Regular Session - February 26, 2020
905
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 February 26, 2020
11 3:18 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR BRIAN A. BENJAMIN, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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21
22
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24
25
906
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise for the presentation of colors.
6 Color Guard, parade the colors.
7 (Whereupon, the 10th Mountain
8 Division Color Guard entered the chamber through
9 the rear doors and proceeded to the center of the
10 chamber, presenting the colors.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
12 Everyone present, please join us in the Pledge of
13 Allegiance.
14 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
15 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Color
17 Guard, retire the colors.
18 (Whereupon, the Color Guard lowered
19 the colors and marched to the rear doors, exiting
20 the chamber.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
22 Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel James Foster, the
23 Army Chaplain from the 10th Mountain Division,
24 will provide today's invocation.
25 CHAPLAIN FOSTER: Thank you for
907
1 joining me in prayer.
2 Almighty God, today as we come
3 together here and stop for just a moment, remind
4 us of who we are and from where we come. Help us
5 to remember that we are encouraged to give of
6 ourselves rather than take from those around us.
7 Especially for those of us in this
8 room, Father, who are called to serve rather than
9 to be served, may we ever be examples of the
10 virtues we hope are evident in the lives of those
11 we lead.
12 You are the very source of
13 righteousness and justice, and You give to us so
14 freely and graciously. So teach us through the
15 power of Your spirit to make wise decisions, to
16 love mercy, and to walk humbly before You and the
17 people we are blessed to defend in word and deed.
18 And now may the peace that passes
19 all understanding be ours as You guide our hearts
20 and minds. In that precious holy name I pray,
21 amen.
22 (Response of "Amen.")
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
24 reading of the Journal.
25 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Tuesday,
908
1 February 25, 2020, the Senate met pursuant to
2 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, February 24,
3 2020, was read and approved. On motion, Senate
4 adjourned.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Without
6 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
7 Presentation of petitions.
8 Messages from the Assembly.
9 The Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Senator Benjamin
11 moves to discharge, from the Committee on
12 Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs,
13 Assembly Bill Number 8094A and substitute it for
14 the identical Senate Bill 6706A, Third Reading
15 Calendar 400.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
17 substitution is so ordered.
18 THE SECRETARY: Senator Hoylman
19 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Health,
20 Assembly Bill Number 9530 and substitute it for
21 the identical Senate Bill 7304, Third Reading
22 Calendar 423.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
24 substitution is so ordered.
25 THE SECRETARY: Senator Kennedy
909
1 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Health,
2 Assembly Bill Number 7915A and substitute it for
3 the identical Senate Bill 7318, Third Reading
4 Calendar 424.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
6 substitution is so ordered.
7 Messages from the Governor.
8 Reports of standing committees.
9 Reports of select committees.
10 Communications and reports from
11 state officers.
12 Motions and resolutions.
13 Senator Gianaris.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
15 Mr. President.
16 At this time can we please take up
17 previously adopted Resolution 2869, by Senator
18 Brooks, have that resolution read in its
19 entirety, and recognize Leader Stewart-Cousins on
20 the resolution.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
22 Secretary will read.
23 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
24 2869, by Senator Brooks, memorializing Governor
25 Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 26, 2020, as
910
1 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Day in the
2 State of New York.
3 "WHEREAS, Fort Drum is located in
4 Jefferson County, in Northern New York, and is
5 the largest military installation in the
6 Northeastern United States; and
7 "WHEREAS, Fort Drum, previously
8 known as Pine Camp, was renamed in honor of
9 Lieutenant General Hugh Drum, a decorated
10 national hero, former commander of First Army,
11 and an early leader of the state's own volunteer
12 militia, the New York Guard; and
13 "WHEREAS, For more than three
14 decades, Fort Drum has been the home of the
15 United States Army's storied 10th Mountain
16 Division, one of the most deployed divisions in
17 the United States Army; and
18 "WHEREAS, Members of the 10th
19 Mountain Division have served our nation with
20 honor, distinction and great sacrifice as a part
21 of Operation Enduring Freedom and other actions
22 central to our nation's response to the terrorist
23 attacks of September 11, 2001; and
24 "WHEREAS, Elements of the
25 10th Mountain Division, based on Fort Drum, were
911
1 the first to be deployed in the aftermath of
2 those attacks and the last units to return from
3 combat duty; and
4 "WHEREAS, In addition to Operation
5 Enduring Freedom, 10th Mountain Division
6 deployments have included Hurricane Andrew Relief
7 in Florida, Operation Restore Hope in Somalia,
8 Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, Task Force
9 Eagle in Kosovo, Operation Iraqi Freedom,
10 Operation Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan, and
11 advise-and-assist operations throughout the
12 world; and
13 "WHEREAS, More than 300 brave men
14 and women of the 10th Mountain Division, based on
15 Fort Drum, have selflessly made the ultimate
16 sacrifice while dedicating themselves to the
17 cause of defeating global terrorism; and
18 "WHEREAS, Distinguished service of
19 units assigned to Fort Drum has been celebrated
20 by presidents, members of Congress, and members
21 of the international community; and
22 "WHEREAS, Four heroes serving with
23 the 10th Mountain Division, Private First Class
24 John D. Magrath, Sergeant First Class Jared C.
25 Monti, Captain William D. Swenson, and Staff
912
1 Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, have received our
2 military's highest honor, the Medal of Honor; and
3 "WHEREAS, In addition to its vital
4 role in our nation's defense, Fort Drum is also
5 the largest employer in Northern New York, the
6 state's largest single-site employer, and an
7 economic engine for the state and region, with a
8 total impact of $1.9 billion; and
9 "WHEREAS, Between the Fort Drum and
10 civilian communities exists a special bond and
11 the 33,000 soldiers and family members of the
12 installation are an integral part of the
13 North Country who not only are considered
14 defenders of our freedom, but also our neighbors,
15 coworkers, classmates, friends and fellow
16 New Yorkers; and
17 "WHEREAS, It is the sense of this
18 Legislative Body to salute the soldiers and
19 officers of the 10th Mountain Division, to honor
20 their dedication to preserving our freedom and
21 our nation, and to recognize their individual and
22 collective contributions to our communities and
23 New York State; and
24 "WHEREAS, For the past nine years,
25 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Day has
913
1 served to educate members of this Legislative
2 Body about the sacrifices made every day by the
3 brave men and women of our armed forces, as well
4 as the importance of Fort Drum to our nation's
5 defense and New York's economy; and
6 "WHEREAS, Fort Drum has and will
7 continue to play a critical role in ensuring our
8 nation's military readiness to defend our state
9 and nation against hostility and threats to our
10 safety and national security; now, therefore, be
11 it
12 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
13 Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
14 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 26,
15 2020, as 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Day
16 in the State of New York; and be it further
17 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
18 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
19 Major General Brian J. Mennes, Commanding
20 General, 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum."
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Leader
22 Stewart-Cousins on the resolution.
23 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank
24 you, Mr. President.
25 And first I want to thank Senator
914
1 Brooks for this resolution -- Senator Brooks is
2 the chair of our Homeland Security and Veterans
3 Committee -- and just thank you for giving us an
4 opportunity to once again, in this ninth year, to
5 honor Fort Drum and the incredible servicemen and
6 women who continue to bring us such great pride
7 and such great strength.
8 I want to particularly thank
9 Major General Brian Mennes, who I had the
10 opportunity to meet last year, and we talked a
11 lot about just our roles and such great respect
12 for this body, for being able to carry out what
13 it is we believe that we are doing here. And to
14 have a mutual understanding of how our democracy
15 works and how it is protected by you and people
16 like you has just been an incredible privilege
17 for me.
