Regular Session - March 4, 2021
1092
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 4, 2021
11 3:08 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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25
1093
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 and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: 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 BENJAMIN: Reading
14 of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate,
16 Wednesday, March 3, 2021, the Senate met pursuant
17 to adjournment. The Journal of Tuesday, March 2,
18 2021, was read and approved. On motion, Senate
19 adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: 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 Mayer moves
1094
1 to discharge, from the Committee on Local
2 Government, Assembly Bill Number 5471 and
3 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 4945,
4 Third Reading Calendar 450.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
6 Substitution 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: Mr. President,
15 can we move right on to taking up the calendar,
16 please.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 95,
20 Senate Print 1519, by Senator Bailey, an act to
21 amend the Education Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
23 the last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 13. This
25 act shall take effect two years after it shall
1095
1 have become a law.
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 95, those Senators voting in the
9 negative are Senators Helming and Mannion.
10 Ayes, 61. Nays, 2.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
12 bill is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 156, Senate Print 983, by Senator Gaughran, an
15 act to amend the Village Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
17 the last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. 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: Ayes, 63.
1096
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
2 bill is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 160, Senate Print 1202, by Senator Harckham, an
5 act in relation to directing the State Board of
6 Real Property Tax Services to conduct a study on
7 real property tax saturation.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
9 the last section.
10 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
11 act shall take effect immediately.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
13 the roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
16 Announce the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
18 Calendar Number 160, voting in the negative:
19 Senator Akshar.
20 Ayes, 62. Nays, 1.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
22 bill is passed.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 178, Senate Print 2135, by Senator Hinchey, an
25 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
1097
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
2 the last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
4 act shall take effect immediately.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
6 the roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
9 Announce the results.
10 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
12 bill is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 179, Senate Print 2199, by Senator Kennedy, an
15 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
17 the last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. 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: Ayes, 63.
1098
1 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
2 bill is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 191, Senate Print 1560, by Senator May, an act to
5 amend the Elder Law, the Executive Law, and the
6 Administrative Code of the City of New York.
7 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Lay it
9 aside.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 265, Senate Print 2585, by Senator Brisport, an
12 act to amend the Social Services Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
14 the last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
17 shall have become a law.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
19 the roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
22 Announce the results.
23 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
25 bill is passed.
1099
1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2 346, Senate Print 484A, by Senator Krueger, an
3 act to amend the Public Health Law and the
4 Civil Rights Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
6 the last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
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: Ayes, 63.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
16 bill is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 378, Senate Print 4345, by Senator Brouk, an act
19 to amend the Public Health Law.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Lay it aside for
21 the day, please.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
23 bill will be laid aside for the day.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 418, Senate Print 3396, by Senator May, an act to
1100
1 amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
3 the last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
5 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
6 shall have become a law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
8 the roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
11 May to explain her vote.
12 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
13 Mr. President.
14 And before I say anything else, I
15 want to welcome to the floor a former member of
16 this august body, CeCe Tkaczyk, who is sitting
17 here behind me.
18 And she's here partly because she
19 now owns CeCe's Wool Yarns and more, and this
20 bill has to do with placing New York-grown fibers
21 into the New York Grown & Certified program
22 that's run by the Department of Agriculture and
23 Markets.
24 So in January, the whole world
25 noticed when Bernie Sanders wore Vermont-made
1101
1 mittens at the inaugural. And my amazing,
2 brilliant, and somewhat competitive staffer
3 Kristin Williams, who's also here, immediately
4 said, "Why can't we do this in New York? Why
5 can't we elevate New York-made fibers the same
6 way?"
7 And so we introduced this bill,
8 which will allow makers of wool and mohair and
9 alpaca and cashmere as well as plant-based fibers
10 like hemp and flax, to be part of this program so
11 the state can lift up these products and so that
12 we can also engage our fabric designers and
13 fashion designers in really creating a home-grown
14 industry that uses the products, the sustainably
15 grown products that we have here in New York
16 State.
17 As you know, Mr. President, I am a
18 knitter. And I like to go to local yarn stores
19 and farmers' markets and find locally produced
20 yarns. And I took up the challenge, and I have a
21 response to Bernie Sanders {raising mittened
22 hands}: "I heart New York."
23 (Laughter.)
24 SENATOR MAY: We need more New York
25 grown and certified fiber products in New York.
