Regular Session - May 10, 2022
3202
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 May 10, 2022
11 3:31 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
20
21
22
23
24
25
3203
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
3 will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Today the
9 Reverend Dr. Phil Craig, of the Greater
10 Springfield Community Church in Queens, will
11 deliver the invocation.
12 Reverend?
13 REVEREND CRAIG: First of all, let
14 me say thank you for having me today.
15 And since this is Queens Day, I'd
16 just like to give a big shout-out to some of the
17 Queens Senators that I do know: Senator
18 Gianaris, Senator Liu, Senator Sanders and
19 Senator Comrie. They're very good individuals
20 from Queens.
21 All right, let us pray.
22 Dear Lord of heaven and earth, Maker
23 and Ruler of all things. We, the benefactors of
24 Your grace that is renewed each and every day, we
25 humbly express our sincere and profound thanks
3204
1 for all things that You have given unto us.
2 Lord, I pray that this afternoon
3 that You will grant this governing body divine
4 wisdom to legislate laws and policies that will
5 enhance and protect the lives of all New Yorkers.
6 God, give these legislators a spirit
7 of unity and purpose to make our state the empire
8 of the world, the melting pot of culture and
9 diversity, and working and living as one people.
10 God, have Your way in here. And
11 Lord, if You don't do anything else, give the
12 enemy a nervous breakdown against every plot,
13 plan and scheme that may come against these
14 legislators.
15 And this we ask in the name of our
16 God, of our faith.
17 Let everyone in this house say amen.
18 (Response of "Amen.")
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Reading of
20 the Journal.
21 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
22 May 9, 2022, the Senate met pursuant to
23 adjournment. The Journal of Sunday, May 8, 2022,
24 was read and approved. On motion, Senate
25 adjourned.
3205
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
2 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
3 Presentation of petitions.
4 Messages from the Assembly.
5 The Secretary will read.
6 THE SECRETARY: Senator Rivera
7 moves to discharge, from the Committee on
8 Judiciary, Assembly Bill Number 7363A and
9 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill
10 6522A, Third Reading Calendar 449.
11 Senator Gianaris moves to discharge,
12 from the Committee on Insurance, Assembly Bill
13 Number 9284A and substitute it for the identical
14 Senate Bill 8315A, Third Reading Calendar 663.
15 Senator Comrie moves to discharge,
16 from the Committee on Cities, Assembly Bill
17 Number 355A and substitute it for the identical
18 Senate Bill 4013A, Third Reading Calendar 727.
19 Senator Skoufis moves to discharge,
20 from the Committee on Housing, Construction and
21 Community Development, Assembly Bill Number 8646
22 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill
23 Number 7858, Third Reading Calendar 821.
24 Senator Brisport moves to discharge,
25 from the Committee on Social Services, Assembly
3206
1 Bill Number 6709B and substitute it for the
2 identical Senate Bill Number 5759B, Third Reading
3 Calendar 836.
4 Senator Sepúlveda moves to
5 discharge, from the Committee on Finance,
6 Assembly Bill Number 2441 and substitute it for
7 the identical Senate Bill 2144, Third Reading
8 Calendar 856.
9 Senator Brooks moves to discharge,
10 from the Committee on Agriculture, Assembly Bill
11 Number 4978B and substitute it for the identical
12 Senate Bill 1289B, Third Reading Calendar 980.
13 Senator Stec moves to discharge,
14 from the Committee on Health, Assembly Bill
15 Number 9561 and substitute it for the identical
16 Senate Bill 7756, Third Reading Calendar 988.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: So
18 ordered.
19 Messages from the Governor.
20 Reports of standing committees.
21 Reports of select committees.
22 Communications and reports from
23 state officers.
24 Motions and resolutions.
25 Senator Gianaris.
3207
1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
2 amendments are offered to the following Third
3 Reading Calendar bills:
4 By Senator Parker, page 13, Calendar
5 Number 120, Senate Print 5451A;
6 Senator Kaplan, page 33, Calendar
7 Number 765, Senate Print 7658A;
8 Senator Krueger, page 42, Calendar
9 Number 869, Senate Print 7406A;
10 Senator May, page 47, Calendar
11 Number 938, Senate Print 6925;
12 Senator Mannion, page 50, Calendar
13 Number 972, Senate Print 6300B;
14 Senator Kavanagh, page 54, Calendar
15 Number 1007, Senate Print 4937B;
16 And Senator Gaughran, page 51,
17 Calendar Number 89, Senate Print 978A.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 amendments are received, and the bills will
20 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
21 Senator Gianaris.
22 SENATOR GIANARIS: I now wish to
23 call up the following bills, which were recalled
24 from the Assembly and are now at the desk:
25 Senate Bills 284B, 7107A, and 6761A.
3208
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 Secretary will read.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 2,
4 Senate Print 284B, by Senator Myrie, an act to
5 amend the Election Law.
6 Calendar Number 540, Senate Print
7 7107A, by Senator Mannion, an act to amend the
8 Mental Hygiene Law.
9 And Calendar Number 1023, Senate
10 Print 6761A, by Senator Savino, an act to amend
11 the General Business Law.
12 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to
13 reconsider the votes by which these bill were
14 passed.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bills
20 are restored to their place on the Third Reading
21 Calendar.
22 SENATOR GIANARIS: I offer the
23 following amendments on those bills.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
25 amendments are received, and the bills will
3209
1 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
2 Senator Gianaris.
3 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please recognize
4 the Minority Floor Leader.
5 SENATOR STEC: Madam President, on
6 page 45 I offer the following amendments to
7 Calendar Number 912, Senate Print Number 7423, by
8 Senator Borrello, and ask that the said bill
9 retain its place on Third Reading Calendar.
10 And on page 59, I offer the
11 following amendments to Calendar Number 1059,
12 Senate Print Number 7416A, by Senator Borrello,
13 and ask that this bill also retain its place on
14 Third Reading Calendar.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
16 amendments are received, and the bills shall
17 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
18 Senator Gianaris.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: At this time,
20 Madam President, I move to adopt the Resolution
21 Calendar, with the exception of Resolution 2536.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
23 in favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar,
24 with the exception of Resolution 2536, please
25 signify by saying aye.
3210
1 (Response of "Aye.")
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
3 nay.
4 (No response.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
6 Resolution Calendar is adopted, Senator Gianaris.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
8 can we begin by taking up previously adopted
9 Resolution 2287, by Senator Sepúlveda, read that
10 resolution's title only, and recognize
11 Senator Sepúlveda.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Secretary will read.
14 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
15 2287, by Senator Sepúlveda, memorializing
16 Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 10, 2022,
17 as Taiwan Heritage Day in the State of New York.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
19 Sepúlveda on the resolution.
20 SENATOR SEPÚLVEDA: Thank you,
21 Madam President, for allowing me to present this
22 resolution. It is with great pride and honor
23 that I do so, because I have many friends from
24 the Taiwanese and Taiwanese-American community
25 here today.
3211
1 For decades the people of Taiwan
2 have contributed to the economy, culture and
3 human values of New York State. In our state we
4 have a significant presence of this hardworking
5 and visionary community. Many community
6 organizations, nonprofits and relief
7 organizations belong to or are funded by
8 Taiwanese families and have established service
9 in our state for many people.
10 Investments by U.S. companies in
11 Taiwan and investments by the Taiwanese companies
12 in New York are numerous and represent hundreds
13 of millions of dollars and jobs.
14 We also have bilateral agreements on
15 the important issues such as health, education,
16 environmental conservation and social services.
