Regular Session - January 22, 2020
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
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3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 January 22, 2020
11 3:37 p.m.
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13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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18 SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
3 will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
14 reading of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Tuesday,
16 January 21, 2020, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, January 20,
18 2020, was read and approved. On motion, Senate
19 adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 The Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Senator May moves
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1 to discharge, from the Committee on Rules,
2 Assembly Bill Number 8956 and substitute it for
3 the identical Senate Bill 7162, Third Reading
4 Calendar 86.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER:
6 Substitution so ordered.
7 THE SECRETARY: Senator Sanders
8 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Higher
9 Education, Assembly Bill Number 2405 and
10 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7118,
11 Third Reading Calendar 132.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER:
13 Substitution so ordered.
14 Messages from the Governor.
15 Reports of standing committees.
16 Reports of select committees.
17 Communications and reports from
18 state officers.
19 Motions and resolutions.
20 Senator Gianaris.
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
22 Madam President.
23 On behalf of Senator Thomas, on
24 page 19 I offer the following amendments to
25 Calendar Number 150, Senate Print 6727A, and ask
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1 that said bill retain its place on the Third
2 Reading Calendar.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
4 amendments are received, and the bill shall
5 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: And on behalf of
7 Senator Ramos, on page 19 I offer the following
8 amendments to Calendar Number 169, Senate Print
9 6726, and ask that said bill retain its place on
10 the Third Reading Calendar.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
12 amendments are received, and the bill shall
13 retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: At this time,
15 Madam President, I move to adopt the
16 Resolution Calendar, with the exception of
17 Resolutions 2478 and 2583.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All in
19 favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar, with
20 the exception of Resolutions 2478 and 2583,
21 please signify by saying aye.
22 (Response of "Aye.")
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
24 nay.
25 (No response.)
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 Resolution Calendar is adopted.
3 Senator Gianaris.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
5 at this time I'd like to acknowledge a group
6 that's with us in the gallery. The New York
7 Immigration Coalition is here in Albany doing
8 their work today.
9 This is their 33rd year of work on
10 behalf of the communities in New York. And
11 there's no state that is more defined by
12 immigrants and the contributions they've made to
13 our state than New York. And so the work that
14 NYIC has done is one that has left its mark on
15 our state in a very positive way, and I want you
16 to please recognize them, thank them for their
17 good work, and welcome them here to our chamber
18 today.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: To our
20 guests, I welcome you on behalf of the Senate.
21 We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of
22 the house. Thank you for your work. Please rise
23 and be recognized.
24 (Standing ovation.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
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1 Gianaris.
2 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you.
3 At this time, Madam President, can
4 we take up Resolution 2583, by Senator Kavanagh,
5 read that resolution's title only, and recognize
6 Senator Kavanagh.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
8 Secretary will read.
9 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
10 2583, by Senator Kavanagh, commemorating the
11 Asian American community's celebration of the
12 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat, on
13 January 25, 2020.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 Kavanagh on the resolution.
16 SENATOR KAVANAGH: Thank you,
17 Madam President.
18 I rise to speak of this important
19 resolution noting -- taking a pause in this
20 chamber to note the oncoming Lunar New Year,
21 which is January 25th and is the beginning of the
22 year of the Rat.
23 As we know, the Lunar New Year
24 celebrated by Asian-Americans and indeed Asian
25 people throughout the world, and some people of
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1 some other cultures and descents, is part of a
2 twelve-year cyclical calendar, with each year
3 symbolized by a particular animal.
4 This year we have this resolution,
5 which we've done many years. I should note at
6 the outset that it is cosponsored by Senators
7 Liu, Gounardes, Stavisky, Metzger and Montgomery.
8 And I think we'll hear from a number of people
9 here today.
10 But the Lunar New Year is of course
11 an opportunity for us to celebrate the great
12 cultural diversity of our country, the
13 contribution of Asian-Americans to our country
14 over many years, and also the diversity within
15 the Asian-American community. Many people of
16 many different cultural backgrounds celebrate
17 this as the principal holiday of the year, and
18 indeed the most important of new year festivals.
19 People celebrate particularly --
20 with particular enthusiasm in my own community
21 that I represent in Chinatown in Lower Manhattan.
22 There will be a great firecracker festival this
23 weekend, and in a couple of weeks the great
24 Chinese New Year Parade, which is, in my humble
25 opinion, the best of the Chinese New Year
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1 parades, although we may hear from others in this
2 chamber about other commemorations.
3 So again, I appreciate the
4 opportunity to speak on this resolution and take
5 this opportunity to wish all who celebrate this
6 holiday a great and wonderful New Year and a
7 prosperous year going ahead.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
9 Senator Kavanagh.
10 Senator Liu on the resolution.
11 SENATOR LIU: Thank you,
12 Madam President, for the opportunity to speak on
13 this. I want to thank Senator Kavanagh for
14 introducing this resolution.
15 What can I say -- have dinner with
16 your folks on Friday or Saturday, depending on
17 your preference, and don't wash your hair on
18 Saturday. It's the custom not to wash your hair
19 on New Year's Day.
20 Beyond that, I will say that about
21 8 -- a little more than 8 percent of the people
22 in this room were born in the Year of the Rat.
23 Absolutely nothing wrong with being born in the
24 Year of the Rat. The Rat is a revered form of
25 being, and you should be proud to be born in the
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1 Year of the Rat, which is what we're about to
2 ring in.