18 This year, Major General Mennes is
19 joined by his wife Kellie, who -- we welcome you
20 as well, Kellie -- and also Sergeant Major Jason
21 Roark and his wife Deanna.
22 I especially wanted to tell people
23 that the major general is going to be deployed to
24 Afghanistan. He gave me his personal coin --
25 he's been all over, and I treasure that coin, I
915
1 will treasure it. And in April he'll be on his
2 way for an undetermined amount of time to
3 Afghanistan.
4 So once again, as we do what we do
5 here, we are cognizant of how you are protecting
6 our nation and our right to stand here and honor
7 you.
8 So thank you once again for gracing
9 us. We do a lot of things here, and as Majority
10 Leader for the past year and a half, this is the
11 second time I've had a chance to host you. And I
12 will say that it is one of the high privileges
13 that has come with this particular role.
14 I also want to thank Senator
15 Ritchie, because this is your district and -- you
16 know, in terms of helping us coordinate this day.
17 And of course all of the amenities
18 of the house are open to you, today and always.
19 And Godspeed, and thank you. Thank you for your
20 patriotism, for your dedication, and for your
21 love of country and your fellow man.
22 Thank you.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
24 Brooks on the resolution.
25 SENATOR BROOKS: Thank you,
916
1 Mr. President.
2 What we'd like to do a little bit
3 today is walk you through a little history of the
4 fort. I'm going to take it to a certain point of
5 time, and Senator Ritchie is going to take it up
6 to today.
7 The area surrounding Fort Drum has a
8 long history, military history in the
9 United States. During the Civil War and through
10 the early 1800s it served, with a number of forts
11 in the area, to protect the country from a
12 potential invasion from the British. As you
13 know, Canada is part of Britain. And back at the
14 American Revolution we were part of Britain too,
15 working our way through it.
16 As the base continued to be used,
17 the United States recognized that there was a
18 need for training troops to prepare for
19 activities out there. The post was expanded.
20 There was some property in the area selected to
21 serve in that training area. At the time the
22 property that was selected, the area became known
23 as -- I'm sorry -- Pine Camp. And from that
24 facility, there was a continuation of expansion
25 of the base with the objective of eventually
917
1 expanding the post.
2 Over a period of time, Fort Drum
3 continued to grow in its operation -- the
4 training that was being done, the types of troops
5 that were put in there. I had an opportunity in
6 my military service to serve at that camp from
7 1971 to 1976. I served as a medic in an armored
8 division in the National Guard. We were up there
9 each summer for two weeks for military maneuvers.
10 It was a very different post than it is today.
11 It was -- we spent most of our time
12 out in the fields on the maneuvers. If you know
13 anything about an armored division, it's a
14 dangerous unit to work with. Injuries are
15 common. Tanks and APCs are not too forgiving
16 when you fall or bang into them.
17 From a medical standpoint, you know,
18 I had an opportunity with the general today to
19 take a look at the bag of a medic assigned to the
20 post now, compared to what we had years ago. And
21 I thought back to a time -- unfortunately, when
22 we were down there during the summers, often
23 people got injured. And I recall a time when we
24 had a troop brought into the aid station that we
25 had who had had the hatch of a tank come down and
918
1 open up a pretty good wound in his head.
2 I was in the aid station with our
3 patrol leader, who was an outstanding medic who
4 served in World War II and served with General
5 Patton. And as we were looking at the individual
6 and assessing the injuries, it was clear the
7 individual was going to need stitches. And this
8 was back in the '70s, so we cleaned him up, we
9 numbed him up. He was quite nervous and upset.
10 We're out in the woods going to have his head
11 stitched.
12 And as I recall, I gave him four
13 stitches. He was nervous, and he says, "That was
14 pretty good." He says, "You do that a lot?" So
15 I looked and I said, "You're it," and he passed
16 out.
17 (Laughter.)
18 SENATOR BROOKS: So that told you
19 the way things were.
20 But today, as we went through the
21 equipment that the medics have today, and
22 understanding the changes in the post and the
23 fort that's there today, just how far our
24 military has gone in the operation that we have
25 here. Just how prepared our units are. And the
919
1 general pointed out the one thing the Army has
2 always been is out front when it came to medical
3 care.
4 Recognize that we're preparing
5 generally, with medics, for a combat situation,
6 when you're going to see significant wounds and
7 you have limited time to address those wounds.
8 In the time that I was trained down in Texas,
9 that was during the height of the Vietnam War.
10 And the training we gave then or we got then was
11 the best you could have. And you were trained to
12 deal with horrific incidents.
13 What I saw today in the bag of the
14 medic is just how far the Army has come, the
15 advancements that they have made. And I think
16 the fort itself today reflects that advancement.
17 So Senator Ritchie is going to take
18 you through the rest of the way. I left the fort
19 for the last time in 1976, and Patty's going to
20 take it the rest of the way to today.
21 Thank you.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
23 Ritchie on the resolution.
24 SENATOR RITCHIE: Thank you,
25 Mr. President.
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1 It's my honor to stand and recognize
2 Major General Mennes and the soldiers and
3 officers of the 10th Mountain Division in
4 Fort Drum, which is located in my district in
5 Northern New York.
6 Our 10th Mountain Division is
7 America's front line in the battle to protect our
8 freedom. The most deployed division in the U.S.
9 Army over the past two decades, these men and
10 women are the best trained and the best
11 motivated, always ready to go where our country
12 needs them.
13 I know it's not always common for
14 many to see men and women in uniform living in
15 their communities, as I do back home. So I'm
16 pleased to have the opportunity each year to
17 share these soldiers with all of you and help
18 tell their story.
19 If Fort Drum were a city, it would
20 be the seventh largest in our state, ranked just
21 after Albany, contributing more than 1.4 billion
22 to our local and regional state economy. But
23 Fort Drum is not a city. Unique among military
24 installations across the country, Fort Drum was
25 designed to be closely integrated into our
921
1 community. Soldiers and their families use our
2 schools, our hospitals, our parks, our shopping
3 centers, and our restaurants. And the federal
4 and state investments in Fort Drum help sustain
5 and improve these services and facilities and
6 improve the quality of life for everyone who
7 lives in the North Country.
8 The Army calls Fort Drum its
9 best-kept secret. Fort Drum Day helps us shine a
10 light on this remarkable place and also the
11 remarkable men and women who serve there, like
12 Major General Mennes. A native New Yorker from
13 Amherst, General Mennes' service has taken him
14 from West Point to Panama, Korea, Afghanistan and
15 Iraq.
16 General, we are proud and grateful
17 for your service and we are proud and grateful
18 for the service of all our soldiers who are here
19 today.
20 I would also like to take a moment
21 to acknowledge the general's high school
22 sweetheart is here, his wife Kellie. Thank you
23 for your sacrifice as well.
24 We also have several native
25 New Yorkers who are in the gallery: Captain Sean
922
1 Lewandowski, from Syracuse; Corporal John Cooper,
2 from Wheatfield; and I have to give a special
3 shout out to my own soldier from Fulton,
4 New York, Captain Trevor Trovato. He's from
5 Fulton, though Senator Gallivan and I have been
6 fighting over you, because his wife was from his
7 district. So we're going to share you, we
8 agreed.
9 (Laughter.)
10 SENATOR RITCHIE: I'd like to take
11 a moment to recognize one other soldier with us,
12 Command Sergeant Major Roark, who is the highest
13 ranking enlisted soldier at Fort Drum and has
14 been our guest at Fort Drum Day for the last
15 several years.
16 The command sergeant major is
17 leaving the post in a few short weeks for his
18 next assignment, and I want to wish you and your
19 wife Deanna Godspeed and best of luck.
20 In closing, I want to say thank you
21 to Senator Brooks for cohosting Fort Drum with
22 me. He has been a great partner, and it's been a
23 pleasure to work with you on planning this day.
24 And I also want to thank Leader
25 Stewart-Cousins for continuing this tradition and
923
1 allowing us to bring these amazing soldiers and
2 their families here.