17 The contributions of this community
18 to our state we are grateful for, they are
19 important, and I think it's important also that
20 we recognize the work that they have done for the
21 people of the State of New York and, more
22 particularly for me, the people of the
23 South Bronx.
24 Now, we know about the agreements,
25 we know about the bilateral economic programs, we
3212
1 know about the exchange of jobs and businesses
2 and our delegation trips where many elected
3 officials are taken to Taiwan. But what many
4 people don't know is the contribution that the
5 Taiwanese government and Taiwanese not-for-profit
6 organizations and business organizations -- not
7 many people know the contribution that they bring
8 to the South Bronx.
9 I represent one of the poorest
10 counties in the entire State of New York and one
11 of the poorest in the United States. And what
12 the Taiwanese government has done and Taiwanese
13 organizations, which I'll mention quickly, have
14 done is help alleviate some of the issues and
15 needs that our people in the South Bronx have
16 had, especially our children.
17 During the pandemic, the Taiwanese
18 government contributed over a half a million
19 facial masks, 250,000 of which we gave to the
20 Health + Hospitals corporation, but we kept the
21 rest for the people in the Bronx.
22 Every year since I've been an
23 elected official, and even beforehand, Taiwanese
24 organizations and the Taiwanese government have
25 contributed thousands of toys for the children of
3213
1 the South Bronx.
2 I had the honor and privilege of
3 visiting Taiwan when I was a member of the
4 Assembly, and from the moment that I arrived
5 there, and ever since, I've developed
6 relationships and friendships that I believe will
7 be relationships and friendships for the rest of
8 my life.
9 I am so thankful to the Taiwanese
10 government and our Taiwanese organizations for
11 the work that you do for the people of the
12 South Bronx. I can never repay you, but
13 certainly I wanted to take time to recognize and
14 honor and mention the services you bring to the
15 Bronx.
16 To our guests, again, please accept
17 our gratitude for the commitment that you have
18 shown to the Bronx family and to New York State.
19 We're glad to be here, we're glad that you're
20 here. I'm glad that I've met so many of you and
21 I have wonderful colleagues in government that
22 have also worked with this community.
23 Now I'm going to take two seconds
24 just to mention the organizations, because there
25 are so many. But the delegation today was led,
3214
1 obviously, by Ambassador James Lee of the Taipei
2 Economic and Cultural Office in New York; the
3 deputy director, Hans Chang, of the Taipei
4 Economic and Cultural Office in New York;
5 Mr. Raymond Tsang, who is the president of the
6 Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of
7 New York; Mr. Tom Su, who is the president of the
8 Taiwan Center of New York; Mrs. Patsy Chen, vice
9 president of the Taiwan Center of New York;
10 Mr. James Pei, president of the Taiwanese Chamber
11 of Commerce of New York; Mrs. Mei Tien, board
12 member of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce;
13 Mr. Chung-Chin Chen, founder of the Taiwanese
14 American Cultural Society of the Capital
15 District; Mr. Shou-Bang Jian, vice president of
16 the Taiwanese American Association of the
17 Capital District; Mrs. Chi-Hua Tseng, principal
18 of the Taiwanese American Association of the
19 Capital District, New York Language School; my
20 dear friend -- someone whom I've grown to admire
21 over the years who has done such great work with
22 our community -- Mrs. Jacqueline Kuan, who's the
23 division director of the Taipei Economic and
24 Cultural Office; and last but not least, Mr. Fu
25 Jian Liu, who is the deputy division director of
3215
1 the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in
2 New York.
3 Thank you for your service to the
4 community. Thank you for being here with us
5 today. Be well, God bless you all, and let's
6 enjoy the rest of the day.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
8 Senator Sepúlveda.
9 (Applause from the gallery.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
11 Stavisky on the resolution.
12 SENATOR STAVISKY: Very briefly.
13 Thank you, Madam President.
14 And I am so proud to represent,
15 along with Senator Liu, so many of the folks who
16 are here today. And thank you, Senator
17 Sepúlveda, for continuing your sponsorship -- but
18 it's more than sponsorship, it's a recognition of
19 friendship that has occurred over the years.
20 I've known many of you for -- I
21 don't want to mention the names -- for the years
22 that I have represented the downtown Flushing
23 area. And the relationship is built on, I think,
24 respect on common core values and a feeling for
25 the rich cultural heritage that today we are
3216
1 celebrating, but we really celebrate all year
2 round.
3 And to Ambassador Lee, welcome to
4 Albany. And I hope that we continue our
5 friendship for many years to come.
6 Thank you, Madam President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
8 Senator Stavisky.
9 Senator Rivera on the resolution.
10 SENATOR RIVERA: Thank you,
11 Madam President.
12 I had the opportunity to travel to
13 Taiwan a few years ago, and I was incredibly
14 impressed by the country. And there's one word
15 that keeping popping up in my mind when I think
16 of that opportunity that I had, and that is
17 vibrant. The way I describe Taiwan is they have
18 a vibrant economy, a vibrant culture, a vibrant
19 democracy.
20 Vibrant economy, we got to actually
21 visit some incredible companies that have -- that
22 produce some of the highest technology that is in
23 our computers and that actually make up so much
24 of the hardware that actually is in so many
25 technical things here in the U.S.
3217
1 A vibrant culture. Among other
2 things, Madam President, they had entire
3 buildings dedicated to karaoke.
4 (Laughter.)
5 SENATOR RIVERA: I want you to
6 think about that. A building that is nothing but
7 karaoke on every single -- it was a beautiful
8 thing to behold.
9 And a vibrant democracy. I'm not
10 sure if you know, Madam President, that they
11 don't have three branches of government, they
12 have four. Not only that, they gave me the
13 opportunity to actually sit with some of the
14 folks who run the national health system in
15 Taiwan, and I got to ask some questions about the
16 fact that this single-payer system has only been
17 operational since the nineties. But they talked
18 about some of the challenges of being able to
19 achieve it, as well as some of the challenges
20 they've faced since then and the ways that
21 they've been able to avert some terrible outcomes
22 on health because of their single-payer system.
23 I was amazed by my visit to the
24 country. And I am hoping that I can continue to
25 have the relationships with folks from that
3218
1 country because, again, this vibrancy is
2 something that we could all learn from.
3 I'm happy that they are here today.
4 I'm happy that they're here to share with us the
5 wonderful vibrancy of that country. I hope I get
6 the chance to visit again.
7 Thank you, Madam President.
8 And welcome back to Albany.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
10 Senator Rivera.
11 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
12 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 And I was just reminded by
15 Senator Stavisky, if there is a title of
16 commissioner of karaoke, I would like to be the
17 commissioner of karaoke. You know, I got -- I
18 have these -- I've got some rap skills from time
19 to time.
20 But in all seriousness, I was
21 hearing Senator Sepúlveda speak about the
22 dedication that you've given to the people of the
23 Bronx, and I just wanted to echo that sentiment.
24 In the worst days of the pandemic, when the Bronx
25 was one of the hardest-hit areas in the city, if
3219
1 not the country, we started seeing a number of
2 masks that came into Senator Sepúlveda's office.
3 And I called Louie and I said, "Lou, where are
4 you getting these masks from?" "The great people
5 of Taiwan."
6 And it was a humbling experience to
7 see that people who had never met us and don't
8 really know us but were invested in our health
9 and making sure that we recovered. So I think
10 that's the true test of leadership, being able to
11 help people that you've never met and never will
12 meet.
13 So I want to thank you for your
14 leadership and for your friendship and for coming
15 up here today in this august chamber. I'm
16 hopeful to go over there across -- you know,
17 overseas one day and again be that first
18 commissioner or minister of karaoke, depending on
19 the parlance that it may be. Thank you for
20 coming to our chamber.