3 Thank you, Madam President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
5 Senator Liu.
6 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
7 SENATOR STAVISKY: Thank you,
8 Madam President.
9 And I too join in the celebration of
10 the Year of the Golden Rat. I represent a
11 district in Queens, with Senator Liu, that has a
12 great many people celebrating the Lunar New Year,
13 and they celebrate it in so many different ways.
14 They celebrate it with lion dancing. Saturday we
15 have a really, really large parade, Senator
16 Kavanagh, in downtown Flushing, one of the
17 largest in the country, with floats. And the
18 nice part about the Lunar New Year celebration in
19 Flushing is that it's celebrated by all
20 Asian-Americans -- not just the Chinese
21 community, but the Korean community as well.
22 They celebrate the year of the Rat,
23 the Lunar New Year, with family gatherings.
24 Families come together -- they even come from
25 China to the United States and to New York so
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1 that the whole family can celebrate. And they
2 celebrate particularly with eating. Food is an
3 important part, the dumplings and everything
4 else. These are important ingredients, so to
5 speak, as the families celebrate the Lunar
6 New Year. And in fact they celebrate by wearing
7 red. That is another important ingredient in the
8 Asian-American community.
9 But it's more than that. It's more
10 than the parades and the eating and everything
11 else. It shows the respect that the community
12 has, and the city and state and nation have, for
13 the Asian-American community. They have made so
14 many contributions to our culture, to our
15 government, sharing their traditions, and we all
16 celebrate together.
17 And I wish everybody a very happy
18 and prosperous Lunar New Year. And as they say
19 in Mandarin, Xin Nian Kuai Le. And in Cantonese,
20 it's Gong Hei Fat Choi. And in Korean it's
21 Saehae Bok Manhi Baduseyo. And by learning these
22 phrases and other phrases in the languages, I
23 think we make government more accessible to the
24 Asian-American community. And they in turn have
25 done so much for us.
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1 And I represent a district that is
2 more than half Asian-American, and I stand here
3 proudly and thank Senator Kavanagh for his
4 resolution.
5 Thank you, Mr. President.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
7 Gounardes on the resolution.
8 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 I too rise to celebrate the Lunar
11 New Year celebration that we're about to embark
12 on. I represent a district that is nearly
13 30 percent Asian-American. And this is a very
14 special time of the year we get to celebrate with
15 this community that offers so much to the fabric
16 of Southern Brooklyn. I look forward to the
17 month ahead. We have so many parades and
18 festivals and celebrations, so many feasts. As
19 Senator Stavisky said, this is a big holiday to
20 eat at.
21 And I look forward to this every
22 single year, even before I was elected into
23 office, because it becomes a tradition in the
24 community, and one that so many people look
25 forward to. I look forward to celebrating with
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1 my neighbors yet again this year, the Year of the
2 Rat. I wish all of my constituents and all who
3 celebrate the Lunar New Year a very happy and
4 prosperous year. May this coming year be filled
5 with blessings, riches, and all that you desire.
6 Thank you.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
8 question is on the resolution. All in favor
9 signify by saying aye.
10 (Response of "Aye.")
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
12 Opposed?
13 (No response.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
15 resolution is adopted.
16 Senator Gianaris.
17 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
18 can we now please take up Resolution 2478, by
19 Leader Stewart-Cousins, read that resolution in
20 its entirety, and recognize Senator Bailey on
21 that resolution.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
23 Secretary will read.
24 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
25 2478, by Senator Stewart-Cousins, commemorating
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1 the observance of the 35th Annual Martin Luther
2 King, Jr. Day in the State of New York, on
3 January 20, 2020.
4 "WHEREAS, From time to time we take
5 note of certain individuals whom we wish to
6 recognize for their valued contributions and to
7 publicly acknowledge their endeavors which have
8 enhanced the basic humanity among us all; and
9 "WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern,
10 and in full accord with its long-standing
11 traditions, it is the custom of this Legislative
12 Body to join the people of this great
13 Empire State in proudly observing the 35th Annual
14 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the State of
15 New York, on January 20, 2020, taking note of his
16 many accomplishments and contributions to
17 mankind; and
18 "WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King,
19 Jr. was born the grandson of a slave into a
20 segregated society in Atlanta, Georgia, on
21 January 15, 1929, and was instrumental in
22 formulating a policy which ultimately destroyed
23 legal apartheid in the southern states of our
24 nation; and
25 "WHEREAS, In February of 1968,
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1 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about the
2 inevitability of his death and hoped that when we
3 spoke of his life, we would not concentrate on
4 his academic achievements: that he graduated
5 from Morehouse College, that he attended the
6 Crozer Theological Seminary and Boston
7 University, where he earned a doctorate in
8 systematic theology; and
9 "WHEREAS, Furthermore, Dr. Martin
10 Luther King, Jr., did not find it important that
11 we mention that he won the Nobel Peace Prize and
12 over 300 other awards; and
13 "WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King,
14 Jr.'s finest legacy of greater social justice for
15 all Americans was truly reflected in his devotion
16 to serve and respect others, and in his steadfast
17 love for all humanity; and
18 "WHEREAS, Standing in a long line of
19 great American black leaders, Dr. Martin Luther
20 King, Jr., represents the historical culmination
21 and the living embodiment of a spirit of united
22 purpose rooted in black African culture and the
23 American dream; and
24 "WHEREAS, An apostle of peace,
25 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., fought unrelentingly
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1 for the civil rights of all Americans and taught
2 us that through nonviolence, courage displaces
3 fear, love transforms hate, acceptance dissipates
4 prejudice, and mutual regard cancels enmity; and
5 "WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King,
6 Jr., manifestly contributed to the cause of
7 America's freedom, and his commitment to human
8 dignity is visibly mirrored in the spiritual,
9 economic, and political dimensions of the civil
10 rights movement; and
11 "WHEREAS, In addition, Dr. Martin
12 Luther King, Jr.'s life was devoted to the
13 liberation of his people, and his courage
14 transcended the advocates of mindless
15 retrenchment; and
16 "WHEREAS, It is the sense of this
17 Legislative Body that the common and shared
18 responsibility of governance demands an
19 irrevocable commitment to the preservation and
20 enhancement of human dignity as exemplified by
21 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and
22 "WHEREAS, Upon the occasion of the
23 celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
24 King, Jr., it is the practice of this Legislative
25 Body to commemorate the heroic efforts of
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1 Dr. King, who loved and served humanity, and who
2 was a drum major for peace, justice and
3 righteousness; and
4 "WHEREAS, The 2020 Dr. Martin Luther
5 King, Jr., holiday observance marks the
6 91st anniversary of his birth, and the 35th
7 annual holiday celebrated in the State of
8 New York in his honor; now, therefore, be it
9 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
10 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
11 and pay tribute to the legendary life and
12 achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., upon
13 the occasion of the anniversary of his birth and
14 the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in
15 the State of New York and throughout the nation;