3 Thank you, Mr. President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
5 Senators and ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor
6 to introduce to you the Commanding General of the
7 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, Major
8 General Brian Mennes.
9 (Standing ovation.)
10 MAJOR GENERAL MENNES: Thank you.
11 Really, thank you for this warm welcome, this
12 opportunity annually to, as much as anything, I
13 think, celebrate this great democracy.
14 You know, both Senators Brooks and
15 Ritchie, you know, I know there's no one that I
16 know that loves soldiers more than me -- except
17 for maybe Senator Ritchie and people like you.
18 Also, you know, Leader
19 Stewart-Cousins, you're gracious, you're kind. I
20 really -- I know how busy you are, I appreciate
21 the time, the visit with you. Leader Flanagan,
22 it's just awesome to be in your presence.
23 I like studying what you do,
24 frankly, because I think it's important that
25 Americans understand how our civics work. But,
924
1 you know, I'm just overly impressed with
2 America's ability to still subordinate guys like
3 me to you so that we're doing your bidding.
4 I want to recognize those heroes
5 like Ortt and Sanders and Blankenbush and Walczyk
6 also have served, so I really recognize all the
7 service that's been provided from them.
8 It was really cool, I always -- as I
9 talk to my soldiers about what's good in life
10 and, you know, accolades you receive -- you know,
11 the Sergeant Major and I were talking about it
12 fairly recently. I told a subordinate that
13 probably the best thing that's ever happened to
14 me is someone sort of just outside my earshot
15 said, Yeah, Mennes, he's a good dude.
16 (Laughter.)
17 MAJOR GENERAL MENNES: I think
18 that's really, really powerful. Well, again, Rob
19 Ortt, Cooper's father said that you're a good
20 dude.
21 (Laughter.)
22 MAJOR GENERAL MENNES: So that's
23 really powerful. So thanks for what you do. And
24 that was high praise, I think, so good on you
25 also.
925
1 You know, I'm really tickled pink to
2 get a chance to know, you know, Senator Higgins.
3 And so the New York, the Buffalo folks here, you
4 know, we talk about the Sabres and the Bills.
5 You can't do that with a smile on your face too
6 often, so when you talk about the Sabres and
7 Bills with company, it's fun to do.
8 But really, I'm impressed by your
9 show of affection for us. I think that's really
10 important. You know, with that great history we
11 have of being, you know, New York's division, you
12 know, we're one of 10 in your Army. Which is by
13 far, you know, a very narrow, maybe, perspective.
14 But, you know, the best fighting force the
15 globe's ever seen, and one of our divisions is in
16 this state.
17 And I think that's really important,
18 that history that we heard discussed of why it's
19 here. The state sold out, you know, eminent
20 domain, we took back some space from folks, tried
21 to gingerly move them out. But we've been
22 training up there. There are 19,500 of us there.
23 There's 27,000 family members. We employ 2500
24 civilians. So, you know, that city is very
25 vibrant.
926
1 We, as Senator Ritchie said, you
2 know, have been the most deployed division in the
3 Army. We certainly think that because of that,
4 it's a great place to come if you want to, you
5 know, be on the cutting edge of defending your
6 country. But we know it comes with a lot of
7 personal turbulence and optempo. This unit's
8 been deployed 12 times to Iraq, 34 times to
9 Afghanistan. Just had a unit come back from
10 Europe this week. I've got folks in Syria,
11 Bosnia, Iraq -- you know, I'm just in my head of
12 where everybody is right now.
13 Our aviation brigade deployed this
14 year, they're in about Month 5. They support
15 activities in Afghanistan, Darrell Doremus and
16 his great team. If there's anything still
17 dangerous in Afghanistan -- I just got back from
18 there with Sergeant Major Roark a couple of weeks
19 ago. If there's anything still dangerous, it's
20 flying helicopters. You know, guys getting shot
21 at daily.
22 And I -- I think -- I'm not -- I'm
23 always mixed on whether, you know, America is
24 paying attention to that. You know, I lost a --
25 we lost a kid -- a soldier, excuse me, two weeks
927
1 ago. And it sort of just happens and, you know,
2 we don't -- you know, because you guys are
3 supporting us so well, we're going to support
4 those families as best we can and care for his
5 friends. But I'm mixed on whether, you know,
6 it's a good thing that we're out there doing our
7 business and, you know, we're just getting after
8 it without a lot of fanfare.
9 I think it's actually a fairly good
10 thing that you trust us to get after it, that if
11 we do lose a soldier, you know, you're expecting
12 that hopefully Jason, Avat and I have done
13 everything we can to make sure that didn't
14 happen.
15 But I want you to know that your
16 friends and cousins and loved ones are still out
17 there taking risks on behalf of us. What I owe
18 you is making sure that risk is well measured and
19 that the people are well led. But Sergeant Major
20 brought it to my attention that that optempo is
21 not only when we're deployed, it's when we're
22 home.
23 So Jason and I were out last night,
24 I left the field in sort of tough conditions.
25 Believe it or not, it's even warm, but when it's
928
1 warm, I got water on the ground so my guys -- we
2 know, we had a guy with wet feet that probably
3 shouldn't have yesterday.
4 So I've got 4,000 people out there
5 right now learning to fight. And that's away
6 from home. And they're -- they're -- you know,
7 they're sleeping very seldomly and they're
8 fighting cold and we've got people trying to hunt
9 them. And so they've got to bond with their
10 friends and they've got to grow as people. And
11 that is really important, but that's hard work.
12 So not only do the soldiers, you
13 know, pay a burden on their personal time, like
14 these cats up here who are all -- three of the
15 four are leaving for Afghanistan like in a
16 week and a half, right? You know, they had to
17 train a lot to get there. So nights away from
18 home, countless nights away from dinner and
19 nights away from baseball games with your --
20 watching your kids are numerous.
21 Our First Brigade, Sergeant Major
22 again recognized, you know, some significance.
23 Yesterday we rolled up their colors -- which I
24 really love in this building, you've got a great
25 display of regimental colors that are there. And
929
1 traditionally when a regiment stands down because
2 we've used them, and back to the day when we were
3 volunteers, we'd case those colors and we'd put
4 them away hoping we'd never use them again.
5 Because using them meant you had to go fight
6 somebody.
7 Well, we still carry on that
8 tradition. We just cased colors from our First
9 Brigade, and they'll uncase them in Afghanistan.
10 But that was America's first brigade in combat,
11 the first brigade in combat in 2001.
12 And, you know, he brought that to
13 our attention, those young people, many of whom
14 have not been deployed -- as a matter of fact, a
15 great majority of them had not been deployed.
16 You know, the significance of that, where as I
17 discussed further, that's just the business of
18 your American Army today.
19 So with that, you know, I boast --
20 and Sergeant Major and I debate about this all
21 the time, who has the best job in America? I'm
22 convinced it's me. And I'm in charge, so it is
23 me.
24 (Laughter.)
25 MAJOR GENERAL MENNES: But we
930
1 debate that because we get to work with America's
2 treasures, your kids. And despite all that
3 optempo, I was talking to folks today, we try
4 desperately to make being in your Army a great
5 place to grow as a person.
6 And hopefully you'll lead us with
7 better leadership skills and management skills,
8 grow -- you know, there's three things the
9 Sergeant Major and I ask of people, is to be
10 ridiculous at the skill that we trained you to
11 be, because that's important to be a great
12 teammate. To be really fit, because you've got
13 to be fit to play this combat sport that we're
14 in. And lastly, it's to grow as a person of
15 honor.
16 And we spend a lot of time on that
17 last piece, because we know how important it is
18 to that team and how important it is to you that
19 I help the person you send me become something
20 that he or she wants to be.