21 Thank you, Madam President, for
22 allowing me this opportunity.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
24 Senator Bailey.
25 Senator Borrello on the resolution.
3220
1 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you,
2 Madam President.
3 I just want to say what a pleasure
4 it was today to go to the Taiwan Friendship
5 Reception today. Thank you, Senator Liu, for
6 hosting us.
7 I'd like to thank all those that are
8 here today. It was very nice to meet all of you.
9 I think it's important to point out
10 that we are seeing in the world now what it's
11 like when dictatorships and tyrants feel
12 emboldened. And I think we need to be concerned
13 about what the future may be. So I think it's
14 important for this nation and this nation to
15 stand behind Taiwan as we go into an uncertain
16 future for them and all of us. When democracy is
17 threatened anywhere, it is threatened here in the
18 United States as well.
19 Thank you.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator Borrello.
22 Senator Liu on the resolution.
23 SENATOR LIU: Thank you,
24 Madam President, for allowing me to speak on this
25 resolution.
3221
1 I'm very proud that my colleagues
2 have said such wonderful words about a place that
3 I was born in. As they all often mention, they
4 point out to the back of my neck that is still
5 emblazoned with "Made in Taiwan."
6 (Laughter.)
7 SENATOR LIU: This is really a
8 proud day for the entire delegation.
9 We have a distinguished delegation
10 led by Ambassador James Lee of the -- he's the
11 director of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural
12 Office, accompanied by members of his team, but
13 also important community leaders from New York
14 City, including -- we have the president of the
15 Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association,
16 Raymond Tseng, who -- that organization is the
17 historical center of the Chinese-American
18 community here in the New York area and I daresay
19 the East Coast.
20 He's also accompanied by Patsy Fang
21 Chen, who is the former president of the Taiwan
22 Association of America, a very important group
23 that goes back almost 50 years now, and then of
24 course Mr. Tom Su, who I've known since I was a
25 kid. I grew up with his daughter. You know,
3222
1 Tom Su is the president of Taiwan Center of
2 New York but now he is known as the father of
3 Lisa Su, who is the chief executive officer and
4 chairman of Advanced Micro Devices.
5 And so this is a really august group
6 of people who truly represent the American dream,
7 the American dream that I and so many other
8 generations of people from all over the world
9 have been able to enjoy as we came here to
10 America, as we came here to New York.
11 I think my colleagues have said it
12 far better than I could ever say -- you know, the
13 mention of karaoke, the mention of food, of
14 culture, you know, you guys forgot foot massages.
15 Taiwan's known for all of that. But it's
16 important to note that our Health chair,
17 Gustavo Rivera, mentioned the healthcare system,
18 the single-payer national healthcare system that
19 benefits the nearly 30 million people in Taiwan.
20 That is a model for the entire world to emulate,
21 including here in the United States and in
22 New York.
23 Beyond healthcare, the sciences:
24 Taiwan is the capital, the international capital
25 of the semiconductor industry. And with COVID
3223
1 and some of the challenges that Taiwan has faced,
2 we've all felt the shortage in semiconductors and
3 the necessary components to many of our advanced
4 technological devices.
5 And last but not least, beyond the
6 technology, beyond the medicine, after 400 years
7 of occupation by foreign countries on the island
8 of Taiwan, the people of Taiwan have persevered
9 and they have developed into a modern-day liberal
10 democracy, one that is revered by nations and
11 societies all across this planet.
12 So we've got lots to celebrate for
13 Taiwan, what it is today, and I'm very proud to
14 say that I indeed was born in Taiwan.
15 Thank you, Madam President.
16 (Applause from the gallery.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank
18 you -- thank you, Senator Liu.
19 To our guests, we welcome you on
20 behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the
21 privileges and courtesies of the house.
22 Please rise and be recognized.
23 (Standing ovation.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
25 resolution was previously adopted on April 26th.
3224
1 Senator Gianaris.
2 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
3 speaking of the American dream, let's take up a
4 resolution about the place that embodies that
5 dream here in New York, Resolution 2536, by
6 Senator Stavisky, read that resolution's title,
7 and recognize Senator Stavisky.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
9 Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
11 2536, by Senator Stavisky, memorializing Governor
12 Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 10, 2022, as
13 Queens Day in the State of New York.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 Stavisky on the resolution.
16 SENATOR STAVISKY: Thank you,
17 Madam President.
18 And welcome. Everybody in the
19 gallery I think is from Queens or has an
20 association with Queens. We especially welcome
21 in the gallery -- and there are many people, but
22 I -- there are four people whom we should
23 mention: Howard Graf, the new chair of the board
24 of the Queens Chamber of Commerce; Joanne Persad,
25 the chief of operations for the Queens Chamber of
3225
1 Commerce; Michelle Stoddart, associate secretary
2 of the board; and Patricia Mezeul, the treasurer.
3 The resolution was not read.
4 However, the County of Queens is certainly
5 represented here today.
6 Queens, as someone said, is the most
7 culturally diverse county probably in the
8 country, with all due respect to my colleague
9 from the Bronx. We represent 2.3 million people;
10 138 languages are spoken in our schools, and
11 people come from 150 different countries
12 throughout the world.
13 And when we talk about Queens, you
14 ask somebody where they're from, they're not
15 going to say Queens. They're going to say --
16 Senator Gianaris will say Astoria, Senator Ramos
17 will say --
18 SENATOR RAMOS: Jackson Heights.
19 SENATOR STAVISKY: -- Jackson
20 Heights.
21 (Laughter.)
22 SENATOR STAVISKY: Senator Liu,
23 aside from Taiwan, will say (pause) Bayside.
24 (Laughter; overtalk.)
25 SENATOR STAVISKY: He is a former
3226
1 president of the North Flushing Civic
2 Association, which is how I first got to know
3 him.
4 Do we have any other Queens people?
5 SENATOR LIU: How about you, Toby?
6 SENATOR RAMOS: How about you,
7 Toby?
8 SENATOR STAVISKY: I am a Queensite
9 by choice, not by birth. But I am formerly from
10 Forest Hills and now from Whitestone.
11 In other words, we are a county of
12 neighborhoods, of towns. The post office -- you
13 don't send a letter to me, Queens, New York, you
14 send it to the post office, the local
15 designation. That I think is unique in the City
16 of New York.
17 The County of Queens is home to two
18 major airports. Think of that. People coming
19 from all over the country and all over the world,
20 they land mostly -- most of them land in Queens.
21 And we certainly hope they stay there and not --
22 stay here and not continue elsewhere.
23 Queens has become a tourist
24 destination for sports, for the Mets and for
25 tennis. And people enjoy these sports,
3227
1 particularly when our teams are winning.
2 (Laughter.)
3 SENATOR STAVISKY: Let's repeat --
4 I think Senator Gianaris will repeat the 1969 --
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: I wasn't even
6 alive then.
7 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yup.
8 (Laughter.)
9 SENATOR STAVISKY: People come to
10 Queens also for our museums, for our studios for
11 film development, for film tapings and for
12 television. And in fact the slogan has been
13 "Come to Queens and see the world."
14 Restaurants, people come for our
15 restaurants. You can't go hungry. If you can
16 afford the restaurants, we have something for
17 everybody.
18 And I am particularly proud of the
19 colleges and the universities that are in Queens.
20 CUNY has a very significant presence with Queens
21 College and Queensborough Community College, both
22 of which are in my Senate district. I chair the
23 Committee on Higher Ed. But we also have
24 St. John's, we have York, we have LaGuardia and
25 many other institutions.
3228
1 And they come for horse racing,
2 Senator Addabbo's area. They come for the
3 casinos -- and perhaps there are going to be
4 additional casinos somewhere in the County of
5 Queens.
6 But to me, the most important part
7 are the small businesses. This is not a
8 one-industry town. We have all kinds of small
9 businesses that really are the backbone of our
10 economy.