16 and be it further
17 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
18 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
19 the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian
20 Legislative Caucus."
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
22 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
23 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
24 Mr. President.
25 I'm honored to be able to speak on
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1 behalf of Leader Stewart-Cousins on this
2 resolution, this incredibly important resolution,
3 one resolution that unifies instead of dividing.
4 It's not about policy, it's about people, it's
5 about purpose, it's about passion. And Leader
6 Stewart-Cousins is the embodiment, the physical
7 embodiment of Dr. King's dream -- the first
8 African-American woman to ever lead a conference
9 in the history of the State of New York. That is
10 remarkable. It's incredible.
11 I think about Dr. King and what he
12 did and what he accomplished, and I think about
13 this past Monday where many of us, if not all of
14 us, back in our districts, we went to churches
15 and rallies and meetings and we spoke to
16 different people, Mr. President. And one of the
17 things I want to make us aware of is that it's
18 not a day off, it's a day on, as we've heard.
19 And it's not just a day of service, as we've
20 heard, but it's a day of reflection.
21 It's a day of incredible reflection
22 for me as I get closer to the age of 39, that
23 magic number 39. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
24 died at the age of 39, Mr. President. And I am
25 37. And every year I reflect a little bit more
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1 about what I have not done that Dr. King was able
2 to get accomplished in his 39 years. I think
3 about the 39 that I -- the only thing I have in
4 common with Dr. King is my license plate number,
5 Mr. President. It's 39, and he was 39 when he
6 passed away.
7 I have a lot more to do. We all
8 have a lot more to do. But we have to do it in
9 an attitude and with an attitude of service. And
10 Dr. King's dream can't be realized on one day.
11 We can't say all is great on Monday and on
12 Tuesday we're back to the hate. That's not what
13 Dr. King stood for.
14 And if you observe his day -- the
15 only holiday named after a single man -- if you
16 observe his day, then you should observe what his
17 dream is 365, and not just on January 15th and
18 the Monday that follows it.
19 You see, I think about Dr. King's
20 quote: "Life's most persistent and urgent
21 question is what are you doing for others." And
22 that's the service component, Mr. President. And
23 we're lucky to serve in this body, despite your
24 political ideology, what you may believe, where
25 you come from. I want us to understand something
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1 about the ability to serve that we have. We are
2 63 people out of a state that is approximately
3 20 million people strong. That is 0.00000315.
4 That's the only time I'll ever be a part of the
5 1 percent, Mr. President.
6 (Laughter.)
7 SENATOR BAILEY: And it's a part of
8 the 1 percent that I cherish.
9 Dr. King also said everybody can be
10 great because anybody can serve. And we must
11 serve. Whatever it is that we believe in, we
12 must serve the communities we come from --
13 capably, well, and with passion and purpose.
14 I think about the connection that
15 Dr. King had to my own grandfather, James Thomas
16 Bailey, the original J.T. Bailey, my hero. They
17 were both born in 1929, and they both had roots
18 to Selma. We know about the march on Selma. And
19 God bless Colonel Larkin, and I miss Colonel
20 Larkin and his commentary about the days where he
21 was around in the civil rights movement. And you
22 see it's not about party, it's about purpose,
23 Mr. President.
24 I think about 1929 and Selma in
25 North Carolina -- the forgotten Selma, we like to
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1 call it in my family. That's where my
2 grandfather was born. I know if you ask my
3 family members, my grandpa was more Malcolm than
4 he was Martin. He still believed in the mission.
5 He still believed that if we achieved together,
6 we could achieve greatness. And that's what
7 we're here for -- for our children, for our
8 families, for our communities to achieve
9 greatness.
10 But what about the greatness that
11 seems to escape so many people? Mr. President,
12 you know I'm a fan of music, and specifically
13 hip-hop music. And I think about the rapper and
14 actor Christopher Bridges, who many know as
15 Ludacris. And he has a song called "Do Your
16 Time." And he said, "I'd give my eyes to Stevie
17 Wonder just to see what he's seen, but then I'd
18 take them right back to see Martin Luther's
19 dream. I'd dream that I could tell Martin Luther
20 we'd made it, but half of my black brothers are
21 still incarcerated, locked up in a cell block,
22 lost from shell shock."