21 So we'll try desperately to do all
22 that. But I think what's really important is the
23 community that supports that. So all the
24 high-speed stuff that I'm talking about is better
25 enabled when I have great community to support my
931
1 families.
2 Those two spouses down there and the
3 spouses of other -- you know, these folks here,
4 are volunteers that work for us to help bond this
5 great network of community to my soldiers. And
6 so we can only get after and keep this Army
7 healthy with that high optempo if we have great
8 community support from my family and the kids
9 feel well cared for at home.
10 And that's a very significant part
11 of what you guys do. Our North Country, we boast
12 on them, they're recognized as the -- you know,
13 one of the best communities in America. The
14 title officially is, you know, they're the 2019
15 Great American Defense Community. There's only
16 five in the country. We're one of them. And so
17 it's representative of what your care, extended
18 through them, provides us.
19 So lastly, you know, I just want to
20 say thanks. I work with an amazing number of
21 awesome people, some of them New Yorkers. I've
22 got a Specialist Humbert {ph} from Rose,
23 New York. He's a 21-year-old that just joined us
24 fairly recently. Great high school person. He's
25 one of our guys who works in my logistics
932
1 elements. But this cat, you know, he works hard
2 all week and he goes home and he volunteers with
3 the community. He's had -- I mean, they told me
4 the other day, 700 hours as a volunteer
5 firefighter with the local fire department. And
6 he has great joy -- when I ask him why he does
7 it, he goes, "Hey, sir, they support us. I got
8 time, I want to support them."
9 And, you know, again, I think it's
10 the extension of the love that you guys, you
11 know, send through you to our community that I
12 think helps enable that. So I really want to
13 thank you personally. It makes my job not only
14 easier, if that's possible, but also enjoyable.
15 And so again, we really thank you
16 for what you do. We thank you for all the
17 support. We thank you for contributing to the
18 health of this great nation. There's no other
19 spot on the earth that any of us would rather
20 live, right?
21 And despite our differences, I'm
22 always buoyed by the enthusiasm I see to support
23 this nation's flag and all it means. So thank
24 you for that.
25 And again, thank you for our
933
1 opportunity here. God bless you, this great
2 nation, and your United States Army.
3 Thank you very much.
4 (Extended standing ovation.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
6 Ortt on the resolution.
7 SENATOR ORTT: Thank you,
8 Mr. President.
9 I will be -- I'll be brief. But I
10 wanted to certainly thank Leader Stewart-Cousins,
11 Minority Leader Flanagan. I want to thank my
12 colleague and chair of the Veterans Committee
13 here in the Senate, Senator Brooks, and of course
14 Senator Ritchie, who has hosted Fort Drum and who
15 has the privilege and honor of having many of
16 these folks as her constituents.
17 And that is a special privilege. We
18 all have special parts of our district. She gets
19 to call Fort Drum -- that's in her district.
20 That's pretty awesome. You can see why, you can
21 see why today. So today we'd all like to be
22 Patty Ritchie.
23 But, Mr. President, you know,
24 Senator Ritchie and Senator Brooks talked about
25 the history and the economic impact to New York
934
1 State and to your district. I want to focus on
2 the human capital that is at Fort Drum, the --
3 our most precious natural resource, which are the
4 people who wear the uniform.
5 And as the Command Sergeant Major
6 said earlier today, usually when people come to
7 the 10th Mountain, they do 36 months. And for
8 those 36 months, wherever they may be from, they
9 are New Yorkers. And for those 36 months that
10 they are here, let's call it what it is, they are
11 here training to go and fight America's enemies.
12 And when they're not training, they're actually
13 fighting America's enemies. Those are the two
14 things you do when you're part of the
15 10th Mountain. And for those 36 months, we call
16 them New Yorkers and they call New York home.
17 But I could not be more proud -- you
18 heard the General speak. He's a native
19 New Yorker. He's from Amherst, New York, just
20 outside my district and Senator Ranzenhofer's
21 district. Hearing him speak and hearing his
22 bio -- and for those that don't know, you see on
23 his chest he's got a lot of what to civilians
24 might look like fancy decorations. But I can
25 tell you, all those things mean something. And
935
1 to someone who's served, it means that he knows
2 what the hell he's talking about. And it means
3 that anything he asks of his soldiers, he has
4 done himself, and maybe done more. And probably
5 done better.
6 And so I could not be more proud,
7 not only that he's leading the 10th Mountain but
8 that he is a native New Yorker and that he is
9 leading our most precious resource. That's a
10 major general. You can see why there's not a lot
11 of major generals, because when you're going up
12 against a General Mennes to get the spot, there's
13 probably not anyone better.
14 And so, General, we're certainly
15 honored to have you here again. We're honored to
16 have you leading the best America has to offer.
17 The Command Sergeant Major, I want
18 to thank him as well. As the General knows,
19 every good officer knows, you listen to your
20 sergeants, listen to your noncommissioned
21 officers, and you'll be all right. I have no
22 doubt the General listens to the CSM and has
23 hopefully most of the time, CSM -- maybe not all
24 the time but most of the time.
25 And they're both here with their
936
1 wives because, as anyone who's ever served knows,
2 you don't do it alone. You know, when you deploy
3 multiple times, your wife or your family deploys
4 with you.
5 And so I want to thank them for
6 their support of these brave soldiers and for
7 their support of the spouses of the soldiers that
8 they lead, through the family readiness group and
9 through other volunteer organizations on
10 Fort Drum.
11 And I will just sum up by saying
12 that a couple of days from now, some of the
13 soldiers who are here today will be in harm's
14 way. And I think that contrast is so -- so
15 unbelievably humbling for all of us that, you
16 know, they were out there in the cozy confines of
17 the Concourse today and they were showing people
18 their gear and some of their weapons systems, and
19 it seemed pretty cool. Right? It was pretty
20 neat. And most of them -- not all of them, but
21 most of them probably couldn't have been more
22 than 23 years old.
23 And it struck me a couple of days
24 from now they're going to be in Afghanistan and
25 they're going to be fighting America's enemies.
937
1 And it struck me that the greatest fighting force
2 in the world is largely comprised of people who
3 we would otherwise call kids. But don't let
4 those smiles fool you. Don't let the acne fool
5 you. Those kids are the best warriors in the
6 world, because they're trained at places like
7 Fort Drum to be the best in the world. Because
8 they serve under men like General Mennes and
9 Command Sergeant Major Schultz, to be the best in
10 the world.
11 So thank you very much for what you
12 do. I want to give a shout out to the soldiers
13 who are in the gallery. Corporal Cooper, who I
14 know is here from Wheatfield, in Niagara County,
15 he is a sniper. I know some of you are thinking
16 there must be something about snipers in Niagara
17 County.
18 (Laughter.)
19 SENATOR ORTT: Sometimes I snipe in
20 this chamber a little bit, right? But that's a
21 different type of sniping.
22 But Corporal Cooper has gone through
23 sniper school. He has been trained to be a
24 sniper. That is a dangerous mission. And he'll
25 be in Afghanistan bringing all those skills to
938
1 bear on behalf of democracy, on behalf of
2 freedom, on behalf of liberty -- not only for us,
3 but liberty and freedom for people in
4 Afghanistan, people who otherwise have had not a
5 lot of experience with things that we take for
6 granted here.
7 We debate a lot of issues here on
8 this floor. The men and women in that gallery
9 and the men and women who you met today, they're
10 going to go make it a reality. They're the ones
11 who make it real because they're willing to put
12 their lives on the line for it. And for that we
13 should all be grateful. I know we all are
14 grateful.
15 So, Mr. President, thank you for
16 your indulgence.
17 God bless you, and God bless the
18 United States Army.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
20 Senator Akshar on the resolution.
21 SENATOR AKSHAR: Mr. President,
22 thank you.