11 So diversity, we speak with one
12 voice, and that's the voice of progress. We
13 welcome newcomers. And especially tonight, the
14 Chamber of Commerce would like to invite
15 everybody from 5:30 to 7:30, Hart Lounge, to
16 taste what they see when they go window shopping
17 at restaurants. They are all coming up here --
18 many of them are coming up here with their
19 specialties, and we invite everybody to the Hart
20 Lounge.
21 And we certainly again extend a
22 welcome to our friends not just from Taiwan, but
23 from the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
24 Thank you, Madam President.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
3229
1 Senator Stavisky.
2 Senator Ramos on the resolution.
3 SENATOR RAMOS: Thank you,
4 Madam President.
5 This is one of my favorite days in
6 Albany. It is Queens Day. It's the day we
7 celebrate the best county in the State of
8 New York. That's right. We are the most
9 diverse. People from all over the world come and
10 live in Queens, to raise a family, to make their
11 American dream come true.
12 And of course my family is no
13 exception. My family emigrated to Queens in the
14 seventies from Columbia. I'm proud to be born
15 and raised in my district, where I'm also raising
16 two boys.
17 And you might recall that a few
18 years ago on Queens Day, pre-pandemic, I rapped a
19 few lyrics from Mobb Deep on the Senate floor to
20 express my pride. But this year we decided to do
21 something a little different and we crowd-sourced
22 a few reasons why some of my neighbors love being
23 from Queens. And I want to share some of these
24 with you.
25 One neighbor wrote: "Because
3230
1 nowhere else in the world can you walk three
2 blocks and hear 15 different languages." It's
3 amazing, you don't understand what anybody's
4 saying unless you ask. I love it.
5 Where else can you get a slice, a
6 samosa, and a spicy tuna roll on the same block?
7 In Queens, actually right in Jackson Heights on
8 37th Avenue, between 77th and 78th Street. I
9 have some recommendations.
10 We're leading the way on Safe
11 Streets and getting creative with open space,
12 including 31st Street and the 34th Avenue Open
13 Streets, the Queens Greenway, the 39th Avenue
14 Bike Boulevard and much more.
15 We're the birthplace of the
16 St. Paddy's for All parade, where we don't
17 discriminate against anybody, and anybody and
18 everybody can march in our St. Patrick's Day
19 parade.
20 You can catch a good drag show at
21 the Albatross in Astoria. We have incredible
22 food and immigrant-owned small businesses,
23 including our beloved street vendors in
24 Corona Plaza and along Roosie -- Roosevelt
25 Avenue, of course.
3231
1 We're home to hardworking people,
2 and "Queens get the money," some of my neighbors
3 say.
4 Another neighbor, Karen, shouted out
5 our parks: Flushing Meadows, Forest Park,
6 Astoria Park and even Rockaway Beach. We have
7 some great beaches in Queens.
8 And of course I personally love
9 Queens because, as they say, Queens is the
10 future. Our borough of Queens is a model for a
11 multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual
12 democratic society, one where we know that we can
13 call our diversity home.
14 And we absolutely -- I would be
15 tremendously remiss if I did not shout out our
16 home team leading the way -- so far. Maybe.
17 Perhaps. We don't want to jinx it. But let's
18 go, Mets!
19 Thank you. Thank you,
20 Madam President. Actually, before I close, I do
21 want to shout out some of my friends from
22 LeFrak City, my neighbors who are up there:
23 Malikah Shanazz, Sylvia Martin, who are very
24 involved with our youth over in LeFrak City and
25 have been working to advocate for our libraries.
3232
1 Thank you so much for being here.
2 Queens, get the money. Thank you so
3 much.
4 (Applause from the gallery.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
6 Senator Ramos.
7 Senator Bailey on the resolution.
8 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
9 Madam President.
10 (Groans, catcalls from members.)
11 SENATOR GIANARIS: He's a Mets fan.
12 SENATOR BAILEY: {Plays audio on
13 phone.} For those who have heard that familiar
14 refrain, that is called "The Bridge Is Over."
15 (Reaction from members.)
16 SENATOR BAILEY: The bridge is
17 over, the bridge is over. What is not over is
18 the love that I have for Queens.
19 Senator Stavisky referenced it
20 earlier, in that we often have a friendly battle
21 of the boroughs type of banter. And we all know
22 that the Bronx is the best, even though -- every
23 day is Bronx Day. That's why we don't need to
24 have a resolution and things like that, because
25 every day is Bronx Day. So we don't have to do
3233
1 that. But today is the day that we have to
2 celebrate the great borough of Queens.
3 If Senator Comrie was here -- and
4 he's recovering -- Senator Comrie would be waxing
5 poetic about all of the great hip-hop artists
6 from Queens. And he'd be talking about how it
7 was the birthplace of hip-hop. And I'd be
8 telling him that he was wrong, because we all
9 know that hip-hop started at 1520 Sedgwick
10 Avenue, again, in the Boogie-Down Bronx.
11 That we would appreciate hearing
12 from Senator Comrie about the rich culture of
13 Southeast Queens and about how it's a mirror
14 image to the Northeast Bronx and about how we
15 have a shared Caribbean culture in both of those
16 areas.
17 One of the great things about this
18 chamber is that what unites us is greater, far
19 greater than what divides us, and these district
20 lines and these county lines are rather arbitrary
21 when it really comes down to it.
22 I have a significant allegiance to
23 Queens for a couple of reasons. I met my wife in
24 Queens, I went to CUNY Law School. And despite
25 being from the Bronx, I am a big-time New York
3234
1 Mets fan. So I am hopeful that this is the year
2 that we get to go to the king and the heroes and
3 have a parade.
4 But each and every day we should be
5 celebrating residents of the five boroughs and
6 beyond. And I'm grateful to all my colleagues
7 and their contributions from the great Borough of
8 Queens, those who have stayed and those who have
9 left Queens -- like Senator Savino -- and those
10 who will be looking for a new place to live.
11 Just don't leave the Bronx and go to
12 Queens; that wouldn't make any sense in any
13 world, any shape, form or fashion.
14 (Laughter.)
15 SENATOR BAILEY: I will say this.
16 As a proud Bronx High School of Science graduate,
17 I went to school with a lot of Queens residents
18 as well. It was almost Queens Science, as we
19 hear Senator John Liu talking about it, another
20 member of the Bronx Science Triangle that we have
21 here.
22 No, but in all seriousness, I'm
23 looking forward to seeing and fellowshipping with
24 you later on in the Egg. And I'm really grateful
25 for all the contributions that Queens gives to
3235
1 our society. Culturally, it's incredible, very
2 diverse, the point of entry and exit for
3 international flights in New York State. And
4 just we're grateful for the contributions that
5 Queens gives every single day.
6 And let's go, Mets!
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
8 Senator Savino on the resolution.
9 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 As they say, you can take the girl
12 out of Queens but you can't take the Queens out
13 of the girl.
14 I have made Staten Island my home
15 for the past 21 years, and very happy to be
16 there. But Queens will always be my home, for
17 the reasons you heard my colleagues talk about.
18 You heard Senator Stavisky talk
19 about all the wonderful things that Queens
20 presents and Senator Ramos waxes poetic about the
21 neighborhood that I actually lived in. She and I
22 grew up in the same place. I grew up in Senator
23 Gianaris's district, born and raised in Astoria.
24 I lived in Jackson Heights for several years. I
25 went to high school in Senator Comrie's district,
3236
1 I went to college there. And every two weeks I
2 go back to Senator Liu's district to get my nails
3 done.
4 Queens is in my blood. It's where
5 my family came from, it's where they came to as
6 immigrants too. They came from the Lower East
7 Side first, and they found their way to Queens.
8 Queens to them was the country. And we think
9 about how different it is now -- even different
10 from when I was growing up.
