Regular Session - May 17, 2017
2678
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 May 17, 2017
11 11:38 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR FRED AKSHAR, Acting President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
20
21
22
23
24
25
2679
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: 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 AKSHAR: Timothy
10 Kennedy is with us today to give the invocation.
11 He is the pastor emeritus of Grace Lutheran
12 Church in Carmel, New York.
13 Pastor.
14 PASTOR KENNEDY: Let us pray.
15 Father in heaven, as these Senators
16 once more gather for a time of discernment and
17 discussion, a period of deliberation and debate,
18 they recognize our country is divided and the
19 ship of state is being buffeted by mighty waves.
20 We pray for our elected men and
21 women here this morning, that they may be
22 beacons of light for we, the people of New York,
23 leading by example, and demonstrating that it is
24 possible to build bridges, bridges which span
25 even the widest of aisles in our political
2680
1 realm.
2 We can do no better than echo this
3 familiar petition on behalf of these Senators of
4 our great state.
5 Lord, make them instruments of Your
6 peace. Where there is hatred, let them bring
7 love. Where there is offense, let them bring
8 pardon. Where there is discord, let them bring
9 union. Where there is error, let them bring
10 truth. Where there is darkness, let them bring
11 light.
12 As the Prophet Micah stated
13 centuries ago: "And what does the Lord require
14 of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to
15 walk humbly with your God."
16 May it always be so for this
17 deliberative body, and may it be so for we who
18 are citizens of this great nation.
19 Amen.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
21 reading of the Journal.
22 THE SECRETARY: In Tuesday,
23 May 16th, the Senate met pursuant to
24 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, May 15th,
25 was read and approved. On motion, Senate
2681
1 adjourned.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Without
3 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
4 Presentation of petitions.
5 Messages from the Assembly.
6 Messages from the Governor.
7 Reports of standing committees.
8 Reports of select committees.
9 Communications and reports from
10 state officers.
11 Motions and resolutions.
12 Mr. Floor Leader.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, can we
14 take up previously adopted Resolution 2031, by
15 Senator Amedore, read the title only, and call
16 on Senator Amedore to speak.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
20 Resolution Number 2031, by Senator Amedore,
21 honoring the Girl Scouts of Northeastern
22 New York upon the occasion of celebrating its
23 100th anniversary.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
25 Amedore.
2682
1 SENATOR AMEDORE: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 And I rise to introduce this
4 chamber, the members of this chamber to a very
5 special group of young ladies, moms, volunteers,
6 executives, that represent the Girl Scouts of
7 Northeastern New York.
8 Now, if you recall, when we recited
9 the Pledge of Allegiance -- something that we do
10 every day when we're here, but today there was a
11 special ring to the Pledge of Allegiance. And
12 that was because of all of the young women up in
13 the gallery who were repeating and reciting that
14 pledge along with us members.
15 A hundred years have gone by since
16 Ruth Witte, back in 1917, started the Girl Scouts
17 here in New York State. The Girl Scouts was
18 originally founded in Savannah, Georgia.
19 She had a mission in mind, and it
20 was to bring Girl Scouts here to New York because
21 of, I believe, the importance of education,
22 recreation, and understanding that bringing young
23 women together, teaching them what the
24 significance of life is about, challenging them
25 on the importance of life and skill sets for
2683
1 life, that today we can celebrate 100 years of
2 much success.
3 So to all of the fine young ladies
4 up in the gallery who worked so hard on your
5 merit badges and your programs and the curriculum
6 that you're being taught by those moms and
7 volunteers -- who take a lot of time and pride
8 and dedication to teach you what the importance
9 of life is about -- we all in this chamber want
10 to congratulate you on your success, on your
11 future years of leadership, and to know that you
12 have and will continue to make a huge difference
13 for all of us in the State of New York because of
14 your virtues and values that you teach and live.
15 So thank you. Congratulations.
16 And, Mr. President, please welcome
17 these fine young ladies to the chamber today.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: To the
19 Girl Scouts and your families that are with you
20 today, we welcome you to the New York State
21 Senate, we congratulate you on your 100th year
22 anniversary, and we extend all of the courtesies
23 and the privileges of the house.