23 I just want to take a moment, if I
24 may, to welcome the General and the Sergeant
25 Major and their wives and all their staffs here
939
1 to what is really a beautiful chamber. It's your
2 house. It's certainly not ours, it's the people
3 of this great state.
4 I was reminded today of just how
5 great America is. I really -- I really was. And
6 America is great not because of its elected
7 officials, not because of its sports figures, not
8 because of the singers or the actors -- it's
9 because of the men and women of our military.
10 That's why America is so great. And I can tell
11 you unequivocally I've never, ever been prouder
12 to be an American.
13 General, you said you wondered if
14 America was watching, if America was paying
15 attention. I promise you, she is watching and
16 she is proud as hell of the work that you, your
17 staff, and the folks at Fort Drum are doing.
18 Thank you, Senator Brooks, of
19 course, for the resolution.
20 I do want to take a moment, though,
21 and thank our colleague Senator Ritchie. Your
22 passion and your love for Fort Drum and for the
23 10th Mountain Division is unparalleled.
24 Nobody -- nobody could match that.
25 And General, I am telling you
940
1 Senator Ritchie would walk through hell with a
2 smile on her face to protect the people of the
3 10th Mountain Division. You are incredibly lucky
4 to have her representing Fort Drum and the 10th
5 Mountain.
6 Mr. President, my prayer, of course,
7 is that God will keep a watchful eye and keep His
8 mighty and powerful hands on not only you,
9 General, and your staff, but the young men and
10 women who go into harm's way to keep America
11 great.
12 Mr. President, thank you.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
14 Senator Helming on the resolution.
15 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 I rise today in support of this
18 resolution. But more importantly, I rise to
19 express my appreciation on behalf of the people
20 of the 54th Senate District to all of those great
21 folks, the soldiers and all of the servicemembers
22 from Fort Drum and beyond.
23 General, I can't thank you enough
24 for your tremendous service to this great country
25 of ours and for your phenomenal leadership. From
941
1 the bottom of my heart, I thank you for
2 everything you've done.
3 To your beautiful wife, thank you
4 for being there. As a member of a military
5 family, I can't say that I know that the
6 sacrifices that you've made; I know only a small
7 portion of them. But thank you for being there,
8 for supporting not only your husband but all of
9 those at Fort Drum.
10 And to the Command Sergeant Major,
11 thank you for your service as well, and your
12 leadership. And to your wife, thank you for
13 being there. I wish you both a beautiful,
14 beautiful retirement.
15 To our soldiers who are here with us
16 today, thank you for your service. I wish you
17 all of the best in your future endeavors. I
18 wanted to give a special mention to PFC Jackson
19 Lamme. It was great to see you today. I look
20 forward to seeing you back in Canandaigua. In
21 the meantime, much success to you, and climb to
22 glory, sir.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
25 Ranzenhofer on the resolution.
942
1 SENATOR RANZENHOFER: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 I'd also like to share a few
4 thoughts on today and this very special day.
5 And thank you to Senator Brooks for
6 the resolution. And I was interested to hear
7 that you in a prior life spent some time at
8 Fort Drum when you were in the service. My
9 father spent some time at Fort Drum when he was
10 in the Reserves. I shared that with the General
11 today. He was not quite cut out for the
12 military, but we'll leave that for another story.
13 But for years I would sit in this
14 chamber and I would listen to other members stand
15 up and talk about the men or the women that they
16 had from their district that were here for
17 Fort Drum Day.
18 And I wanted to digress for a
19 second, because we heard how long Fort Drum has
20 been around, but we didn't have a Fort Drum Day
21 until Senator Ritchie introduced that when she
22 came to the chamber. And I just think it's so
23 very, very important that we have this very
24 special day for the men and women that serve our
25 nation and reside at Fort Drum.
943
1 Fort Drum courses through the veins
2 of Senator Ritchie. I mean, this is a day when
3 we -- which is spectacular and we're celebrating.
4 But I -- in getting to know Senator Ritchie, it's
5 365 days a year. This is her life, this is her
6 community. And thank you very much for bringing
7 it to a culmination today.
8 So back to the point where I would
9 listen to my fellow Senators stand up and talk
10 about members from their community that were here
11 and were visiting with us. Last year I was
12 advised that, well, after eight years, there was
13 finally somebody from my district, from my
14 hometown that was here. So I was getting very
15 excited to meet the young soldier who was going
16 to be spending the day with us, and I found out
17 that that young soldier was General Brian Mennes.
18 (Laughter.)
19 SENATOR RANZENHOFER: So I felt
20 very honored that I went right to the top, we
21 have the top guy from my district here. And in
22 meeting Brian last year and meeting Brian and
23 talking to Kellie earlier today at the luncheon,
24 when his reference -- we were talking about the
25 Bills and the Sabres. Some of it was
944
1 commiserating because the Sabres are not really
2 doing so well, but we still enjoyed talking about
3 it.
4 And the thing that I was struck in
5 talking with the General and his wife is -- and
6 you could hear it in the speech when, you know,
7 he talked to us a little bit earlier, is -- and
8 the men in the gallery, you know, I hope you can
9 appreciate that -- but the emotion and the
10 caring, as if he feels personally responsible for
11 each and every serviceman and -woman under his
12 command.
13 And this is not, you know, one of
14 thousands, but every single individual is a human
15 being, and he is deeply concerned and deeply,
16 deeply cares, not about -- well, yes, about the
17 whole global mission, but the safety and the
18 security of each person and how it -- and their
19 mental health and their family and to make sure
20 that things are okay.
21 And I think that's where the "good
22 dude" comes in that, yes, this guy -- this guy
23 really cares about the men and women under his
24 command.
25 So with a little bit of bragging
945
1 rights and pride, I do want to mention that both
2 Brian and Kellie hail from the Town of Amherst.
3 They went to Sweet Home High School, one of the
4 high schools in my community, home of the
5 Panthers. And their families still reside there,
6 they go back and visit occasionally.
7 But I am so very proud to share and
8 to be part of this day. This will be my last
9 Fort Drum Day, so I'm very appreciative of
10 Senator Ritchie and Senator Brooks for continuing
11 this tradition. This is an important tradition,
12 one which we should all honor, respect, and
13 continue.
14 So thank you very much for allowing
15 me to share a couple of my thoughts with my
16 colleagues today.
17 Thank you, Mr. President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
19 Senator Sanders on the resolution.
20 SENATOR SANDERS: Thank you,
21 Mr. President.
22 I want to thank the sponsors,
23 Senator Brooks, Senator Ritchie.
24 But if you'll allow me,
25 Mr. President, I will say just a few words to our
946
1 guests. I'm going to tell you a Marine Corps
2 secret. Now, it is rumored there is a rivalry
3 between the Army and the Marine Corps. As both
4 of us know, as all of us know, there's no truth
5 to that whatsoever.
6 But I will tell you this. I will
7 say that in the Marine Corps, if we find
8 ourselves in places of difficulty and problems,
9 as we usually do, we look for organizations like
10 the 10th Mountain Division because we know that
11 they have incredible training, incredible
12 discipline, and they too believe in leaving
13 nobody behind.
14 So I am here to commend you for you,
15 Major General, and the Sergeant Major, for
16 keeping up a tradition that goes back to the
17 beginning of this nation. I'm here to tell my
18 other colleagues about a wall -- not so much a
19 wall being built on the border, but there is a
20 wall between America and those who want to do
21 harm to America. There is a wall. It's not made
22 of bricks and stone, it's made of quiet foxholes,
23 it's made of quiet places where no one is really
24 around, and it's very lonely on that wall often.
25 And it takes a certain type of
947
1 person to stand on that wall. And the reason
2 that they stand on the wall is so that we can
3 have meetings like this, so that we can have
4 conversations like this -- so that we can
5 disagree. So that we can have real loud, noisy
6 disagreements, as long as we remember that our
7 children are on a wall somewhere and they have
8 taken a position that anyone who wants to do
9 danger to America, anybody who wants to hurt this
10 country, has to come through them.