23 It reminds me of the Letter from a
24 Birmingham Jail, where Martin Luther King
25 famously wrote: "My friends, I must say to you
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1 that we have not made a single gain in civil
2 rights without determined legal and nonviolent
3 pressure. Lamentably, it is an historical fact
4 that privileged groups seldom give up their
5 privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the
6 moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust
7 posture; but, as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded
8 us, groups tend to be more immoral than
9 individuals.
10 "We know through painful experience
11 that freedom is never voluntarily given by the
12 oppressor; it must be demanded" -- demanded --
13 "by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage
14 in a direct action campaign that was 'well timed'
15 in the view of those who have not suffered unduly
16 from the disease of segregation. For years now I
17 have heard the word 'Wait!' It rings in the ear
18 of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This
19 'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never.' We must
20 come to see, with one of our distinguished
21 jurists, that 'justice too long delayed is
22 justice denied.'
23 "We have waited for more than 340
24 years for our constitutional and God-given
25 rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are
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1 moving with jetlike speed toward gaining
2 political independence, but we still creep at
3 horse and buggy pace toward gaining a cup of
4 coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy
5 for those who have never felt the stinging darts
6 of segregation to say 'Wait.'"
7 Mr. President, that's why we
8 couldn't wait to do what we had to do to make
9 sure we reform things. That's why people march,
10 Mr. President, because they're tired of waiting.
11 People are tired of waiting. And Martin Luther
12 King, Jr. -- and it's hard for to be able to say
13 this is what he would have wanted us to do, but
14 that's what he said. He was worried about us
15 waiting for too long.
16 And I think about what the dream is
17 today. How close are we to realizing that dream?
18 And we know the dream through Leader Stewart-
19 Cousins. We know the dream through Speaker
20 Heastie. But we can't be silent. Because, as
21 Dr. King famously said, "Our lives end the day we
22 begin to become silent about those things that
23 matter."
24 So what matters? Well, what matters
25 is your impact. Your impact is greater than you
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1 can ever imagine. You harness your energy, you
2 harness your passion and your direction, and you
3 make sure your passion has direction. Because
4 I've said before, passion without purpose is
5 pointless.
6 Now, I imagine while Dr. King worked
7 really hard, and as was read in the resolution,
8 he didn't want the accolades. I'm sure he didn't
9 intend on being a legendary figure, that he'd be
10 the first African-American to have this holiday
11 named after him. I imagine that he wasn't doing
12 any of the work that he did in anticipation of
13 having this day. As he said, the time is always
14 right to do what's right. And that's why he did
15 what he did. He did what he had to do. So many
16 of us can do what we want to do.
17 Freedom matters. Opportunity
18 matters. Liberty matters. And family matters.
19 And I don't mean Steve Urkel, Mr. President.
20 (Laughter.)
21 SENATOR BAILEY: Dr. King famously
22 said, "I submit to you if a man has not
23 discovered something he will die for, then he
24 isn't fit to live."
25 And that's my family, what they do,
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1 what they teach me, what they do for me on a
2 daily basis. You see, education is the great
3 equalizer, Mr. President. And I think about my
4 daughter in school and what she's learning, and I
5 think about when she came home from school she
6 said, "I learned about Martin Luther King, Jr.,
7 Dad. Remember, I learned about him last year in
8 pre-K, but this is kindergarten. We're learning
9 more."
10 (Laughter.)
11 SENATOR BAILEY: I'm like, "All
12 right, Giada. Well, how much more did you
13 learn?"
14 "Well, Dad, I learned that -- do you
15 know that he was arrested?"
16 I'm like, "No, Giada, tell me more
17 about how he was arrested."
18 "He was arrested standing up for
19 what he believed in."
20 I was like, "Wow."
21 And then she said, "You know what?
22 You know what else, Dad? You know what I think?"
23 "Sure, Giada, what do you think?"
24 "You know the people that arrested
25 him? They should have been arrested, because
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1 they were in the way of his doing the right
2 thing."
3 Ladies and gentlemen, if a
4 5-year-old can figure that out, I think we can
5 all figure it out too. What's right is right.
6 Fight for what's right.
7 And I want you to understand that
8 what unites us will always be stronger than what
9 could ever divide us. Dr. King reminds us that
10 darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light
11 can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only
12 love can do that.
13 Whether you're from Broome County or
14 the Bronx, you love your people. Whether you
15 like baccala or swordfish -- Mr. President, it's
16 the same thing, if we're really talking about
17 it -- whether you like callaloo or collard
18 greens -- they're both vegetables, just a little
19 different seasoning -- we all have the roots in
20 the same things that we want. We want our people
21 to be better. That's what Dr. King wanted.
22 That's what I want for my kids, for Carina too.
23 I didn't mention Carina. She'll get mad if I
24 didn't mention her.
25 But in all seriousness,
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1 Mr. President, it's an honor to be able to speak
2 on this every year, because this is the
3 anniversary of when I first spoke on the floor.
4 So it's always a moment of deep reflection for me
5 and deep gratitude for our leader, for being a
6 member of this body. I do, because King dreamed.
7 Thank you, Mr. President.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
9 Liu on the resolution.
10 SENATOR LIU: Thank you,
11 Mr. President.
12 It's tough to follow that act,
13 Senator Bailey.
14 I agree with everything he said. I
15 Just want to say that, you know, as an
16 Asian-American, as an immigrant here, I do not
17 believe that I would be in this position or even
18 in this country if not for the civil rights
19 movement that was really in many ways sparked by
20 the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
21 So I stand in reverence to him, his
22 legacy, and honored him on his day with service
23 as well as speaking at a number of events in
24 order to project his legacy.