24 I'll ask everybody in the chamber to
25 please rise and congratulate the Girl Scouts.
2684
1 (Standing ovation.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Mr. Floor
3 Leader.
4 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Under the
5 circumstances, I think, I would request that all
6 the Senators be put on as cosponsors unless they
7 notify the desk otherwise.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: If you
9 don't wish to be a cosponsor of this resolution,
10 please notify the desk.
11 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Would you
12 please recognize Senator Rivera to introduce the
13 Academy of Language and Technology.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
15 Rivera.
16 SENATOR RIVERA: Thank you,
17 Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Floor Leader.
18 As many of you know in this house, I
19 am also a college professor. I teach political
20 science. I've been doing that since 1999.
21 So when I became a State Senator in
22 2010, I took it upon myself to do a series of
23 civics classes in my district, considering that
24 there's a lot of people everywhere in the State
25 of New York that don't have an idea what it is
2685
1 that we do up here, what it is that we do in our
2 offices. And so I do these series of civics
3 classes around my district.
4 Back on January 11th of this year, I
5 was at the Academy for Language and Technology,
6 which is just south of my district. It's
7 actually in Senator Serrano's district. But I
8 was there because most of the kids in that school
9 actually live in my district, so I work for them
10 and their parents.
11 And so we had a good conversation
12 about what state government does, what it is.
13 And what I found out is that after I left, they
14 said, We want to actually go up to Albany to
15 visit. Because they were -- they said, We're
16 inspired to find out more about what our state
17 government does.
18 And so they, without involvement of
19 my office -- they let us know that they were
20 doing this, but they actually did a petition,
21 they collected a petition amongst their students,
22 they researched what they could see and do up
23 here in the State Capitol and in Albany proper,
24 and they advocated to their principal,
25 Principal Vinales. And after much back and
2686
1 forth, we find them here today.
2 If you folks could stand up for a
3 second. {in Spanish}
4 Now, these fine young men and women
5 here, I am very glad to welcome them to the
6 chamber -- not only because I'm always glad to
7 welcome constituents from my district, but also
8 because there is a fine example of the type of
9 thing that we need to encourage.
10 Young men and women think about
11 state government as usually as very separate from
12 them, that it doesn't have any connection to
13 them. And these young men and women here found
14 out that yes, the decisions that we make up here
15 impact us, so maybe we should go up and pay them
16 a visit, let them know that we're watching.
17 But also, perhaps, one of these
18 days -- and I do think that this is the case --
19 as I've said many times in the past to many
20 students that have been here before, the first
21 time that I came into this chamber was as a
22 faculty member of a program that does a model
23 Senate here. In this case you are not model
24 Senators yet -- you might be when you go to
25 college. But more importantly, it is very likely
2687
1 that one of you folks up there, maybe one of the
2 young ladies, would eventually replace me in this
3 chair.
4 So thank you so much for being here.
5 I want to have all the Senators stand up and
6 welcome them, thank them for being involved in
7 civic participation, to see what government does.
8 Thank you for being a part of this,
9 and I hope this is not the last time you come to
10 Albany.
11 Mr. President, if you could.
12 (Standing ovation.)
13 SENATOR RIVERA: And lastly,
14 quickly, I would be remiss if I did not thank
15 Mr. Prado, who is the history teacher at ALT that
16 made this all possible and is with them today.
17 Thank you, Mr. President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Well, we
19 welcome you to the chamber and we extend all the
20 courtesies and the privileges of the house.
21 Senator Rivera, I would note that
22 the students are very professionally -- in
23 professional attire. They look very good. And
24 you may have a fight out for you.
25 SENATOR RIVERA: That's how we do
2688
1 it in the Bronx.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Mr. Floor
3 Leader.
4 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: They should
5 be advised that they only have to be 18 years old
6 to run for Senate.
7 (Laughter.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: So noted.
9 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I have a few
10 motions here.