11 And that's the essence of all of
12 this, that a person is just going up there and
13 saying, You know what? I believe in it enough
14 that if anybody wants to do harm, they've got to
15 come through me first. And it's an individual
16 thing, because we don't so much -- maybe we do it
17 for God and country, but we certainly do it for
18 the units that we're in. We certainly don't
19 believe in letting down the units that we're in.
20 One of the greatest things would be to let down
21 our fellow out there -- nah, you can't come back
22 here if that's the case.
23 So I just wanted to stop and take a
24 moment to say that I understand and I really
25 appreciate what you're doing, and be aware that
948
1 now that I find myself in such a great place --
2 and it's a great place -- that I hold my
3 responsibility very high too, that we should have
4 vigorous conversations, vigorous debates --
5 especially if we talk about sending our children
6 into harm's way, let there be vigorous debates.
7 Because the closer you've been to war, the more
8 you want peace.
9 Those who have never been to war,
10 they -- you know, those are those guys. But,
11 but, but if the day comes when we need to, then
12 let's pursue it and win it. And thank God we
13 have groups like -- yes, I have to say it -- the
14 10th Mountain Division from the Army, and the
15 Marine Corps and other great groups, to ensure
16 that we can have these conversations. So we need
17 to have a Marine Corps Day up here.
18 (Laughter.)
19 SENATOR SANDERS: But until we have
20 that day, thank God we have the 10th Mountain
21 Division and the good people, men and women, and
22 their wives and their spouses, who uphold the
23 traditions of America. Thank God for all of you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
25 Senator Gounardes on the resolution.
949
1 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
2 Mr. President.
3 I rise and hearing the comments of
4 our colleagues, you know, the district that I
5 represent in southern Brooklyn does not have a
6 direct connection to Fort Drum or to the
7 individuals who are here today, but I do
8 represent the only active duty military
9 installation in the City of New York and that is
10 Fort Hamilton Army Base. And I represent a very
11 large VA hospital as well, just off the Army
12 base's campus.
13 And one of our colleagues spoke
14 earlier about the fact that our soldiers who are
15 garrisoned at these installations, Fort Drum and
16 elsewhere, you're not just there as a soldier,
17 you're there as a part of the community. And I
18 can speak firsthand to that community-building
19 aspect that my garrison in my district,
20 Fort Hamilton Army Base, plays in our
21 neighborhood. They open their doors constantly
22 to the community, hosting events, building a
23 relationship with the people that they are there
24 to protect. And it is a relationship that I
25 value very deeply.
950
1 And so on behalf of my constituents
2 and the Army base and the garrison that I
3 represent -- and I'll take the liberty and say
4 Colonel Zieseniss, who's the commanding officer
5 of Fort Hamilton Army Garrison, I thank you for
6 being here, I thank you all for your service, I
7 thank you all for the courage to serve and
8 protect this nation, and I wish you all well, and
9 God bless you all.
10 Thank you.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
12 resolution was previously adopted on
13 February 25th.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 At this time can we move to
18 previously adopted Resolution 2592, by
19 Senator Martinez, read it in its entirety, and
20 recognize Senator Martinez.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
22 Secretary will read.
23 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
24 2592, by Senator Martinez, congratulating the
25 Brentwood Varsity Boys Soccer Team upon the
951
1 occasion of capturing the New York State Public
2 High School Athletic Association Class AA
3 Championship.
4 "WHEREAS, Individual and team
5 championships are highly sought after in high
6 school sports; this Legislative Body commends
7 rare athletic achievements and pays special
8 recognition to those who pursue such excellence
9 and become examples for the youth of this great
10 Empire State; and
11 "WHEREAS, Excellence and success in
12 competitive sports can be achieved only through
13 strenuous practice, team play and team spirit,
14 nurtured by dedicated coaching and strategic
15 planning; and
16 "WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is
17 justly proud to congratulate the Brentwood
18 Varsity Boys Soccer Team upon the occasion of
19 capturing the New York State Public High School
20 Athletic Association Class AA Championship on
21 Sunday, November 17, 2019, in Middletown,
22 New York; and
23 "WHEREAS, To the praise and
24 applause of their excited fans, the Indians were
25 able to surmount their opponents in the New York
952
1 State Championship Match and accomplish the
2 utmost high school sporting accomplishment in
3 this great Empire State; and
4 "WHEREAS, The athletic talent
5 displayed by this team is due in great part to
6 the efforts of Coach Ron Eden and his team of
7 outstanding assistant coaches, skilled and
8 inspirational tutors, respected for their ability
9 to develop potential into excellence; and
10 "WHEREAS, The Brentwood Varsity Boys
11 Soccer Team finished the season with a perfect
12 record of 22-0, and the team members were loyally
13 and enthusiastically supported by family, fans,
14 friends and the community at large; and
15 "WHEREAS, The hallmarks of the
16 Brentwood Varsity Boys Soccer Team, from the
17 opening game of the season to participation in
18 the championship, were a brotherhood of athletic
19 ability, of good sportsmanship, of honor and of
20 scholarship, demonstrating that these team
21 players are second to none; and
22 "WHEREAS, Athletically and
23 academically, the team members have proven
24 themselves to be an unbeatable combination of
25 talents, reflecting favorably on their school;
953
1 and
2 "WHEREAS, Coach Ron Eden and his
3 dedicated staff have done a superb job in
4 guiding, molding, and inspiring the team members
5 towards their goals; and
6 "WHEREAS, Sports competition
7 instills the values of teamwork, pride and
8 accomplishment, and Coach Ron Eden and the
9 outstanding athletes on the Brentwood Varsity
10 Boys Soccer Team have clearly made a contribution
11 to the spirit of excellence which is a tradition
12 of their school; now, therefore, be it
13 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative
14 Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate
15 the members of the Brentwood Varsity Boys Soccer
16 Team: Andy Acosta, David Akpan, Emerson Alfaro,
17 Cristian Alvarado, Christopher Amaya, Edgar
18 Argueta, Nathaniel Austin, Bryan Balcarcel, Aiden
19 Benitez, Bryan Caballero, Christopher Cerna,
20 Cesar Cruz, Enderson Duque, Hendry Escobar,
21 John Espinoza, Bruce Essuman, Alex Garcia,
22 Edwardo Guzman, Juan Gomez, Marlon Hernandez,
23 Chris Interiano, Jordan Julien, Elvis Lopez,
24 Marc Losse, Erick Maldonado, Carlos Martinez,
25 Brandon Mendez, Daniel Mendez, Anthony Molina,
954
1 Kelbis Moreno, Oscar Moreno, Remberto Ramirez,
2 Juan Ramirez, Odir Ramirez, Bryan Rivera, Mike
3 Trujillo, Joey Velasco, Sergio Ventura,
4 Adrian Vides, and Brandon Yanez, Head Coach Ron
5 Eden, and Assistant Coaches Victor Farfan,
6 Joel Iglesias, and Rich Castello; and be it
7 further
8 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
9 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
10 the players and coaches of the Brentwood Varsity
11 Boys Soccer Team."
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
13 Senator Martinez on the resolution.
14 SENATOR MARTINEZ: Thank you, and
15 good afternoon.
16 First of all, what a great day
17 today -- not only honoring community leaders, but
18 also our military men and women. Being a proud
19 aunt of a serviceman, it's great to see them
20 here.
21 And again, I just want to say thank
22 you for allowing me to rise today to recognize a
23 group of young individuals, young men, and these
24 are the boys of the Brentwood High School Soccer
25 Team, varsity, and we welcome them to our
955
1 Capitol.
2 Our Brentwood Indians, who are to
3 the left of me, they won last season 22 and 0,
4 winning the state championship, led by Coach Ron
5 Eden. But not only did they win the
6 championship, they were also ranked the
7 number-one public school in the nation for having
8 the best team. So that, to me, is so rewarding,
9 being a graduate of Brentwood myself.