1102
1 I vote aye. Thank you.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
3 May to be recorded in the affirmative.
4 Announce the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
7 bill is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 450, Assembly Bill Number 5471, substituted
10 earlier by Assemblymember Otis, an act to amend
11 the Town Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
13 the last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
17 the roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
20 Announce the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
23 bill is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 455, Senate Print 549A, by Senator Sanders, an
1103
1 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
3 the last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
5 act shall take effect immediately.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
7 the roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
10 Announce the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
13 bill is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 461, Senate Print 4072, by Senator Hinchey, an
16 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
18 the last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
22 the roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
25 Announce the results.
1104
1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
3 bill is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 462, Senate Print 4707, by Senator Parker, an act
6 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law, the
7 Tax Law, and the Environmental Conservation Law.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
9 the last section.
10 THE SECRETARY: Section 9. This
11 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
12 shall have become a law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
14 the roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
17 Borrello to explain his vote.
18 SENATOR BORRELLO: I'm sorry,
19 Mr. President, and the bill -- which bill are we
20 on? I'm sorry.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Bill
22 Number 462. Calendar 462, I apologize.
23 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you. My
24 apologies. Thank you, Mr. President.
25 First of all, I want to thank the
1105
1 sponsor for this bill today, and I'll certainly
2 be supporting it.
3 But I do want to express some
4 concerns. You know, our farmers are the great
5 stewards of our land and they certainly play an
6 important role in reducing our greenhouse gas
7 emissions. So while we're having this
8 conversation today about farmers and their
9 ability to sequester carbon, the Agriculture
10 Advisory Panel within the CLCPA is also having
11 this conversation and has been for several
12 months.
13 So my hope today is that we are not
14 diminishing their work or duplicating the
15 hundreds of hours that they have spent on this
16 panel to come to an agreement and certainly to
17 have a recommendation.
18 So while we're on the topic of tax
19 credits for farmers, I'd also like to advocate to
20 the Majority, as you finalize the one-house
21 budget, to not only accept the Executive's
22 proposal to extend the farm workforce retention
23 credit, but increase it, as Senator Hinchey's
24 bill asks.
25 So again, I'm proud to support this
1106
1 bill, and I will certainly be voting aye.
2 Thank you.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
4 Borrello to be recorded in the affirmative.
5 Announce the results.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
8 bill is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 463, Senate Print 4892, by Senator Hinchey, an
11 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Read
13 the last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
17 the roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
20 May to explain her vote.
21 SENATOR MAY: Yes, thank you.
22 I want to congratulate Senator
23 Hinchey on this bill, and the Governor on
24 creating the Nourish NY program, which is a
25 really important program for connecting our farms
1107
1 to the people in need of food in this state.
2 As somebody who represents both a
3 city and an entire rural county, I often hear
4 people trying to divide our state and say it's
5 the rural versus the urban or upstate versus
6 downstate. But Nourish NY is one of those great
7 programs that really reminds us that we are one
8 state, that we need each other, and when we work
9 together -- when the farmers and the food banks
10 work together, when the urban communities in need
11 reach out to the farmers -- we are all better off
12 for it.
13 And so I'm grateful for this bill,
14 and I proudly vote aye.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
16 May to be recorded in the affirmative.
17 Senator Rath to explain his vote.
18 SENATOR RATH: Thank you,
19 Mr. President.
20 First and foremost, I want to thank
21 the sponsor for this bill, and all the other
22 cosponsors.
23 I rise to explain my vote and also
24 to proclaim my support for our agricultural
25 champions across New York State.
1108
1 In general, this pandemic has been
2 devastating, but undoubtedly all New Yorkers have
3 risen to the challenge and faced incredible,
4 incredible odds and defeated those odds time and
5 time again. This bill recognizes the heroic role
6 that our agricultural sector and our farmers have
7 played during the pandemic.
8 When supply chains crumbled in the
9 midst of this pandemic, our farmers and our
10 agricultural communities rose up and worked
11 together to ensure that their crops would not go
12 to waste. The agricultural communities rallied
13 and provided critical support to organizations
14 who needed it the most. Our soup kitchens, our
15 pantries and our food banks saw an influx of
16 these local agricultural products during a period
17 in which their resources were very scarce.
18 In fact, in my district, the 61st,
19 specifically Genesee County, tremendously
20 contributed to the Nourish NY program.