11 On page 73, I offer the following
12 amendments to Calendar Number 971, Senate Print
13 64, Senator Young's bill, and ask that the bill
14 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
16 amendments are received, and the bill shall
17 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
18 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: On page 33, I
19 offer the following amendments to Calendar 430,
20 Senate Print 1314, by Senator Seward, and ask
21 that said bill retain its place on the Third
22 Reading Calendar.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
24 amendments are received, and the bill shall
25 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
2689
1 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: On page 71, I
2 offer the following amendments to Calendar 905,
3 Senate Print 5717, by Senator Hannon, and ask
4 that that bill retain its place on the Third
5 Reading Calendar.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
7 amendments are received, and the bill shall
8 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
9 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: And on
10 page 68, I offer the following amendments to
11 Calendar 878, Senate Print Number 720A, by
12 Senator Ortt, and ask that said bill retain its
13 place on the Third Reading Calendar.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Those
15 amendments too are received, and the bill shall
16 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
17 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Please call
18 on Senator Valesky.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
20 Valesky.
21 SENATOR VALESKY: Thank you,
22 Mr. President.
23 On page 38, I offer the following
24 amendments to Calendar 512, Senate Bill 2424A,
25 and ask that said bill retain its place on the
2690
1 Third Reading Calendar. This is on behalf of
2 Senator Hamilton.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
4 amendments are received, and the bill shall
5 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
6 Mr. Floor Leader.
7 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, can we
8 please take up the noncontroversial reading of
9 the calendar.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 262, by Senator O'Mara, Senate Print 881, an act
14 to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
16 last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
18 act shall take effect immediately.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
20 roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
23 the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 53. Nays, 3.
25 Senators Hoylman, Krueger and Parker recorded in
2691
1 the negative.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 379, by Senator Savino, Senate Print 4628A, an
6 act to amend the Real Property Tax Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
10 act shall take effect immediately.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
12 roll.
13 (The Secretary called the roll.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
15 Savino.
16 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
17 Mr. President. Just briefly on the bill.
18 I want to thank all of my colleagues
19 for supporting this piece of legislation.
20 You know, here in this chamber we
21 often talk about the challenges our senior and
22 disabled populations face in housing issues.
23 Just two short years ago, we joined together to
24 increase the income eligibility levels for
25 seniors and the disabled who are living in
2692
1 rent-stabilized and rent-regulated apartments in
2 New York City, lifting the income eligibility so
3 more seniors would qualify.
4 But another group of seniors and
5 disabled residents who suffer under a tremendous
6 burden are those who are homeowners in the City
7 of New York. So what we are doing here today, in
8 coordination with the City of New York, is
9 lifting the income eligibility standards for
10 senior homeowners and disabled homeowners so more
11 of our seniors and disabled homeowners will be
12 relieved of excessive property taxes.
13 So I want to thank all of you for
14 supporting us in this piece of legislation and
15 finally doing something to help more of our
16 seniors and disabled in the City of New York.
17 Thank you, Mr. President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
19 Savino to be recorded in the affirmative.
20 Announce the result.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
22 Senator DeFrancisco recorded in the negative.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2693
1 571, by Senator Bonacic, Senate Print 5376, an
2 act to amend the Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and
3 Breeding Law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
5 last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
7 act shall take effect immediately.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
9 roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
12 the result.
13 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 58.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
15 is passed.
16 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
17 661, by Senator Ortt, Senate Print 4593, an act
18 to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
20 last section.
21 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
22 act shall take effect on the 30th day.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
24 roll.
25 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2694
1 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
2 Hoylman to explain your vote.
3 SENATOR HOYLMAN: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I rise to support this legislation
6 that would prohibit sex offenders in psychiatric
7 centers from being present where there is a
8 children's psychiatric center. That's a
9 worthwhile goal.
10 I would note again that we have not
11 addressed the root problem of child sexual abuse
12 in this chamber. There are 40,000 cases annually
13 of child sexual abuse in New York. We tend to
14 cut around the margins, as we do today with the
15 15th and 16th bills on sexual abuse, but yet have
16 not lifted the statute of limitations.