11 But it is a fabulous place, for all
12 of the reasons that have been described. And for
13 those of you who have never been there, you
14 should go and visit and spend some time there.
15 It really is a wonderful, beautiful community.
16 And my only regret is that I will never make
17 enough money to be able to go back there and buy
18 a house in the community that I grew up in. But
19 I live and hope. Maybe one day I will.
20 So congratulations to all of my
21 colleagues who are from Queens. Welcome to all
22 of you visitors from Queens. And I certainly
23 look forward to sharing some time with you later
24 tonight.
25 Thank you, Madam President.
3237
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
2 Liu on the resolution.
3 SENATOR LIU: Madam President, I
4 wasn't going to speak, but these people are
5 saying I need to speak.
6 I will only add a little bit of
7 history about what Queens is. You know, Queens
8 didn't always exist. Queens actually didn't
9 exist prior to 1898. Before 1898 we had the City
10 of New York, including Manhattan and the Bronx;
11 we had Richmond County, also known as Staten
12 Island. We had the great city of Brooklyn.
13 There's nobody from Brooklyn here
14 today, it's amazing. Oh, Roxanne. Brooklyn's in
15 the house.
16 But Queens. Queens was five
17 villages, which decided -- the five villages of
18 Long Island City, Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica and
19 Far Rockaway, who democratically decided that
20 they wanted to be part of New York City and the
21 consolidation, the modern-day consolidation of
22 the five boroughs.
23 And these five villages figured that
24 they needed to call themselves something. They
25 were the new county or the new borough. So
3238
1 while, you know, truth be told they looked at the
2 map, they saw Kings County right next door, so
3 they said, Well, we'll be Queens County. And
4 that's how Queens came about.
5 Unfortunately, Hempstead and
6 Oyster Bay did not decide to join New York City,
7 they created Nassau County. But that's a
8 different story.
9 So Queens has been around since
10 1898, proudly so. And as has already been
11 mentioned, you know, it's been -- it's become
12 really a powerhouse unto its own. I mentioned
13 earlier that I emigrated to Queens as a young
14 child, and I've seen every part of Queens and
15 therefore I've seen every part of the world.
16 So Madam President, today indeed is
17 Queens Day. And at 5 o'clock at the Hart Lounge,
18 we're going to have sample -- 5:30, you sure?
19 SENATOR RAMOS: Yes, 5:30.
20 SENATOR LIU: Okay, 5:30.
21 SENATOR RIVERA: No, it's 5:00.
22 SENATOR LIU: Well, I have a flyer
23 that says 5:00, but maybe it's 5:30. Everybody
24 go at 4:30 so you start on time at 5:00. Or
25 5:30. It doesn't matter. Just get there to the
3239
1 Hart Lounge, you'll sample every part of Queens
2 and therefore every part of the world.
3 Thank you, Madam President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
5 Senator Liu.
6 Senator Gianaris to close.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
8 Madam President.
9 Since everybody else has spoken, I
10 figured I should get my two cents in too, to just
11 simply say that we all know that Queens is the
12 best.
13 (Loud reaction from members.)
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: The best food,
15 the best neighborhoods --
16 (Applause.)
17 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you very
18 much, yes. We have the best food, the best
19 neighborhoods, the best sports team --
20 (Groans, boos.)
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: Incidentally, we
22 let Senator Bailey speak on this because it's not
23 easy being a Mets fan from the Bronx, so we
24 appreciate him.
25 (Reaction from members.)
3240
1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Airports, not so
2 much the best, but that's okay.
3 And yes, the best people. And we
4 take great pride in our roots from Queens.
5 I'm sorry that Senator Savino left
6 us. You know, she's leaving the Senate as well,
7 so maybe you'll make enough to come back to
8 Queens, Diane, in your new life.
9 But I do want to welcome our guests
10 and thank them for coming up to spread the great
11 things about Queens with our colleagues so we can
12 let our friends not just from New York City but
13 from all around the state enjoy and partake in
14 all that we know that we are.
15 Senator Rivera, by the way, comes
16 and visits for dinner on a regular basis, I know.
17 So keep coming back, because you know Queens is
18 the best, Senator Rivera. As we all do.
19 Thank you, Madam President. Thank
20 you, everyone, for supporting this resolution.
21 We'll see you all at the reception tonight.
22 Thank you.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
24 Senator Gianaris.
25 To our guests from Queens, I welcome
3241
1 you on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you
2 the privileges and courtesies of this house.
3 Please rise and be recognized.
4 (Standing ovation.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
6 question is on the resolution. All in favor
7 signify by saying aye.
8 (Response of "Aye.")
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
10 nay.
11 (No response.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 resolution is adopted.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: At the request
16 of the sponsors, both of the resolutions we took
17 up today are open for cosponsorship.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 resolutions are both open for cosponsorship.
20 Should you choose not to be a cosponsor of the
21 resolutions, please notify the desk.
22 Senator Gianaris.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's take up
24 the calendar, please.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3242
1 Secretary will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 265, Senate Print Number 5960, by
4 Senator Reichlin-Melnick, an act to amend the
5 Executive Law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
9 act shall take effect immediately.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 449, Assembly Print Number 7363A, by
20 Assemblymember Gottfried, an act to amend the
21 Civil Practice Law and Rules.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
3243
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
5 Rivera to explain his vote.
6 SENATOR RIVERA: Thank you,
7 Madam President.
8 Medical debt -- medical debt should
9 not exist. Madam President, think of this, a
10 situation in which you find yourself with a pain
11 somewhere in your stomach, and you go to the
12 emergency room. You get treated, you wake up
13 after having been operated on, and then a couple
14 of weeks later receive a bill for $200,000.
15 Now, this is not something that is a
16 fantasy, this is a type of situation that happens
17 to many people around the country and certainly
18 here in the State of New York.
19 Medical debt should not exist, yet
20 it does. There are bills that are under
21 consideration that would take care of that, but
22 that's a conversation for another day.
23 For today, however, the bill that's
24 before us and that I will proudly support,
25 Madam President, is a product of the work of many
3244
1 folks who understand that we can do something
2 about medical debt in this state -- particularly
3 the folks at the Community Service Society, I
4 will recognize. It has been a lot of the data
5 that they've been able to gather that tells us
6 that 8 percent of New Yorkers have delinquent
7 medical debt that appears on their credit
8 records.
9 The fact is that even some of my
10 colleagues who unfortunately voted in the
11 negative today -- the problem is actually most
12 pervasive upstate. The fact is that medical debt
13 is strongly related to housing instability.
14 There's so much that can happen.
15 And so this bill would actually make
16 it so that -- unlike the current condition, which
17 is if there is a particular debt that you have,
18 you can actually have that hospital or that
19 medical institution actually place a lien on your
20 home or garnish your wages. The idea that this
21 is something that currently happens is
22 unfathomable.
23 And even during the pandemic,
24 Madam President, just in the year of the pandemic
25 about 4,000 New Yorkers were sued by hospitals
3245
1 for their medical debt.
2 So, bottom line, this is something
3 that should not exist. But because it does, it
4 requires us to take legislative action. There
5 are other pieces of legislation that hopefully we
6 will get passed before the end of the year. But
7 I'm certainly proud to pass this bill today, vote
8 in the affirmative, because we cannot have a
9 system in which your home or your wages are
10 the -- losing those could be the result of just
11 getting sick. We need to make sure we erase
12 that. Today we start to do that.
13 I'll vote in the affirmative,
14 Madam President. Thank you.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Rivera to be recorded in the affirmative.
