Regular Session - February 14, 2024
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
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8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 February 14, 2024
11 11:11 a.m.
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13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR JAMAAL T. BAILEY, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: 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 BAILEY: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection and/or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Reading
14 of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Tuesday,
16 February 13, 2024, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, February 12,
18 2024, was read and approved. On motion, the
19 Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 Messages from the Governor.
25 Reports of standing committees.
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1 Reports of select committees.
2 Communications and reports from
3 state officers.
4 Motions and resolutions.
5 Senator Serrano.
6 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you,
7 Mr. President.
8 Is there a report of the
9 Judiciary Committee at the desk?
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: There is
11 a report of the Judiciary Committee at the desk.
12 SENATOR SERRANO: Okay, can we
13 please take that up.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
15 Secretary will read.
16 THE SECRETARY: Senator
17 Hoylman-Sigal, from the Committee on Judiciary,
18 reports the following nomination:
19 As Interim Supreme Court Justice of
20 the 8th Judicial District, John J. DelMonte.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
22 Serrano.
23 SENATOR SERRANO: I move to accept
24 the report of the Judiciary Committee.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: All those
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1 in favor of accepting the report of the
2 Judiciary Committee signify by saying aye.
3 (Response of "Aye.")
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Opposed,
5 nay.
6 (No response.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
8 report of the Judiciary Committee is accepted.
9 Senator Serrano.
10 SENATOR SERRANO: Please take up
11 the report of the Judiciary Committee and call on
12 Senator Hoylman-Sigal.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
14 Hoylman-Sigal on the nomination.
15 SENATOR HOYLMAN-SIGAL: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 I rise to move the nomination of
18 John J. DelMonte for Interim Justice of the
19 Supreme Court in the 8th Judicial District.
20 Yesterday, Mr. President, the
21 Judiciary Committee considered his nomination and
22 unanimously recommended his confirmation.
23 Mr. DelMonte is a graduate of
24 Niagara University and South Texas College of Law
25 and was admitted to the New York State Bar in
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1 1980.
2 As he shared during his appearance
3 before the Judiciary Committee yesterday,
4 Mr. DelMonte has 40 years of experience
5 practicing in New York's Supreme Court, handling
6 all areas of law, which was noted by our
7 committee members, including product liability,
8 real property law and litigation, corporate,
9 contract and commercial litigation, municipal and
10 education law as well as divorce and matrimonial
11 law.
12 Mr. DelMonte has prized himself on
13 being a person his friends, family and colleagues
14 lean on for complex legal issues. I guess you
15 don't get paid for that.
16 For the last four years he has
17 committed himself to providing legal aid in
18 Buffalo, serving as the director of Neighborhood
19 Legal Services since 2020.
20 I want to thank Governor Hochul for
21 nominating such a distinguished individual to
22 serve on our judiciary, and Majority Leader
23 Andrea Stewart-Cousins for prioritizing this
24 confirmation.
25 I want to thank my colleagues from
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1 Buffalo, in particular Senator Sean Ryan, for
2 helping shepherd this nomination through the
3 process, along with Senator Tim Kennedy.
4 And I'm proud to move Mr. DelMonte's
5 nomination to the floor and encourage our
6 colleagues to vote aye.
7 I ask that you please recognize any
8 Senator who wishes to speak on the nomination.
9 Thank you.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
11 you, Senator Hoylman-Sigal.
12 Senator Ryan on the nomination.
13 SENATOR RYAN: I stand in favor of
14 the nomination of John DelMonte for
15 Supreme Court.
16 I thank Governor Hochul for sending
17 such a worthy candidate to us, and I thank
18 Senator Hoylman for helping bring him through the
19 proceedings yesterday.
20 John is here today with us. He's
21 joined by his sister Francine, who I will note
22 served in the State Assembly for over a decade.
23 It's good to see both of you here today.
24 John has a long and distinguished
25 legal career. He's a consummate lawyer. And
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1 from my perspective, that means somebody who
2 practices many areas of law. John's the
3 neighborhood attorney you go to when you're
4 buying a house. You have a Family Court problem,
5 a divorce, a brush with the law, you call
6 John DelMonte, because he's a firm member of our
7 community.
8 But the broadness of his career also
9 means that he brings trials to verdict, he
10 represents school districts and complex
11 commercial transactions, he brings PLAs together.
12 So this broad experience is really what we want
13 out of judges who come to the bench. So John's
14 experience is going to serve him well.
15 And I'd be remiss if I didn't note
16 his humble personality and his integrity is
17 really what's going to make him a fantastic
18 judge. He does what he says, and he says what he
19 does. And he comes to this body, you know,
20 humbly seeking his confirmation for his
21 nomination.
22 So I could not be more pleased and
23 stand today in favor of this nomination.
24 Thank you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
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1 you, Senator Ryan.
2 The question is on the nomination.
3 Call the roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
6 the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 50.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
9 nominee is confirmed.
10 Senator Serrano.
11 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you,
12 Mr. President.
13 Can we return to motions and
14 resolutions.
15 We can take up -- let's please take
16 up previously adopted Resolutions 1585 and 1587,
17 by Senator Tedisco, read both resolutions title
18 only, and recognize Senator Tedisco.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
20 Serrano, prior to Senator Tedisco's resolutions,
21 if Mr. DelMonte could just please rise and be
22 recognized on his nomination.