25 Thank you, Mr. President.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
2 Senator Sanders on the resolution.
3 SENATOR SANDERS: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I have to commend the leader for
6 coming up with this resolution. And the two
7 previous speakers, they were very eloquent.
8 But Mr. President, I have discovered
9 something that troubles me when I think of the
10 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I
11 discovered that there's a process where we're
12 really fighting whether he is a monument or
13 whether he is a reflection of a movement.
14 Now, I have found that systems that
15 want to get rid of folks sometimes promote them
16 up. Sometimes they deify and ossify. They
17 encase a person in a stone, perhaps down in D.C.,
18 and say here lies this great movement, and all of
19 the things that were involved have been encased
20 there. We need not speak of this any further.
21 It is over. We can all go out and look at the
22 monument and say, Well, everything was done.
23 However, I understand that a
24 movement moves. That Martin Luther King, Jr.,
25 the Reverend Doctor, was a man of movement. That
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1 a movement, by its very nature, has to move. And
2 that the problems that were being addressed by
3 the Reverend Doctor are not, have not been
4 resolved. It is an ongoing process. It is an
5 American process. It's as American as apple pie.
6 And we have to find our way into this movement.
7 Now, we are blessed, we 63 who are
8 here, we are blessed. We don't have to say what
9 we would do in those days. We get a chance to do
10 it every day. We get a chance to live his dream
11 every single day. In fact, we're in the middle
12 of his dream -- or his nightmare -- now. We're
13 dealing with the budget. We're dealing with are
14 we going to see what Martin Luther King spoke of
15 or are we going to encase it in stone, move it
16 away and push everything under the carpet, if you
17 wish.
18 It's easy in one sense. It's easy
19 if you just keep it simple. Before anyone has
20 cake, we all should have bread. That simple.
21 So I close, Mr. President, in
22 paraphrasing one of the Reverend Dr. Martin
23 Luther King's favorite scriptures. It comes from
24 the Book of Amos. Everyone should dig it out and
25 get used to that book. He says that we have to
262
1 keep fighting until justice flows down like a
2 mighty stream and righteousness flows down like a
3 mighty river.
4 Thank you very much, Mr. President.
5 Let us not entomb Martin Luther King; let us
6 rather join the movement for justice.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
8 Robach on the resolution.
9 SENATOR ROBACH: Yes,
10 Mr. President, I would also -- I'm happy to rise
11 and glad we do this resolution every year here.
12 I think it's important and fitting.
13 And I'm also very glad to come from
14 the City of Rochester, where we have a number of
15 celebrations, workshops, activities to do and
16 implement and continue to do Dr. King's work. I
17 think that's critically important. I would agree
18 with the other speakers that this is -- should be
19 a 365-day event.
20 And I would say this on a personal
21 note. I'm a little bit older than Senator
22 Bailey's 37 years, but I remember profoundly in
23 1968, when Dr. King was assassinated, the horror
24 my mother had and couldn't uncontrollably stop
25 crying and thought it was so terrible. I don't
263
1 know if that's what affected me, but throughout
2 my life as a young man and an old man, I've
3 probably read more things about Dr. King than any
4 other person.
5 And he was, just simplistically, not
6 only fair but a brilliant person. And it's so
7 hard -- and a religious person. And a
8 Republican.
9 (Laughter.)
10 SENATOR ROBACH: It was hard for
11 him to be a person of peace and implement that,
12 as my father said, not only talk the talk but
13 walk the walk. When people spit in his face and
14 verbally abused him, physically abused him,
15 arrested him, as your daughter said, he stuck to
16 his principles. And it made an impact. Because
17 for a lot of people that were on the fence,
18 walking the walk and talking the talk did it.
19 He really is a great person, a great
20 human being. And it is important that children
21 learn it, the next generation, and that we honor
22 it. Because great people should be emulated.
23 And you've already done a lot of
24 quotes, and I do love that one too, but it's
25 never the wrong time to do the right thing. But
264
1 the one that always sticks out in my head so
2 simplistically, because no one can argue that:
3 No one wants to be judged by anything else but by
4 what they do and the content of their character,
5 nothing else. And Dr. King epitomized that,
6 sacrificed, and was struck down in his prime
7 because that was his core belief and he wanted to
8 make others know it was the right thing to do.
9 So thank you for this resolution;
10 very fitting that we honor this great American.
11 Thank you, Mr. President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
13 Funke on the resolution.
14 SENATOR FUNKE: Thank you,
15 Mr. President. And I thank the -- Leader
16 Stewart-Cousins for bringing this resolution
17 forward.
18 I think a lot of us today, while we
19 honor Dr. Martin Luther King, we think of
20 Colonel Larkin as well, and Senator Bailey
21 brought that up in his stories, who so eloquently
22 told about protecting the marchers on Selma that
23 day. None of us on this side can be as eloquent
24 as Colonel Larkin was, and we miss him and we
25 love him and we think about him today.
265
1 But as we pause to honor the good
2 work of Dr. Martin Luther King, it's important to
3 reflect, I think, on some of his most enduring
4 contributions. His thirst for justice from a
5 Birmingham jail, the eloquent inspiration at the
6 March on Washington and the enduring achievement
7 he realized with the passage of the Civil Rights
8 Act in 1964.
9 But we should also remember that
10 Dr. King was first and foremost a man of God. He
11 had a deep and abiding faith in our Lord, and his
12 public life was influenced and directed by that
13 faith. In this age of conflict and turmoil,
14 let's also remember what I consider and Senator
15 Robach considers to be perhaps the most important
16 message, that we must not judge people by the
17 color of their skin but by the content of their
18 character. If we all took that message to heart,
19 wouldn't the world be a better place and our
20 lives be vastly improved?