17 So I will continue to make my voice
18 known on that issue. In the meantime, I'll be
19 voting in the positive. Thank you.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
21 Hoylman to be recorded in the affirmative.
22 Announce the result.
23 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
25 is passed.
2695
1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2 668, by Senator Serino, Senate Print 5392, an act
3 to amend the Correction Law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
5 last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
7 act shall take effect on the 90th day.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
9 roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
12 the results.
13 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
14 Senator Montgomery recorded in the negative.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 694, by Senator Ortt, Senate Print 1212, an act
19 relating to authorizing.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: There is
21 a home-rule message at the desk.
22 The Secretary will read the last
23 section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
2696
1 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
5 the result.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 696, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 2119, an
11 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
23 is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 698, by Senator Griffo, Senate Print 2537, an act
2697
1 to amend the Highway Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
5 act shall take effect on the 120th day.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 705, by Senator Little, Senate Print 5513, an act
16 to amend the Highway Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
25 Little.
2698
1 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 This is a bill for naming a bridge
4 after Gordie Little -- who, by the way, is not a
5 relative. I wish he had been, but he is not.
6 Gordie Little was one of the most
7 likable North Country icons that existed. He was
8 a person who was the voice of the North Country
9 on the radio shows on WIRY. He wrote many, many
10 articles in newspapers throughout the
11 North Country, including a column called "Small
12 Talk" that was in the Press-Republican. He was
13 on TV programs talking about many historic issues
14 that have taken place in the North Country, on
15 cable news.
16 But beyond just being there, he was
17 always interesting, he was very accurate and
18 historic, but he was so positive and optimistic
19 in all of his talks and all of his conversations.
20 So the idea here is we're not naming
21 a road after Gordie Little, we are naming a
22 bridge. And the bridge will connect two towns,
23 Schuyler Falls and Morrisonville. He lived in
24 Morrisonville, he lived on the Saranac River.
25 This bridge goes over the Saranac River.
2699
1 And it's important that it is a
2 bridge, because Gordie Little was a person who
3 built bridges in the community between different
4 communities, between different issues, bringing
5 people together and certainly always making
6 people hopeful and optimistic about their lives
7 around them.
8 He died -- it will be a year on
9 June 22nd, and it's hopeful that we will be
10 dedicating this bridge on June 22nd in his
11 memory.
12 And I thank you all for your support
13 of this bill as we really are honoring a truly
14 wonderful person who died in a tragic accident at
15 the age of 79. But he made his mark on our
16 North Country communities, and he will always be
17 remembered.
18 Thank you.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
20 Little to be recorded in the affirmative.
21 Announce the result.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2700
1 742, by Senator Little, Senate Print 1378, an act
2 to amend the Private Housing Finance Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 758, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 5402, an
17 act to amend the Executive Law.
18 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Lay the bill
19 aside for the day, please.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
21 is laid aside for the day.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 788, by Senator Golden, Senate Print 4588A, an
24 act to amend the General Municipal Law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
2701
1 last section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
3 act shall take effect July 1, 2017.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
5 roll.
6 (The Secretary called the roll.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Announce
8 the result.
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
10 Senator DeFrancisco recorded in the negative.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
12 is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 840, by Senator Valesky, Senate Print 1860, an
15 act to amend the Canal Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
19 act shall take effect on the 180th day.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
24 Valesky.
25 SENATOR VALESKY: Thank you,
2702
1 Mr. President. I rise to explain my vote.
2 You know, each day that we gather in
3 this chamber to consider legislation that does
4 the people's business, we consider bills that in
5 one way, shape or form affect the lives of our
6 constituents. There are times that we take up
7 bills that will actually save the lives of our
8 constituents, and this is one such bill.
9 About a year ago a young man who
10 lives in my district was doing what he loves to
11 do, which so many New Yorkers love to do, and
12 that's fish -- enjoy the outdoors, take advantage
13 of the great fishing tradition that we have in
14 New York State. And he was doing so on the
15 New York State Canal System, in a little village
16 called Sylvan Beach.