17 Announce the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
19 Calendar 449, those Senators voting in the
20 negative are Senators Borrello, Boyle, Helming,
21 Jordan, Martucci, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara,
22 Ortt, Palumbo, Rath, Ritchie, Stec, Tedisco and
23 Weik.
24 Ayes, 47. Nays, 15.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3246
1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 579, Senate Print 8170, by Senator Harckham, an
4 act to amend the Judiciary Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
13 Harckham to explain his vote.
14 SENATOR HARCKHAM: Thank you,
15 Madam President.
16 First I'd like to thank the
17 Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, for
18 advancing this measure today.
19 I'd also like to thank
20 Assemblymember Kevin Byrne, who is here with us
21 today, for conceiving of this legislation and
22 asking me to carry it in the Senate, which I am
23 honored to.
24 This bill renames Courtroom 301 for
25 Judge James F. Reitz in the Putnam County
3247
1 Courthouse.
2 Who was Judge Reitz, you may ask
3 yourself. Well, first, he was the most beloved
4 elected official that I have ever met. I think
5 many of us would give our left arm to be beloved
6 the way Judge Reitz was beloved. But when you
7 know Judge Reitz, you know he was beloved because
8 he loved.
9 You know, he founded the Putnam
10 County Drug Treatment Court. And we talk a lot
11 about drug court. Judge Reitz was very clear to
12 make it known this was drug treatment court.
13 And we have a lot of discussions in
14 this chamber about criminal justice reform and
15 pre- and post-trial diversion and compassion and
16 redemption. Judge Reitz lived that every day and
17 put that in practice every day in his courtroom.
18 And when you speak to people who
19 appeared before Judge Reitz, it wasn't like Judge
20 Reitz was fair, Judge Reitz was an okay judge.
21 What they all say was that "Judge Reitz saved my
22 life." And that is a powerful legacy.
23 And unfortunately, Judge Reitz was
24 taken from us too soon in 2019.
25 We're honored today to be joined by
3248
1 Judge Reitz's wife, Barbara, who is no stranger
2 to public service and no stranger to this
3 chamber. She worked for one of my predecessors
4 in the seat that I now hold -- for six years --
5 back in our shared district. And she also ran
6 the Putnam County Youth Bureau for decades and
7 the Putnam County Youth Court.
8 So from henceforth this courtroom
9 will honor Judge Reitz's legacy of compassion, of
10 love, of wisdom. And while he is no longer with
11 us, his memory and his legacy and the way to
12 treat people dealing with substance use disorder
13 will always live on.
14 Madam Chair, I vote aye.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Harckham to be recorded in the affirmative.
17 Senator Serino to explain her vote.
18 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 And I want to say thank you to
21 Barbara Reitz for being with us today.
22 I rise to express my support for
23 this legislation, and I want to thank Senator
24 Harckham for drafting and introducing a bill that
25 honors the life and the legacy of a person that
3249
1 meant so much to so many in our local community.
2 Judge James Reitz was truly one of a
3 kind. And not a day goes by that our community
4 does not feel the weight of that loss. He cared
5 so deeply about our community and about people in
6 general. He was someone who led with compassion,
7 and he saw not only the good in everyone that he
8 met but their potential as well.
9 Judge Reitz is famous for pioneering
10 the drug treatment court in Putnam County, and he
11 was a real trailblazer on this front, helping to
12 establish a very successful model for so many
13 others. And that was almost I think 20 years
14 ago, and I think 300 people, just about
15 300 people have come through that court.
16 You know, over the years I've met a
17 number of people who went through Judge Reitz's
18 drug treatment court and I learned that so many
19 of them wanted to be successful in their recovery
20 because of our judge. He had a way of inspiring
21 people even in their darkest moments. And I
22 think many who came through his courtroom really
23 did not want to disappoint Judge Reitz, who
24 always went the extra mile to help them realize
25 that they were really getting another chance at
3250
1 life.
2 Naming this courtroom in his honor
3 is a fitting tribute to a man who was so
4 committed to this important cause. His legacy
5 lives on not only in this courtroom, but in every
6 individual who ever came through its doors whose
7 life he touched. And they were so many.
8 I'm incredibly proud to be able to
9 vote in support of this bill today, and I thank
10 this chamber for advancing it. I vote aye.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Serino to be recorded in the affirmative.
13 Announce the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 626, Senate Print 4839B, by Senator Biaggi, an
19 act to amend the General Business Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect January 1, 2023.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
25 roll.
3251
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Biaggi to explain her vote.
4 SENATOR BIAGGI: Thank you,
5 Madam President.
6 Today New York is halfway towards
7 joining five other states -- California, Nevada,
8 Illinois, Virginia and Maryland -- as well as
9 eight other countries -- the European Union which
10 is obviously more than one country, India,
11 Taiwan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea,
12 Switzerland and Guatemala -- in becoming a
13 Cruelty-Free Cosmetic Act State.
14 So what is this bill? This is a
15 bill that is necessary because despite decades of
16 activism and public outcry, animal testing
17 remains in use across the United States.
18 Today New York, in the Senate,
19 passes this bill. We are looking forward to the
20 New York State Assembly also passing this bill.
21 And I have to say that I am incredibly grateful
22 not only to my colleagues, but also to the
23 Majority Leader for prioritizing this important
24 legislation.
25 And in a really important I think
3252
1 moment of bipartisanship, I'm very, very grateful
2 to Senator Phil Boyle for working with me on this
3 issue, writing an op-ed and raising awareness to
4 people who really didn't know that New York was
5 one of the states that actually didn't prevent
6 this from happening.
7 Every single day cosmetic companies
8 are subjecting animals to truly horrifying tests
9 so that they can test harsh chemicals on them.
10 It is -- frankly, it's inhumane, it's immoral,
11 it's unethical and we don't need to do it
12 anymore.
13 I am very proud to sponsor this
14 bill. I'm very grateful, again, to the Majority
15 Leader and to my colleagues that we have
16 prioritized this bill, and I really do look
17 forward to this passing in the Assembly and then
18 having our Governor sign this to make New York
19 become the sixth state in the country to make
20 sure that we are cruelty-free.
21 Thank you very much.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
23 Biaggi to be recorded in the affirmative.
24 Senator Boyle to explain his vote.
25 SENATOR BOYLE: Thank you,
3253
1 Madam President, to explain my vote.
2 I'd first like to thank Senator
3 Biaggi for her leadership.
4 This is an issue that I've worked on
5 for 30 years. As a congressional staff person in
6 1990, I had my boss, Congressman Horton,
7 introduce legislation to ban animal testing for
8 cosmetics. Thirty years later, they're still
9 doing it.
10 And they don't have to. We have the
11 technology to do it by computers, many other
12 ways, without doing a Draize rabbit test where
13 they put chemicals in rabbits' eyes and leave
14 them there for days. They put chemicals on the
15 skin of mice and leave it there for days and
16 hours and weeks, even, to test for irritation.
17 They itch and they itch and they itch, and they
18 can't do anything about it.
19 We are about to change New York
20 State law and join California and Illinois and
21 other large states, and we are going to change
22 the entire commercial enterprise of testing on
23 cosmetics. Because when we have an entire
24 industry that doesn't do it, the companies are
25 not going to be able to sell their products.
3254
1 I want to again thank Senator Biaggi
2 for your leadership. We've been working on this
3 a while. I never thought it was going to be
4 here. I really am truly grateful.
5 I vote aye.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Boyle to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Announce the results.
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 663, Assembly Bill Number 9284A, by
14 Assemblymember Glick, an act to amend the
15 Insurance Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
20 shall have become a law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
25 the results.