21 I've also volunteered personally for
22 numerous soup kitchens and pantries across my
23 district, as well as FeedMore WNY, which
24 stretches across Western New York supporting
25 people who have food insecurity. And I know
1109
1 firsthand how important these food supply chains
2 are and food access is for residents and Western
3 New Yorkers.
4 I proudly vote aye for this bill to
5 codify Nourish NY. And again, I thank our
6 agricultural workers and farms across New York
7 State who have worked tirelessly to make this
8 program successful.
9 Thank you.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
11 Rath to be recorded in the affirmative.
12 Senator Borrello to explain his
13 vote.
14 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you,
15 Mr. President.
16 I'd like to start off first by
17 thanking the chairman of the Agriculture
18 Committee, and the person I am proud to co-prime
19 sponsor with, and that is Senator Hinchey. Thank
20 you so much for bringing this forward.
21 You know, a lot has been said about
22 the impact of this pandemic. A lot has been said
23 about the food insecurities that we faced. And
24 it's laid bare the insecurity that we have in our
25 food supply chain here in New York. The great
1110
1 State of New York, with so many vast resources,
2 was crippled during this pandemic. We saw long,
3 endless lines of people at food banks that could
4 not get food. Meanwhile, we watched as our
5 farmers let crops rot in their fields, dumped
6 milk.
7 The Nourish NY program helped to
8 stop that. It helped over 4,000 farmers and the
9 families that they support get their product to
10 the market and also get it to our food banks,
11 most importantly.
12 It allowed people that were unable
13 to know whether or not they would have food on
14 the table for their family, to have that
15 security.
16 And now, with this bill, Nourish NY
17 will become a permanent recurring fixture for
18 New York State. That's critically important
19 because now our farmers can count on that income,
20 on being able to get rid of their surplus food
21 and bring nutritious, locally grown food to the
22 people that need it most and our food banks
23 across New York State.
24 This is an incredible opportunity
25 for us to bridge that gap, as was said
1111
1 previously, between our rural areas and our urban
2 areas, between upstate and downstate. This bill
3 truly is a nonpartisan and certainly universal
4 way for us to say that here in New York State, we
5 care about our farmers, we care about our
6 families, and we care about security for
7 everyone.
8 This is an amazing opportunity. I'm
9 glad to be a part of it. Again, I'd like to
10 thank our cosponsors as well, Senator Jordan and
11 Senator Krueger. Also, over in the Assembly, our
12 champion, Catalina Cruz, who has stepped up and
13 brought this forward. This is an amazing
14 opportunity and I think a bright spot in
15 otherwise dim and dark days here in Albany.
16 Thank you.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
18 Borrello to be recorded in the affirmative.
19 Senator Hinchey to close.
20 SENATOR HINCHEY: As was said, this
21 pandemic has laid bare the extreme inequities
22 across our society and shown us just how fragile
23 our systems, especially our food systems, truly
24 are.
25 No matter where you live, you
1112
1 deserve access to healthy, fresh food. That is a
2 right we should afford all people across our
3 state.
4 At the height of the pandemic, we
5 saw farmers dumping milk and produce dying on the
6 vine while New Yorkers lined up at food banks
7 searching for help to feed their families. All
8 too often, these food drives would run out of
9 food before they got to everyone.
10 We all know that New York is an ag
11 state, and that this is absolutely unacceptable.
12 The Nourish NY program has become a
13 silver lining in a very dark time, giving farmers
14 the relief they needed as their markets dried up,
15 and providing locally grown, farm-fresh food to
16 people wondering where their next meal would come
17 from.
18 It's a program that brings together
19 all of New York State -- regardless of party,
20 upstate and downstate. It shows how much we need
21 each other and how, when we work together, great
22 things happen.
23 I'm proud to sponsor the bill that
24 makes Nourish NY a permanent program, and I'm
25 proud to do so in a bipartisan fashion with my
1113
1 colleague Senator Borrello and joining together
2 both regions of New York with our Assembly
3 sponsor and downstate colleague
4 Assemblywoman Cruz.
5 And with that, I vote aye.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
7 Hinchey to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Announce the results.
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
11 bill is passed.
12 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
13 reading of today's calendar.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's move to
15 the controversial calendar, Mr. President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
17 Secretary will ring the bell.
18 The Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 191, Senate Print 1560, by Senator May, an act to
21 amend the Elder Law, the Executive Law, and the
22 Administrative Code of the City of New York.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Senator
24 Lanza, why do you rise?
25 SENATOR LANZA: Mr. President, I
1114
1 believe there's an amendment at the desk. I
2 waive the reading of that amendment and ask that
3 you recognize Senator Jordan to be heard.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Thank
5 you, Senator Lanza.
