)
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
7 Senator Sanders recorded in the negative.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 174, by Senator Croci, Senate Print 1854A, an act
12 to amend the Public Authorities Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
14 last section.
15 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Lay the bill
16 aside for the day, please.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
18 will be laid aside for the day.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 193, by Senator Carlucci, Senate Print 1206, an
21 act to amend Lauren's Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
877
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
5 Carlucci to explain his vote.
6 SENATOR CARLUCCI: Thank you,
7 Mr. President.
8 I want to thank the members of this
9 body for supporting this legislation.
10 Unfortunately, right now in New York
11 State over 10,000 men, women and children are
12 waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant. And
13 unfortunately, in New York we've lagged behind
14 almost every state in the nation when it comes to
15 the percentage of eligible people enrolled in the
16 organ donor program.
17 This legislation that we're voting
18 on today would make Lauren's Law permanent. And
19 that's named after Lauren Shields, who's been a
20 tireless advocate to increase organ donation. We
21 know, by increasing organ donation, increasing
22 the amount of eligible people to enroll, we will
23 save people's lives.
24 And so what this legislation does is
25 it simply asks the question, when you go to the
878
1 DMV -- because 97 percent of the people that
2 enroll in the organ donor program do it through
3 the Department of Motor Vehicles. So now we ask
4 the question: Would you like to be an organ
5 donor? Yes, or skip the question.
6 We've seen an increase, from the
7 time that this bill has been going into effect,
8 from an 11 percent rate of people enrolling to
9 17 percent now. So we're making a big
10 difference. That means we have over a million
11 people that have enrolled to be an organ donor in
12 New York State since Lauren's Law has been fully
13 implemented.
14 This legislation would make it
15 permanent. We're moving in the right direction.
16 Let's keep that momentum going, and in doing
17 that, we will save people's lives.
18 So I want to thank my colleagues for
19 supporting this legislation, particularly
20 Senator Hannon, who has really helped us and
21 guided us through this process of making sure
22 we're doing everything we can to increase organ
23 donation here in New York State.
24 So, Mr. President, I vote aye.
25 Thank you.
879
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
2 Carlucci to be recorded in the affirmative.
3 Announce the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
6 is passed.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 194, by Senator Hannon, Senate Print 1870, an act
9 to amend the Social Services Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 195, by Senator Hannon, Senate Print 2495, an act
22 to amend the Public Health Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
24 last section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
880
1 act shall take effect immediately.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
7 is passed.
8 Senator DeFrancisco, we have
9 finished with the noncontroversial reading of
10 today's active-list calendar.
11 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Is there any
12 further business at the desk?
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There is
14 no further business at the desk.
15 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: That being
16 the case, I move to adjourn until Thursday,
17 March 2nd, at 11:00 a.m.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On
19 motion, the Senate will stand adjourned until
20 Thursday, March 2nd, at 11:00 a.m.
21 The Senate stands adjourned.
22 (Whereupon, at 4:19 p.m., the Senate
23 adjourned.)
24
25