3255
1 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
2 Calendar Number 663, those Senators voting in the
3 negative are Senators Borrello, Griffo, Helming,
4 Jordan, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt,
5 Palumbo, Rath, Serino, Stec and Weik.
6 Ayes, 49. Nays, 13.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 727, Assembly Print Number 355A, by
11 Assemblymember Braunstein, an act to amend the
12 Administrative Code of the City of New York.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
14 last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect immediately.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
18 roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
21 the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3256
1 779, Senate Print 7317, by Senator Ortt, an act
2 to amend Chapter 19 of the Laws of 1985.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 806, Senate Print Number 4344, by Senator Brouk,
17 an act to amend the Executive Law and the
18 Public Health Law.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
20 last section.
21 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
22 act shall take effect immediately.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
24 roll.
25 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3257
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
2 the results.
3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 821, Assembly Print Number 8646, by
8 Assemblymember Thiele, an act to amend the
9 Executive Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 836, Senate Print Number 6709B, by
24 Assemblymember Rosenthal, an act to amend the
25 Social Services Law.
3258
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
4 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
5 shall have become a law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
12 Calendar 836, those Senators voting in the
13 negative are Senators Akshar, Borrello, Gallivan,
14 Griffo, Helming, Jordan, Lanza, Martucci,
15 Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rath,
16 Ritchie, Serino, Stec, Tedisco and Weik.
17 Ayes, 43. Nays, 19.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 843, Senate Print 7621, by Senator Serrano, an
22 act to amend the Public Authorities Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
24 last section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
3259
1 act shall take effect immediately.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 63.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 847, Senate Print 63B, by Senator Persaud, an act
12 to amend the Social Services Law.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
14 last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
16 act shall take effect on the first of April.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
18 roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
21 the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
23 Calendar Number 847, voting in the negative:
24 Senators Borrello and Oberacker.
25 Ayes, 60. Nays, 2.
3260
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 850, Senate Print 555C, by Senator May, an act to
5 amend the Elder Law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
9 act shall take effect immediately.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 856, Assembly Print Number 2441, by
20 Assemblymember Aubry, an act to amend the
21 Correction Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
3261
1 shall have become a law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
8 Calendar Number 856, those Senators voting in the
9 negative are Senators Akshar, Borrello, Gallivan,
10 Griffo, Helming, Jordan, Martucci, Oberacker,
11 O'Mara, Ortt, Rath, Ritchie, Serino, Stec,
12 Tedisco and Weik.
13 Ayes, 46. Nays, 16.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
15 is passed.
16 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
17 858, Senate Print 3034A, by Senator Parker, an
18 act to amend the Public Service Law.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
20 last section.
21 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
22 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
23 shall have become a law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
25 roll.
3262
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
3 the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
5 Calendar Number 858, those Senators voting in the
6 negative are Senators Akshar, Borrello, Gallivan,
7 Jordan, Martucci, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rath,
8 Ritchie, Stec and Weik. Also Senator Boyle.
9 Ayes, 49. Nays, 13.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 859, Senate Print 3145, by Senator Sanders, an
14 act to amend the Executive Law.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
16 last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
18 act shall take effect on the first of January.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
20 roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
23 the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3263
1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 877, Senate Print 4221, by Senator Stavisky, an
4 act to amend the Business Corporation Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 14. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
13 the results.
14 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
15 Calendar Number 877, voting in the negative:
16 Senator Lanza.
17 Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 936, Senate Print 4778A, by Senator Weik, an act
22 in relation to authorizing the assessor of the
23 Town of Brookhaven to accept an application for
24 exemption from real property taxes.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
3264
1 last section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
3 act shall take effect immediately.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
5 roll.
6 (The Secretary called the roll.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
8 the results.
9 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
10 Calendar Number 936, those Senators voting in the
11 negative are Senators Akshar and O'Mara.
12 Ayes, 60. Nays, 2.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 974, Senate Print Number 3085A, by
17 Senator Stewart-Cousins, an act to amend the
18 Real Property Tax Law.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
20 last section.
21 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
22 act shall take effect immediately.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
24 roll.
25 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3265
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
2 the results.
3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 978, Senate Print 960, by Senator Krueger, an act
8 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
9 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
11 is laid aside.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 979, Senate Print 1130, by Senator Gianaris, an
14 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
16 last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 7. This
18 act shall take effect one year after it shall
19 have become a law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
24 Gianaris to explain his vote.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
3266
1 Madam President.
2 I think it's fair to say that most
3 people don't realize what goes into getting that
4 cute doggy in the window of these pet stores
5 throughout the state.
6 There's not a store in New York that
7 is not getting their animals for sale from awful
8 puppy mills throughout the country. It is a
9 problem that has permeated the entire industry.
10 In fact, in the course of lobbying
11 for this bill with my colleagues, I would say to
12 them often, "Name me a pet store you're concerned
13 about." And lo and behold, we'd go back and look
14 at the records, and there was not one that did
15 not have a stain on its record from its
16 suppliers, who treat animals with such horrible
17 cruelty that, even with the lax enforcement of
18 the federal government -- which is almost
19 nonexistent -- it would still be found in
20 violation.
21 Animals sitting in their own feces,
22 female animals that were summarily executed
23 because they weren't capable of breeding anymore.
24 Illnesses left and right that end up, by the way,
25 making for unhealthy puppies and kittens and
3267
1 bunnies that people take home and then have to
2 incur thousands of dollars in veterinary costs as
3 a result.
4 What we're proposing here is a way
5 to stop the puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline,
6 prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in
7 these stores, certainly allow people to adopt and
8 rescue animals -- there's thousands of good
9 animals out there in need of adoption.
10 And if people are desirous of a
11 particular breed or something unique, they can
12 still deal directly with reputable breeders and
13 get their animals that way.
14 But what we have now is an industry
15 that is treating these living beings that in many
16 cases are our family members like they're
17 commodities, like they're cans of soup on the
18 supermarket shelf, just to be mass produced and
19 then taken back.
20 We had an incident recently on
21 Long Island where someone purchased an animal
22 that turned out to be very, very sick. And you
23 know what the store said as part of their
24 response? It was, Well, they could bring it back
25 and we'll exchange it for another one. This was
3268
1 their defense. As if it's just a product, not a
2 living entity with feelings and emotions.
3 It's time to put that part of the
4 industry to rest, close them down. Ninety-eight
5 percent of pet store business is not from selling
6 animals, it's from selling products and supplies
7 and foods. So we're not destroying an industry,
8 we're saving lives.
9 And I appreciate my colleagues who
10 have worked with me and supported this and passed
11 this bill in years past. I'm glad we're doing it
12 again today. I know the Assembly moved it out of
13 committee today. Hopefully they will also pass
14 it later this year and we can finally get this
15 done and do what's right for these animals that
16 we love.
17 Thank you, Madam President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
19 Gianaris to be recorded in the affirmative.
20 Announce the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
22 Calendar Number 979, those Senators voting in the
23 negative are Senators Akshar, Griffo, Jordan,
24 O'Mara and Ritchie.
25 Ayes, 57. Nays, 5.
3269
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 980, Assembly Print Number 4978B, by
5 Assemblymember Englebright, an act to amend the
6 Education Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
10 act shall take effect on the 180th day after it
11 shall have become a law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
13 roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
16 the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 981, Senate Print 4081A, by Senator Hinchey, an
22 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
24 last section.