21 So we thank you for all that you did
22 to change our country for the better, Dr. King.
23 May your words, faith and may your example
24 continue to change the hearts of all in this
25 turbulent time.
266
1 Thank you, Mr. President.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
3 Little on the resolution.
4 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 This past weekend I had the
7 privilege of attending three Martin Luther King
8 memorial services. And at the first one we had a
9 young man who in high school memorized the "I
10 Have a Dream" speech. His name is Trevor, and he
11 is, 10 years later, still giving the speech. But
12 he gave it with such passion, compassion, and
13 unbelievable emphasis on all of the words that I
14 actually closed my eyes and pictured Dr. King
15 giving that speech in front of us.
16 But the speech truly was about
17 working together and the need for all of us to
18 work together in a better way in order to
19 accomplish much more.
20 So the next day I did a little
21 research and started looking at some of the
22 readings and speeches of Dr. King, and there was
23 one that he gave at Queens College in 1965. And
24 he gave the speech there because a young man, a
25 college student, Andrew Goodman, had gone to
267
1 Alabama and had marched in one of the voting
2 rights marches and was killed, unfortunately.
3 And in his speech, which I would
4 like to quote, he just really says so much that
5 is so applicable throughout all of our lives.
6 And I do quote.
7 "You love every man not because you
8 like him, not because his ways appeal to you, but
9 as theologians say, because God loves him. You
10 rise to the level of loving the person who does
11 the evil deed while hating the deed that the
12 person does. You resist the evil with all of
13 your might and all of our strength that you can
14 muster. You maintain this active goodwill.
15 Knowing that hate destroys the hater as well as
16 the hated."
17 And as he ended that speech, at the
18 conclusion, being a man of faith and a minister,
19 as he was, I would quote what he said then: "I
20 still have faith in the future. However dark the
21 night, however dreary the day, I still believe we
22 shall overcome."
23 And I think that's a message that
24 applies today to all Americans.
25 So it's an honor, and thank you for
268
1 the resolution.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
3 Senator Krueger on the resolution.
4 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 I also want to thank Andrea
7 Stewart-Cousins for bringing this resolution
8 again.
9 Sometimes when you're in politics
10 for a long time, and I'm starting to feel like I
11 have been in it for a long time, you wonder where
12 your mentorship comes from, what inspires you,
13 what do you remember. Certainly the teachings
14 and the life of Martin Luther King is one of the
15 things that I never lose track of. The teachings
16 and the life of Eleanor Roosevelt is someone else
17 I never lose track of and turn to for
18 inspiration.
19 And I'm very glad that we videotape
20 what gets said on this floor, because your
21 children, Senator Jamaal Bailey, need to be able
22 to, as they grow up, hear what you said today
23 about the fight, the march, the progress we must
24 continue to make, and what you were doing for
25 them -- and they're young, so I'm not sure
269
1 they'll understand it all, even though at 5 your
2 one daughter seems scarily smart to put all of
3 this in perspective -- but for all of us, for
4 children, for grandchildren, to hear the next
5 generations of leaders in this country speak
6 about what they've learned and what they are
7 there to teach us as we go forward.
8 So thank you all for speaking on
9 behalf of Dr. Martin Luther King today, but
10 please, everybody's children, watch Jamaal
11 Bailey's tape later on.
12 Thank you.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
14 Savino on the resolution.
15 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 First I want to thank Senator Andrea
18 Stewart-Cousins for bringing this resolution
19 again.
20 And I just want to touch on what
21 Senator Krueger just said. Because when
22 Senator Bailey sat down, I turned to him and said
23 "That might be the best speech you've ever given
24 in your life." And I absolutely believe that.
25 It was heartfelt and it was brilliant.
270
1 And we have stood on this floor year
2 after year in recognition of the life of the
3 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. And I, like
4 many of you, miss Senator Larkin for so many
5 reasons, but mostly because this was a day where
6 he got to share his role in history and meet
7 Dr. Martin Luther King.
8 I am considerably older than you,
9 Senator Bailey -- just about 18 years older than
10 you -- but for me, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther
11 King was also a person in history. I was born a
12 month after the March on Washington, and I was in
13 kindergarten when he was assassinated. And so
14 more for me he was a historic figure.
15 And so for so many of you, when you
16 talk about his role in the civil rights movement,
17 it's so important. But for me, I always reflect
18 and I take to the floor every year to talk about
19 his commitment to the labor movement.
20 The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
21 truly believed that workers were best served by
22 unions. In fact, he spoke in 1965 at the
23 AFL-CIO's National Convention, where he said:
24 "The labor movement was the principal force that
25 transformed misery and despair into hope and
271
1 progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic
2 and social reform gave birth to unemployment
3 insurance, old age pensions, government relief
4 for the destitute and, above all, new wage levels
5 that meant not mere survival but a tolerable
6 life."
7 He understand that the labor
8 movement was not just about money, that it was
9 about dignity for workers. And it was that
10 demand for dignity, that people be treated like
11 human beings, that led him to Memphis in 1968,
12 when he went to lead a march of a ragtag bunch of
13 sanitation workers, AFSCME Local 1755, who were
14 on strike against the City of Memphis.
15 The City of Memphis didn't recognize
16 their union, let alone their humanity. Two of
17 their workers had been brutally killed in the
18 back of a sanitation truck because black
19 sanitation workers in Memphis weren't allowed to
20 wear uniforms, weren't allowed to ride in a
21 truck. And they were killed in the back when the
22 truck malfunctioned. The City of Memphis
23 wouldn't recognize their union, their humanity,
24 or their deaths. And Dr. King went there to lead
25 a strike.