10 But the team topped all public
11 schools nationally in the Soccer Institute of
12 Montverde Academy's Fab 50 rankings. The supreme
13 display of the athleticism, their teamwork and
14 dedication to their sport, and passion, has
15 allowed this team to be ranked number one in the
16 state for the second time. The last time that
17 they had this great honor was back in 2008.
18 Not only are they amazing students,
19 but they're also scholars who are going to great
20 schools here in the State of New York and beyond.
21 We are joined here today by their
22 principal, John Callan, who was my boss at one
23 point, as a principal, I was his assistant
24 principal. And we also have Kevin O'Reilly; he
25 is the athletic director of the Brentwood School
956
1 District.
2 And joining them are our captains of
3 the 2019 winners, and that's Alex Garcia, Anthony
4 Molina, Sergio Ventura, and Brandon Yanez. I
5 would love to congratulate them, and if you can
6 all join me in congratulating them and giving
7 them just the honor of being presented here
8 before us, I would really appreciate that.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: To our
10 guests, I welcome you on behalf of the Senate.
11 We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of
12 this house.
13 Please rise and be recognized.
14 (Standing ovation.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
16 resolution was previously adopted on
17 January 22nd.
18 Senator Gianaris.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 Next we have previously adopted
22 Resolution 2708, by Senator Thomas. Please read
23 its title only and recognize Senator Thomas on
24 the resolution.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
957
1 Secretary will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
3 2708, by Senator Thomas, commemorating the
4 200th Anniversary of the Independent Order of Odd
5 Fellows on April 26, 2019.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
7 Thomas on the resolution.
8 SENATOR THOMAS: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 I want to start out by saying
11 friendship, love and truth to all who are here
12 today. This is the ethics of one of the earliest
13 and oldest fraternities in the United States
14 today, the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows.
15 Odd Fellows are advocates of genuine
16 friendship, the strongest bond of a fraternity
17 that teaches goodwill and harmony. Odd
18 Fellows are enactors of love, the basis for all
19 life's ambitions, service to others, and family.
20 Odd Fellows are pursuers of truth,
21 the standard by which they value people and the
22 foundations of their fraternity.
23 And today I am proud to recognize
24 their 200th anniversary. Past members include
25 Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant,
958
1 prime ministers like Sir Winston Churchill, and
2 the former King of Sweden. And we have all of
3 you here as well.
4 (Laughter.)
5 SENATOR THOMAS: The Odd
6 Fellows are an international fraternal
7 organization with a storied history. Organized
8 Odd Fellowship emerged from 18th century England,
9 where the lodges were set up to protect and care
10 for their members and communities at a time when
11 there were still no social security systems,
12 national health insurance, service clubs or
13 modern-day charitable organizations.
14 Members then traveled to the
15 United States in the early 19th century, and
16 lodges were set up here.
17 For over 200 years, Odd Fellows
18 across our state and nation have dedicated
19 themselves to become better citizens by providing
20 hundreds of scholarships, supporting veterans
21 programs, the elderly and less fortunate.
22 Odd Fellows are welcoming of all
23 people regardless of their religion, race,
24 gender, sexual orientation and national origin.
25 Today approximately 600,000 members
959
1 belong to the 12,000 lodges in 26 countries,
2 including several locations here in New York
3 State.
4 We are joined by Odd Fellows from
5 East Meadow, Rockville Centre, Rochester,
6 Warwick, Buffalo and even Union City, New Jersey.
7 The 200 years of the Odd Fellow
8 existence have been a noble one, as it strived to
9 be the relief to those in need. And I hope that
10 in the years to come, they continue to uphold its
11 ethics and service of our communities.
12 Mr. President, please extend to the
13 Independent Order of the Odd Fellows all the
14 privileges of our house. Thank you.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: To our
16 guests, I welcome you on behalf of the Senate.
17 We extend to you all the privileges and
18 courtesies of this house.
19 Please rise and be recognized.
20 (Standing ovation.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
22 resolution was previously adopted on
23 February 4th.
24 Senator Gianaris.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
960
1 next we have previously adopted Resolution 2861,
2 by Senator Gounardes. Please read its title only
3 and recognize Senator Gounardes on the
4 resolution.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
6 Secretary will read.
7 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
8 2861, by Senator Gounardes, commending
9 Hunter College of the City University of New York
10 upon the occasion of celebrating its
11 150th Anniversary.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
13 Gounardes on the resolution.
14 SENATOR GOUNARDES: Thank you,
15 Mr. President.
16 I am proud to rise today and sponsor
17 this resolution commemorating the
18 150th anniversary of my alma mater,
19 Hunter College.
20 Hunter College was originally
21 founded as the Normal College of the City of
22 New York in 1870, by an act of the New York State
23 Legislature. It was founded as the nation's
24 first free teacher's college, and at that time it
25 was an all-female institution designed to be a
961
1 counterpart to the all-male City College, which
2 had been founded 23 years earlier.
3 In 1914, Normal College was renamed
4 Hunter College after the institution's first
5 president, Thomas Hunter, who led the college for
6 37 years.
7 For 150 years, Hunter College has
8 invited students to challenge their intellect and
9 to broaden their horizons, to realize their power
10 and activate their passion to change the world.
11 That was true for alumnae like Rosalyn Sussman
12 Yalow and Gertrude B. Elion, who both became
13 Nobel Prize Laureates for their groundbreaking
14 scientific achievements in medicine. That was
15 also true for alumna Antonia Pantoja, civil
16 rights leader and recipient of the Presidential
17 Medal of Freedom and founder of Boricua College.
18 That was true for the path-breaking Congresswoman
19 Bella Abzug and for countless other alumni who
20 went on to become Pulitzer Prize winners,
21 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners, Nobel
22 Medal of Science winners, Nobel Laureates,
23 elected leaders, and so on and on and on.
24 And for those of you that have heard
25 me sing karaoke, you know that my favorite song
962
1 is by none other than Hunter College's most
2 famous musical performer, Bobby Darin, and of
3 course I'm referring to "Mack the Knife."
4 (Laughter.)
5 SENATOR GOUNARDES: The motto of
6 Hunter College is "Mihi Cura Futuri": The Care
7 of the Future is Mine. That can be said of
8 Hunter College as an institution, as it
9 perpetually graduates thousands and tens of
10 thousands and hundreds of thousands of young
11 leaders who are prepared to take on the world and
12 leave it for the better.
13 But that motto can also be said true
14 of each of Hunter College's graduates. Hunter's
15 alumni leave the college armed with the
16 knowledge, values and integrity to understand
17 that they have an obligation as, a citizen of
18 their city, their nation and their world, to
19 leave the world better than they found it.
20 As a graduate of Hunter College,
21 part of the City University of New York, I
22 proudly vote aye for this resolution.
23 Thank you.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
25 Stavisky on the resolution.
963
1 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yes, thank you.
2 Thank you, Senator Gounardes, for
3 introducing it. I too attended Hunter College
4 Graduate School. Half of my graduate credits are
5 from Hunter.
6 And I just want to remind everybody
7 that Hunter has the 150-year tradition of
8 providing affordable, accessible education,
9 high-quality education. And it is our hope that
10 they will continue for many years to come, and we
11 will continue our investment in the City
12 University of New York because of all of the
13 reasons that were outlined here in the
14 resolution.
15 Thank you, Mr. President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
17 resolution was previously adopted on
18 February 25th.
19 Senator Gianaris.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
21 all of the resolutions we took up today,
22 including the one for Normal College and the
23 Odd Fellows, are open for cosponsorship.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
25 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
964
1 you choose not to be a cosponsor of the
2 resolutions, please notify the desk.