25 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
3270
1 act shall take effect immediately.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 988, Assembly Print Number 9561, by
12 Assemblymember Simpson, an act to authorize
13 certain healthcare professionals licensed to
14 practice in other jurisdictions to practice in
15 this state.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
24 the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
3271
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 1002, Senate Print 3683D, by Senator Felder, an
5 act to amend the Family Court Act.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
9 act shall take effect immediately.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 1014, Senate Print 8429A, by Senator Ryan, an act
20 to amend the Education Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
22 last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
24 act shall take effect immediately.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3272
1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 1036, Senate Print 2814, by Senator Sepúlveda, an
10 act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This
14 act shall take effect one year after it shall
15 have become a law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
22 Calendar Number 1036, those Senators voting in
23 the negative are Senators Akshar, Borrello,
24 Gallivan, Griffo, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rath,
25 Ritchie and Stec.
3273
1 Ayes, 52. Nays, 10.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 1037, Senate Print 4203, by Senator Addabbo, an
6 act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
10 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
11 shall have become a law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
13 roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
16 the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
18 Calendar Number 1037, those Senators voting in
19 the negative are Senators Borrello, Gallivan,
20 Griffo, Jordan, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rath,
21 Stec and Tedisco.
22 Ayes, 52. Nays, 10.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3274
1 1078, Senate Print 8599B, by Senator Cleare, an
2 act to amend the Public Health Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
6 act shall take effect one year after it shall
7 have become a law.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
9 roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Cleare to explain her vote.
13 SENATOR CLEARE: Thank you,
14 Madam President.
15 When it comes to the health of our
16 mothers and children, particularly in communities
17 of color, we must take every precaution and
18 explore every opportunity to expand and empower
19 services to those who are pregnant.
20 According to the New York State
21 Department of Health, the number of early
22 syphilis diagnoses in pregnant individuals has
23 increased by 483 percent since 2000, an increase
24 of over 1400 individuals.
25 Though first trimester screening is
3275
1 currently mandated, it is not inclusive of all
2 cases where congenital syphilis can be passed
3 from mother to child.
4 Sadly, if not caught in a timely
5 fashion and treated with antibiotics, congenital
6 syphilis can dramatically increase the risk of
7 miscarriages, fetal growth restriction and
8 neonatal death. This is the classic case of an
9 ounce of prevention and early intervention being
10 worth so much more than the cure.
11 A recent study by the American
12 College of Gynecologists concluded that repeat
13 screening for syphilis is superior to single
14 screening during the first trimester and is both
15 cost-effective and results in improvement in
16 maternal and neonatal outcomes.
17 Therefore, this bill does two
18 things: It encourages third-trimester syphilis
19 testing where appropriate, and ensures that
20 congenital syphilis is a covered topic in the
21 Department of Health's Healthcare and Wellness
22 Education and Outreach Program. We owe women and
23 children this vital protection.
24 I vote aye.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3276
1 Cleare to be recorded in the affirmative.
2 Announce the results.
3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 1081, Senate Print 5129, by Senator Kennedy, an
8 act to amend the Workers' Compensation Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
10 last section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
13 shall have become a law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
21 is passed.
22 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
23 reading of today's calendar.
24 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please go to the
25 reading of the controversial calendar.
3277
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 Secretary will ring the bell.
3 The Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 978, Senate Print 960, by Senator Krueger, an act
6 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Lanza, why do you rise?
9 SENATOR LANZA: Madam President, I
10 believe there's an amendment at the desk. I
11 waive the reading of that amendment and ask that
12 you recognize Senator Weik to be heard.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
14 Senator Lanza.
15 Upon review of the amendment, in
16 accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B, I rule it
17 nongermane and out of order at this time.
18 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
19 Madam President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
20 and ask that you recognize Senator Weik.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The appeal
22 has been made and recognized, and Senator Weik
23 may be heard.
24 SENATOR WEIK: Thank you,
25 Madam President.
3278
1 I rise to appeal the ruling of the
2 chair. The proposed amendment is germane to the
3 bill at hand because this bill protects animals
4 by changing the aggravated animal cruelty statute
5 to make it easier to prosecute animal abusers.
6 The proposed amendment protects
7 animals by repealing the dangerous bail reform
8 laws that allow those that are harming animals to
9 walk free immediately after being arrested on
10 those animal abuse charges.
11 While I support this legislation and
12 I advocate for our animals and recognize the
13 importance of protecting them, we cannot
14 adequately do so unless or until we repeal our
15 bail reform laws.
16 Innocent New Yorkers have been
17 paying the price for this disastrous cashless
18 bail system since it became law. We consistently
19 see the impact these laws have on our state, as
20 violent crime continues to surge while criminals
21 are being released with nothing preventing them
22 from continuing to victimize our citizens and
23 pets.
24 These laws have made our communities
25 less safe and have harmed countless New Yorkers.
3279
1 And sadly, these laws have made New Yorkers less
2 safe -- and for our animals as well.
3 Animal cruelty is an unimaginably
4 tragic crime. Innocent animals, pets who rely on
5 humans to survive, are at far more danger than
6 they were under our own old bail laws. Our
7 broken bail system requires that anyone arrested
8 for harming an animal, even those charged with
9 felony aggravated animal cruelty, be released
10 immediately without any bail.
11 This includes a person who
12 intentionally engages in conduct which is
13 intended to cause extreme physical pain to an
14 animal or intentionally injures an animal in an
15 especially depraved or sadistic manner. It is
16 unfathomable that we have a system that allows
17 the offenders who harm our pets in this way to go
18 back out into their communities where they can
19 hurt more innocent animals.
20 Our citizens continue to suffer the
21 consequences of our bail laws while the criminals
22 continue to benefit from them. Even when a crime
23 is bail-eligible, judges are not able to consider
24 the danger a person poses to the community, to
25 our citizens, to our pets when making a custody
3280
1 decision.
2 It is time that we fix our broken
3 system. We must prioritize our innocent and
4 vulnerable citizens over the criminals that
5 victimize them. We must change the laws that are
6 destroying our communities and hurting
7 New Yorkers. We must keep dangerous criminals
8 off our streets by restoring judicial discretion
9 and repealing these bail laws.
10 For these reasons, Madam President,
11 I strongly urge you to reconsider your ruling.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
13 Senator.
14 I want to remind the house that the
15 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
16 ruling of the chair.
17 Those in favor of overruling the
18 chair, signify by saying aye.
19 SENATOR LANZA: Request a show of
20 hands.
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
22 we've agreed to waive the showing of hands and
23 record each member of the Minority in the
24 affirmative.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
3281
1 objection, so ordered.
2 Announce the results.
3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 20.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The ruling
5 of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief is
6 before the house.
7 Are there any other Senators wishing
8 to be heard?
9 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
10 closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
11 Read the last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
20 Calendar Number 978, those Senators voting in the
21 negative are Senators Brisport and Myrie.
22 Ayes, 60. Nays, 2.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
3282
1 reading of the controversial calendar.
2 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
3 Madam President.
4 If I could return to motions for a
5 moment.
6 On behalf of Senator May, on page 42
7 I offer the following amendments to Calendar
8 Number 874, Senate Print 2025A, and ask that it
9 retain its place on Third Reading Calendar.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
11 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
12 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: On behalf of
14 Senator Reichlin-Melnick, on page 59 I offer the
15 following amendments to Calendar 1061,
16 Senate Print 8258, and ask that it retain its
17 place on Third Reading Calendar.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
20 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: On behalf of
22 you, Madam President, I wish to call up Senate
23 Print 244A, recalled from the Assembly, which is
24 now at the desk.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3283
1 Secretary will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 129, Senate Print 244A, by Senator Mayer, an act
4 to amend the General Business Law.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to
6 reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
12 is restored to its place on the Third Reading
13 Calendar.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: I offer the
15 following amendments.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
17 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
18 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
20 further business at the desk?
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is
22 no further business at the desk.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to adjourn
24 until tomorrow, Wednesday, May 11th, at
25 11:00 a.m.
3284
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: On motion,
2 the Senate stands adjourned until Wednesday,
3 May 11th, at 11:00 a.m.
4 (Whereupon, at 4:46 p.m., the Senate
5 adjourned.)
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