272
1 And in fact it was in Memphis during
2 a rally for those workers that he delivered his
3 infamous "I Have a Dream" speech -- prophetic,
4 predicting his own death. But he was there as a
5 band leader for justice for working people.
6 Again, I was way too young to know
7 anything about him. But in 1993, as an activist
8 with the parent organization AFSCME, I went to
9 Washington for the 30th anniversary of the March
10 on Washington. And I will tell you, 30 years
11 after the first march, the passion, the
12 commitment, the respect and the devotion to that
13 man was as evident, as millions of people marched
14 on Washington to celebrate not just his life or
15 his legacy -- his commitment to working people,
16 his commitment to civil rights, his commitment to
17 a better America.
18 So if I'm here again next year, I
19 will rise again to speak on Dr. King's role in
20 the labor movement. And I want to thank all of
21 my colleagues for doing this every year, it is so
22 critically important, and of course thank our
23 leader for bringing this resolution to the floor.
24 Thank you, Mr. President.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
273
1 Senator Montgomery on the resolution.
2 SENATOR MONTGOMERY: Thank you,
3 Mr. President.
4 I want to join my colleagues and
5 thank our leader for introducing this resolution
6 to remind us of the importance of one person who
7 is determined to deliver us to the extent that
8 they give their lives.
9 I just want to -- I'm thinking about
10 Dr. King and what it must have been when he
11 started out in Montgomery. And I want to pay
12 tribute to the people who joined him for the bus
13 boycott. That must have been, for him, proof
14 that if he built an organization, a movement in a
15 certain way, that it would work. That was his
16 formula for success, that those people were
17 willing to walk miles every day to get to work,
18 to get to do whatever they had to do, to walk
19 miles to show that they were no longer willing to
20 live under this Jim Crow process where you -- to
21 get on a bus, that you pay to get on the bus and
22 you had to go to the back of the bus. And if you
23 sat in the wrong seat on the bus, you could be
24 arrested. And a lot of people were arrested
25 before they started the boycott true -- in
274
1 reality.
2 And they stuck with it. He was a
3 leader that they agreed to listen to. And that
4 must have really given him inspiration to go
5 forward with a movement that lasted way beyond.
6 And then I think about him and what
7 it must have been, how many hours and how many
8 times he was so afraid for his life, but he
9 figured this is what God has put me here to do.
10 And that my people are going to be with me, and
11 that I am going to be -- I have been called to
12 deliver my people to a place, and if I don't get
13 there with them, I still have to be in front and
14 I still have to be working.
15 So it was a movement to try and
16 disband Jim Crow in the country. So people
17 couldn't vote. People couldn't ride on the bus.
18 People couldn't sit in the -- at the -- people
19 couldn't go to a Woolworth counter and buy a
20 hamburger. And on and on. So it was a terrible,
21 terrible time for black people in this country.
22 And he decided that he would put his
23 life on the line and bring his people together
24 and create a movement to disrupt this system.
25 So I have to -- sometimes I think,
275
1 when I sit and think, I really appreciate the
2 fact that people who don't know, didn't know
3 him -- I didn't know him -- but people who never
4 walked in those shoes, that they can still talk
5 about him. I have to give you absolute, so much
6 admiration, because you didn't walk in those
7 shoes. And you have to have walked in those
8 shoes. You have to have sat and been looked down
9 upon because of the color of your skin. You have
10 to have been required to walk to school because
11 there was no school bus to pick you up. You have
12 to have experienced such a level of disrespect
13 and disregard and invisibility and violation and
14 violence just because you're a person of color.
15 So for people who never experienced
16 that, I have to say I admire them. So I admire
17 my colleagues who really cannot possibly
18 understand what Dr. King meant to America.
19 And so here is the man who, after
20 all of his activity, after organizing us,
21 after creating a pathway to a new life and a new
22 possibility for people of color in this country,
23 voting rights came about, civil rights came
24 about. These are the basic rights of Americans
25 that people had to die for, that -- and right now
276
1 I think it is important that we're saying to
2 ourselves, to each other, to our children: This
3 is what Dr. King meant. We shall never, never
4 forget that, especially people of color.
5 But it is so inspiring too to see
6 people not of color, who never had to walk in
7 those shoes, never had to suffer what we had to
8 suffer, that they too can admire Dr. King. So I
9 thank you for that.
10 I thank our leader for giving us
11 this chance every year, this chance this hour to
12 say -- as I say, I saw a Harriet Tubman movie
13 recently, and after seeing that, I no longer say
14 Harriet Tubman, I say we are Harrieting.
15 Harrieting. We are standing up for what is right
16 because we believe that Dr. King gave so much
17 just for us to be able to stand here and speak
18 about him and his movement.
19 So thank you, Mr. President. And
20 thank you, Leader Stewart-Cousins.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
22 question is on the resolution. All in favor
23 signify by saying aye.
24 (Response of "Aye.")