17 And he was enjoying his day, as I
18 know he did so many times, and he was fishing
19 with a box of lures that had been handed down to
20 him from his grandfather, so obviously very
21 meaningful to him. And that box was knocked into
22 the water. And he, as I'm sure many young people
23 would do, wanted to retrieve those heirlooms.
24 And as he did so, and even though he was a fine
25 swimmer, the current in the canal that day was
2703
1 too strong for him to reach the shore. And
2 despite the best efforts of his mom to reach out
3 and use a fishing net to reach out to pull him to
4 safety, she was unable to do so.
5 So the family approached me, and
6 Assemblyman Magee in the Assembly, and said,
7 There's something wrong here. You know, the
8 canal system should have safety rings, life rings
9 on piers and wharfs and docks all through the
10 canal system, so that something like this will
11 never happen again. So if someone finds
12 themselves in the water unable to return to
13 shore, there's something quickly available to
14 throw out and save someone's life.
15 This legislation would do just that.
16 I appreciate the opportunity to
17 offer this today to my colleagues here in the
18 Senate, appreciate your support. And with the
19 support of the Assembly and the Governor, we can
20 make sure that the tragedy that befell the Teater
21 family will happen to no one again.
22 I vote in the affirmative.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
25 Valesky to be recorded in the affirmative.
2704
1 Senator Krueger.
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
3 Mr. President.
4 I appreciate the story that the
5 Senator, the sponsor, just gave and completely
6 empathize with the situation.
7 But I'm also concerned that if the
8 State of New York, the Canal Corporation is not
9 the owner of every pier and access point to the
10 canal, that by taking on the responsibility and
11 hence the liability associated with having that
12 equipment there, we -- one, because we would
13 have the Canal Corporation, which is part of the
14 utility authority -- would have to pay for
15 everything. That means the ratepayers are
16 actually paying for it.
17 And it would also be a recognition
18 of liability if the equipment was not there in
19 good shape -- again, perhaps on private property.
20 So while I do empathize with the
21 situation, I think the State of New York needs to
22 think a little more carefully about whether it's
23 taking on both the financial responsibility and
24 the legal liability for equipment on piers and
25 docks that may not in fact be the property of the
2705
1 State of New York and may in fact be private
2 property.
3 Thank you, Mr. President. I'll vote
4 no.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
6 Krueger, you will be recorded in the negative.
7 Announce the result.
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
9 Senator Krueger recorded in the negative.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 896, by Senator Montgomery, Senate Print 4438, an
14 act to amend the Executive Law.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
16 last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
18 act shall take effect immediately.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
20 roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
23 Montgomery.
24 SENATOR MONTGOMERY: Yes, thank
25 you, Mr. President.
2706
1 I want to thank my colleagues for
2 once again including this legislation as one of
3 the bills that we're going to pass this year,
4 this session.
5 This is a bill where we are trying
6 to become much more transparent, specifically as
7 it relates to the New York State Budget. Each
8 year we have a budget of hundreds of billions of
9 dollars, and most of that is really in an attempt
10 to serve the people of our state, but we're not
11 always necessarily recognizing exactly what we're
12 funding.
13 So this legislation would require
14 that rather than having us rely on the newspaper
15 to tell us who received what funding, the
16 Division of the Budget of the State of New York
17 would be required to list those organizations
18 that receive funding through the State Budget,
19 and would require that to be organized by
20 zip code, so the citizens of New York State, as
21 well as us in the Legislature, would know exactly
22 who was being funded by the budget allocations
23 that we in this house and in the Assembly, in
24 conjunction with the Governor, have decided to
25 allocate for services to people in our state.
2707
1 So I thank you, Mr. President. I
2 thank my colleagues. And I vote yes.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
4 Montgomery to be recorded in the affirmative.
5 Announce the result.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 978, by Senator Ranzenhofer, Senate Print 5814,
11 an act to amend Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2017.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
20 Ranzenhofer to explain your vote.
21 SENATOR RANZENHOFER: Yes, thank
22 you, Mr. President.
23 I rise to explain my vote today, and
24 I would be remiss if I didn't thank my colleagues
25 who supported this. This bill was just
2708
1 introduced two weeks ago, and it's already
2 garnered 19 sponsors, so it has a lot of momentum
3 and has a lot of support.