3 Senator Gianaris.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Can we please
5 take up the reading of the calendar.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
7 Secretary will read.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 126, Senate Print 2570, by Senator Bailey, an act
10 to amend the Real Property Tax Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect on the first of January.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
19 the results.
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
22 is passed.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 127, Senate Print 2930A, by Senator Brooks, an
25 act to amend the Real Property Tax Law.
965
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
4 act shall take effect on the second day of
5 January.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 247, Senate Print 3561A, by Senator Kennedy, an
16 act to amend the State Finance Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
25 the results.
966
1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 253, Senate Print 6057, by Senator Brooks, an act
6 to amend the Executive Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
10 act shall take effect immediately.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
12 roll.
13 (The Secretary called the roll.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
15 the results.
16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
18 is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 270, Senate Print 4495A, by Senator Martinez, an
21 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law and
22 the General Business Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
24 last section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
967
1 act shall take effect immediately.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 296, Senate Print 3647, by Senator Gounardes,
12 Concurrent Resolution of the Senate and Assembly
13 proposing an amendment to Section 6 of Article 5
14 of the Constitution.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
16 roll on the resolution.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
19 the results.
20 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
22 resolution is adopted.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 399, Senate Print 3471A, by Senator Brooks, an
25 act to amend the Executive Law.
968
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
4 act shall take effect on the 120th day after it
5 shall have become a law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 400, Assembly Print Number 8094A, substituted
16 earlier by Assemblymember Barrett, an act
17 requiring the Division of Veterans' Services to
18 review issues relating to veterans' abilities to
19 access state parks.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect immediately.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
25 roll.
969
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
3 Benjamin to explain his vote.
4 SENATOR BENJAMIN: Thank you,
5 Mr. President.
6 I want to thank Senator Brooks and I
7 want to thank our leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins,
8 for helping to get this bill to the floor.
9 I also want to thank Senator Brooks
10 for his role earlier today, and Senator Ritchie.
11 Today being Fort Drum Day, I think it's important
12 for us to think about how our soldiers move to
13 becoming veterans.
14 You know, today we felt so much
15 pride and honor -- I was standing up there and I
16 felt so much pride and honor in listening to
17 Major General Mennes and just thinking about all
18 of the sacrifices that our troops make on behalf
19 of this country and on behalf of all of us.
20 And the question for us has to be,
21 when they come back home and they are no longer
22 serving, what do we do then?
23 And this bill came to me by
24 Assemblymember Didi Barrett, and I want to thank
25 her for bringing me to this bill. Because what
970
1 that bill actually does is it gives -- it says we
2 want the Division of Veterans' Services in six
3 months to come up with a report, working with a
4 number of entities -- working with the Office of
5 Parks, working with the Department of
6 Environmental Conservation, working with the
7 Department of Health and Office of Mental
8 Health -- to say what can our state parks, what
9 can we -- how can they be used in order to help
10 with outdoor-based therapy to help deal with
11 things like PTSD, substance use disorder?
12 And quite frankly, as many of us
13 know, a lot of our state parks, these are free
14 spaces. I have Riverbank State Park, now known
15 as Denny Farrell State Park, Shirley Chisholm
16 State Park, and all over the state we have state
17 parks. We should be using every square ounce of
18 this state to make sure that we do everything we
19 can for our veterans.
20 It is really heartbreaking to me
21 when I hear some of the statistics around our
22 homeless veterans. There should not be one
23 homeless veteran in this country. Given what our
24 veterans, who were soldiers, who we celebrate as
25 soldiers -- given the sacrifices they made, we
971
1 should not have one homeless veteran.
2 And quite frankly, it is even more
3 concerning to me that within that population,
4 13 percent of our veterans are black and brown,
5 but 45 percent of our homeless veterans are black
6 and brown. So that's of enormous concern because
7 many of them live in districts like mine.
8 And I want to make sure that if
9 there's something that we could be doing with our
10 parks -- and quite frankly, we do know we need
11 the resources. I know a lot of us talk about the
12 resources we need to bring to our veterans. But
13 there's some easy things that we can do,
14 utilizing resources that we already have
15 available to us, and this bill will facilitate
16 that.
17 So I want to thank all of you for
18 giving me some time to share these few words.
19 And it's great to be here on this day, because
20 this is one of the days when we're very
21 bipartisan. But I think we have to be very
22 bipartisan with how we treat our veterans as they
23 continue on with their lives.
24 So thank you, Mr. President, for
25 giving me this time to say a few words. And I
972
1 look forward to getting this bill signed by the
2 Governor.
3 Thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
5 Benjamin to be recorded in the affirmative.
6 Announce the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 423, Assembly Print Number 9530, substituted
12 earlier by Assemblymember Gottfried, an act to
13 amend the Public Health Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
15 last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
17 act shall take effect immediately.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
19 roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
22 Hoylman to explain his vote.
23 SENATOR HOYLMAN: Thank you,
24 Mr. President, for allowing me to explain my
25 vote.
973
1 I echo the sentiments of my
2 colleague on this day of honoring Fort Drum and
3 all veterans in the State of New York.
4 As you know, those of us who have
5 hospitals in our district, there's been a trend
6 towards mergers, consolidation, and even worse,
7 closure of these hospitals. In fact, it seems
8 like in the State of New York it's much easier to
9 close a hospital than it is to open one.
10 Well, it's the Public Health and
11 Health Planning Council, known as PHHPC, that
12 makes these decisions. It has broad powers over
13 construction and closure of hospitals and other
14 facilities and can make rules and regulations on
15 almost any issue relating to public health.
16 The problem is the composition.
17 Hospitals, health systems, nursing homes are
18 well-represented on the council -- in other
19 words, the entities that are in the business of
20 healthcare have a seat at the table -- but in
21 general, the public is not. Consumers are not.
22 Ordinary people are not. The people who use
23 emergency rooms, who depend on life-saving
24 Level 1 trauma centers are not well-represented.
25 Well, this bill goes to the issue
974
1 that consumers deserve a voice in these critical
2 decisions that affect their health and
3 well-being, such as the approval to close or
4 diminish services at hospitals.
5 This bill has been updated since the
6 last session, Mr. President, to address concerns
7 of the Executive about an earlier version of the
8 bill we passed.
9 Given the enormous power wielded by
10 PHHPC, it's important to ensure that more members
11 of the council are representative of consumer
12 advocacy organizations, of ordinary people,
13 giving low- and moderate-income folks more of a
14 voice in important healthcare decisions.
15 I vote aye. Thank you.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
17 Hoylman to be recorded in the affirmative.
18 Announce the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
20 Calendar Number 423, those Senators voting in the
21 negative are Senators Akshar, Amedore, Borrello,
22 Funke, Gallivan, Griffo, Jacobs, Jordan, Lanza,
23 O'Mara, Ortt, Ranzenhofer, Serino, Seward and
24 Tedisco.
25 Ayes, 44. Nays, 15.
975
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 424, Assembly Print Number 7915A, substituted
5 earlier by Assemblymember Magnarelli, an act to
6 amend the Public Health Law and the Environmental
7 Conservation Law.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
9 last section.
10 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
11 act shall take effect one year after it shall
12 have become a law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
14 roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
17 the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
19 Calendar 424, voting in the negative:
20 Senator Lanza.
21 Ayes, 58. Nays, 1.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
23 is passed.
24 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
25 reading of today's calendar.
976
1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
2 further business at the desk, Mr. President?
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: There is
4 no further business at the desk.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Then I move to
6 adjourn until tomorrow, Thursday, February 27th,
7 at 11:00 a.m.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: On
9 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
10 Thursday, February 27th, at 11:00 a.m.
11 (Whereupon, at 4:33 p.m., the Senate
12 adjourned.)
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