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
277
1 Opposed?
2 (No response.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
4 resolution is adopted.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
7 at the request of the sponsors, the two
8 resolutions we just took up are open for
9 cosponsorship.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
11 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
12 you choose not to be a cosponsor of the
13 resolutions, please notify the desk.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we now take
16 up the calendar, please.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 18,
20 Senate Print 6939, by Senator Parker, an act to
21 amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
23 the last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
25 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
278
1 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
3 the roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
6 Announce the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
9 bill is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 62,
11 Senate Print 5517, by Senator Bailey, an act to
12 amend the Criminal Procedure Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
14 the last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect immediately.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
18 the roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
21 Announce the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
24 bill is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 86,
279
1 Assembly Number 8956, substituted earlier by
2 Assemblymember Lupardo, an act to amend the Tax
3 Law and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
5 the last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
7 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
8 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
10 the roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
13 Announce the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
15 Calendar Number 86, those Senators voting in the
16 negative are Senators Akshar, Amedore, Borrello,
17 Flanagan, Funke, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
18 Jacobs, Jordan, Lanza, LaValle, Little, O'Mara,
19 Ortt, Ranzenhofer, Ritchie, Robach, Serino,
20 Seward and Tedisco.
21 Ayes, 40. Nays, 21.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
23 bill is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 88,
25 Senate Print 7164, by Senator Mayer, an act to
280
1 amend a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
3 the last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
5 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
6 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
8 the roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
11 Announce the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
13 Calendar Number 88, voting in the negative:
14 Senator Akshar.
15 Ayes, 60. Nays, 1.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
17 bill is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 94,
19 Senate Print 7170, by Senator Brooks, an act to
20 amend the Military Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
22 the last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
25 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
281
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
2 the roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
5 Announce the results.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
8 bill is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 98,
10 Senate Print 7174, by Senator Persaud, an act to
11 amend the Social Services Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
13 the last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
16 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
18 the roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
21 Announce the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
23 Calendar Number 98, voting in the negative:
24 Senator Griffo.
25 Ayes, 60. Nays, 1.
282
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
2 bill is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 107, Senate Print 7183, by Senator Kaplan, an act
5 to amend the State Administrative Procedure Act.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
7 the last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
9 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
10 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
12 the roll.
13 (The Secretary called the roll.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
15 Announce the results.
16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
18 bill is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 108, Senate Print 7184, by Senator Gounardes, an
21 act to amend the Real Property Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
23 the last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
283
1 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
3 the roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
6 Announce the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
8 Calendar Number 108, those Senators voting in the
9 negative are Senators Flanagan and Gallivan.
10 Ayes, 59. Nays, 2.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
12 bill is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 118, Senate Print 7194, by Senator Benjamin, an
15 act to amend the Election Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
17 the last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect on the same date and in the
20 same manner as a chapter of the Laws of 2019.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
22 the roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
25 Announce the results.
284
1 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
2 Calendar Number 118, those Senators voting in the
3 negative are Senators Akshar, Amedore, Borrello,
4 Flanagan, Funke, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming,
5 Jacobs, Jordan, Lanza, LaValle, Little, O'Mara,
6 Ortt, Ranzenhofer, Ritchie, Robach, Serino,
7 Seward and Tedisco.
8 Ayes, 40. Nays, 21.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
10 bill is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 123, Senate Print 3012, by Senator Gaughran, an
13 act to amend the Navigation Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
15 the last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
17 act shall take effect immediately.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
19 the roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
22 Senator Akshar to explain his vote.
23 SENATOR AKSHAR: Mr. President,
24 thank you.
25 I'm always pleased and encouraged
285
1 when this house advances bills that of course
2 will help law enforcement and help our fire
3 departments, and I thank the sponsor for
4 advancing this piece of legislation.
5 I can't help but think,
6 Mr. President, though, another day has gone by
7 and I would describe it as another missed
8 opportunity. If my friends across the aisle want
9 to help law enforcement and they want to help the
10 fire department, I would suggest that they dig
11 deep and they find the political will to repeal
12 what has been a disastrous piece of legislation
13 by way of bail reform and discovery reform.
14 That is what the vast majority of
15 New Yorkers want us to do. I think that's
16 exactly what we should do. This house should, in
17 fact, repeal these particular pieces of
18 legislation.
19 I vote aye on this piece of
20 legislation. Thank you.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
22 Senator Akshar to be recorded in the affirmative.
23 Senator Gianaris.
24 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President, I
25 just want to remind my colleagues -- I'm happy to
286
1 let my colleague express his opinion on the vote,
2 and I didn't interrupt him. But going forward,
3 let's try and keep our comments germane to the
4 bill that's before the house.
5 Thank you.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
7 Announce the results.
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
10 bill is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 130, Senate Print 4873A, by Senator Stavisky, an
13 act in relation to directing the Board of
14 Trustees of the State University of New York and
15 the City University of New York.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
17 the last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
21 the roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
24 Announce the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
287
1 Calendar Number 130, voting in the negative:
2 Senator Lanza.
3 Ayes, 60. Nays, 1.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
5 bill is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 132, Assembly Print 2405, substituted earlier by
8 Assemblymember Glick, an act to amend the
9 Education Law.
10 SENATOR GIANARIS: Lay it aside for
11 the day.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
13 bill will be laid aside for the day.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 154, Senate Print 1265, by Senator Gianaris, an
16 act to amend the State Administrative Procedure
17 Act.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
19 the last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
21 act shall take effect on the first of January.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
23 the roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
288
1 Announce the results.
2 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
4 bill is passed.
5 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
6 160, Senate Print 5509, by Senator Metzger, an
7 act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Lay it aside for
9 the day.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
11 bill will be laid aside for the day.
12 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
13 reading of today's calendar.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
15 further business at the desk?
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: There
17 is no further business at the desk.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: I move to
19 adjourn until tomorrow, Thursday, January 23rd,
20 at 11:00 a.m.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: On
22 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
23 Thursday, January 23rd, at 11:00 a.m.
24 (Whereupon, at 4:32 p.m., the Senate
25 adjourned.)