4 Today's legislation will bring
5 ridesharing in New York that much closer. I
6 heard Senator Valesky earlier mention about safer
7 roads and safer conditions. And passing this
8 legislation and making sure that ridesharing is
9 available in New York State prior to July 4th
10 will make our roads safer and will save lives.
11 So I want to thank my colleagues
12 once again. This is a good piece of legislation.
13 It accelerates the timetable in which ridesharing
14 will be here. It's getting a lot of momentum
15 today; I believe it's going to pass in the
16 Assembly next week. And hopefully this bill will
17 then be signed by the Governor so ridesharing
18 will be here prior to the July 4th holiday,
19 saving lives and making our roads safer in the
20 State of New York.
21 So thank you, Mr. President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
23 Ranzenhofer, you will be recorded in the
24 affirmative.
25 Senator Seward to explain your vote.
2709
1 SENATOR SEWARD: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 First of all, I'd like to thank
4 Senator Ranzenhofer for his leadership on this
5 aspect of the ridesharing issue. And I'm very,
6 very pleased to have joined him, being a co-prime
7 sponsor of this legislation.
8 The summer tourism season is just
9 around the corner, and the availability of
10 ridesharing services across the state will be a
11 major plus, offering the economic, the
12 environmental, and the public safety benefits
13 that come from ridesharing.
14 This legislation that we are passing
15 today would clear the way for these ridesharing
16 companies to start operating a few days earlier,
17 in time for the 4th of July weekend. This is one
18 of the busiest tourism weekends of the year, and
19 both residents and visitors to New York State
20 will greatly benefit by having ridesharing
21 services, that transportation option, available
22 to them on that busy traveling weekend.
23 And of course there's a public
24 safety aspect to this as well. With 4th of July
25 parties, an increase in the tourism traffic,
2710
1 giving ridesharing the green light 10 days
2 earlier could in fact be a lifesaver.
3 So, Mr. President, I vote aye on
4 this important legislation.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
6 Seward, you will be recorded in the affirmative.
7 Senator Kennedy.
8 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 I stand to support this bill this
11 afternoon. I am a proud cosponsor of this
12 legislation. I want to thank my colleagues for
13 advancing this all-important piece of legislation
14 that advances the timetable for the
15 implementation of ridesharing services like Uber
16 and Lyft in upstate New York.
17 You know, the public has waited long
18 enough to have ridesharing. And the disparity
19 that we've seen not only between upstate and
20 downstate, but New York State and the rest of the
21 nation, is too much. And we've waited too long.
22 And once we passed this --
23 thankfully we passed this ridesharing bill in the
24 budget -- the people, especially in Western
25 New York and upstate, were thrilled to hear about
2711
1 it. And then the news came that it was going to
2 take 90 days to be implemented. Well, that's
3 because the business model had to be put in place
4 and the communities had to get ready for
5 ridesharing services. And it was just too long.
6 So advancing the timetable by
7 10 days will ensure that the people of New York
8 State get these ridesharing services a little bit
9 faster, but in time for the holiday season of the
10 4th of July. And as has been said, if we can
11 prevent even one individual from getting behind
12 the wheel of his or her car and prevent even one
13 disaster and prevent even one life from being
14 lost because of a bad decision to get behind the
15 wheel after overindulging, then this bill is well
16 worth it.
17 Thank you, Mr. President. I vote
18 aye.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: Senator
20 Kennedy to be recorded in the affirmative.
21 Announce the result.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: The bill
24 is passed.
25 Mr. Floor Leader, that completes the
2712
1 noncontroversial reading of the calendar.
2 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Is there any
3 further business at the desk?
4 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: There is
5 none.
6 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: There being
7 no further business at the desk, I move to
8 adjourn until Monday, May 22nd, at 3:00 p.m.,
9 intervening days being legislative days.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT AKSHAR: On
11 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
12 May 22nd, at 3:00 p.m., intervening days being
13 legislative days.
14 (Whereupon, at 12:09 p.m., the
15 Senate adjourned.)
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