6 Upon review of the amendment, in
7 accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B, I rule it
8 nongermane and out of order at this time.
9 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
10 Mr. President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
11 and ask that you recognize Senator Jordan.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
13 appeal has been made and recognized, and
14 Senator Jordan may be heard.
15 SENATOR JORDAN: Mr. President, I
16 rise to appeal the ruling of the chair.
17 I respectfully argue that this
18 amendment is germane to the bill-in-chief because
19 the bill-in-chief deals with the definition of
20 elder abuse and creates protections for one of
21 the most vulnerable populations, the elderly, our
22 seniors.
23 And when the Governor, using his
24 emergency powers, issued his March 25th nursing
25 home deadly directive, he failed to protect that
1115
1 group.
2 This amendment aims to restore
3 oversight to the Legislature by removing these
4 extraordinary emergency powers that, among many
5 negative consequences, harmed our seniors and led
6 to the tragic loss of 15,000 lives.
7 Earlier this week was the one-year
8 anniversary of the Legislature granting these
9 emergency powers to the Governor. At that time
10 we were faced with many unknowns and needed the
11 ability to quickly adapt to help move the state
12 through the worst of this pandemic.
13 However, here we are, a whole year
14 later, and we still have one man running the
15 show -- one-man rule in this state -- and making
16 all of the decisions, every single one.
17 And many of the mandates and orders
18 he has passed down are causing great harm to our
19 nonprofits, our municipalities, our
20 schoolchildren, and our businesses in every
21 industry across the state.
22 My office is flooded with calls from
23 constituents asking for help or relief, yet our
24 hands are tied. We know a majority of the
25 members of this house want to repeal these powers
1116
1 from the Governor and get back to doing the work
2 that we were sent here to do.
3 My colleagues in the Republican
4 conference have been trying to do this since last
5 May. But in recent weeks, with mounting scandals
6 continuing to plague our embattled Governor, many
7 of our colleagues across the aisle have finally,
8 finally echoed that call.
9 We've seen press releases and
10 reports in the media, yet every day not one
11 member of the Majority has stood up to do the
12 right thing -- not one. And this is the
13 21st time that we have advanced this amendment.
14 The deal that was announced a few
15 days ago by Democrats in both houses to
16 supposedly remove the Governor's powers just
17 doesn't cut it. That bill allows the Governor to
18 keep and extend his powers. It's insulting to
19 the intelligence of New Yorkers. It's a sham
20 rescission decision.
21 But you'll hear more about that in
22 the next 24 hours and on this Senate floor
23 tomorrow. We need a straight repeal that will
24 finally bring back oversight, accountability, and
25 restore the Legislature as coequal branch of
1117
1 government.
2 I know there are many colleagues
3 across the aisle that agree and know we need a
4 straight repeal. And I implore you to do the
5 right thing. I implore all of my Senate
6 colleagues to do the right thing. Just do it.
7 Do it now.
8 Our constituents are counting on us
9 to get back to work. I ask that we don't
10 continue to use procedural maneuvering to stifle
11 a vote on this important amendment, which I'm
12 confident would pass overwhelmingly because it's
13 the right thing to do for all New Yorkers.
14 For these reasons, Mr. President, I
15 strongly urge you to reconsider your ruling.
16 Thank you.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Thank
18 you, Senator Jordan.
19 I want to remind the house that the
20 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
21 ruling of the chair.
22 Those in favor of overruling the
23 chair signify by saying aye.
24 SENATOR LANZA: Request a show of
25 hands.
1118
1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
2 we've agreed to waive the showing of hands and
3 record each member of the Minority in the
4 affirmative.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Without
6 objection, so ordered.
7 Announce the results.
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 20.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
10 ruling of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief
11 is before the house.
12 Are there any other Senators wishing
13 to be heard?
14 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
15 closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
16 Read the last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 7. This
18 act shall take effect immediately.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: Call
20 the roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN:
23 Announce the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: The
1119
1 bill is passed.
2 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
3 reading of the controversial calendar.
4 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
5 further business at the desk?
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: There
7 is no further business at the desk.
8 SENATOR GIANARIS: Then I move to
9 adjourn until tomorrow, Friday, March 5th, at
10 10:00 a.m.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BENJAMIN: On
12 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Friday,
13 March 5th, at 10:00 a.m.
14 (Whereupon, the Senate adjourned at
15 3:31 p.m.)
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