23 (Standing ovation.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
25 Secretary will read the resolutions.
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1 SENATOR TEDISCO: Mr. President and
2 my colleagues --
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
4 Tedisco, the Secretary needs to read the titles
5 of the resolutions.
6 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1585, by
7 Senator Tedisco, congratulating the Burnt
8 Hills-Ballston Lake Girls Varsity Volleyball Team
9 upon the occasion of capturing the 2023 New York
10 State Class A Championship.
11 Senate Resolution 1587, by
12 Senator Tedisco, congratulating the
13 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School Boys
14 Cross Country Team and Head Coach Chip Button
15 upon the occasion of capturing the 2023 New York
16 State Class B Cross Country Championship.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
18 Tedisco on the championship resolutions.
19 SENATOR TEDISCO: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 Mr. President and my colleagues, let
22 me wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day and
23 a good Ash Wednesday to you and everyone who is
24 in earshot.
25 First of all, I want to say we have
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1 some outstanding and great schools and
2 school districts in the 44th Senatorial District,
3 primarily because we have some outstanding
4 students and pupils and great leadership with the
5 administration and staff and great community
6 support.
7 Today I'm proud to welcome not one
8 but two state champions to the New York Senate
9 chamber, both from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
10 High School, an outstanding school in the
11 44th Senate District, where I like to say all
12 good things emanate from.
13 Because they won the coin toss, I
14 will begin with the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team
15 and Coach Gary Bynon, whose team captured the
16 2023 New York State Class A Championship with an
17 impressive 25-13, 25-19, 23-25 and 25-22 four-set
18 victory over Williamsville South High School on
19 Sunday, November 19, 2023, at Cool Insuring Arena
20 in Glens Falls.
21 This was the program's ninth state
22 title in school history, preceded by
23 36 consecutive Suburban Council titles and
24 21 consecutive Section 2 championships.
25 These outstanding athletes have
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1 clearly demonstrated their acumen on the
2 volleyball court, but their success carries over
3 into the classroom as well, with a collective
4 96.7 percent grade point average.
5 We're also joined today by the
6 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Boys Cross Country Team
7 and Head Coach Chip Button, who has been a yearly
8 guest dating back to my time across the hall in
9 the New York State Assembly. And I wouldn't
10 recommend it of the coach, but Coach Button could
11 probably drive here blindfolded at this point.
12 The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Boys
13 Cross Country Team once again captured the
14 New York State Class B Cross Country Championship
15 on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at Vernon Verona
16 Sherrill High School in Verona.
17 As I have chronicled, these are not
18 uncharted waters for the Burnt Hills-Ballston
19 Lake Boys Cross Country Team, who have now won
20 seven -- yes, seven straight New York State Class
21 B Cross Country Team Championships.
22 Unprecedented.
23 Furthermore, this is the program's
24 24th -- and 10th consecutive -- Section 2
25 Championship, and their 12th New York State
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1 Championship overall.
2 Like their fellow classmates, these
3 scholar athletes also excelled in the classroom,
4 garnering a teamwide grade point average of
5 94.05 percent.
6 It is both an honor and a privilege
7 to bring two championships from the same school
8 here to the Capitol, and that is due in large
9 part to the school's coaches, the assistant
10 coaches, and the school Y programs at Ballston
11 Lake High School, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
12 High School.
13 I want to commend Athletic Director
14 Joe Scalise, who also joins us in the chamber
15 today. He is the common denominator to the
16 success of these two outstanding programs.
17 Mr. President, I would ask you to
18 welcome them, congratulate them, and offer all of
19 them the cordialities of this august Senate body,
20 and tell them how much we appreciate the
21 unprecedented achievements they've sought in the
22 past years and last year as New York State
23 champions.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
25 you, Senator Tedisco.
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1 To our championship, incredible
2 student athletes and their coaches, we welcome
3 you on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you
4 all of the privileges and courtesies of this
5 house.
6 Please rise and be recognized.
7 (Standing ovation.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Those
9 resolutions were adopted on January 9th.
10 Senator Serrano.
11 SENATOR SERRANO: At the request of
12 the sponsor, the resolutions are open for
13 cosponsorship.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
15 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
16 you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify
17 the desk.
18 Senator Serrano.
19 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you.
20 Please take up the reading of the
21 calendar.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
23 Secretary will read.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 157, Senate Print 1189, by Senator Persaud, an
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1 act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
5 act shall take effect on the 120th day after it
6 shall have become a law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
11 the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 168, Senate Print 5815A, by Senator Mannion, an
17 act to amend the Public Health Law.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
19 last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
21 act shall take effect June 1, 2025.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
23 roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
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1 the results.
2 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
4 is passed.
5 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
6 170, Senate Print Number 5018, by
7 Senator Scarcella-Spanton, an act to amend the
8 Veterans' Services Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
10 last section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect on the 120th day after it
13 shall have become a law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
18 Scarcella-Spanton to explain her vote.
19 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON: Thank
20 you, Mr. President.
21 The purpose of this bill is to
22 require the director of the Division of
23 Veterans Affairs to collaborate with SUNY and
24 CUNY to develop a Veteran Career Assistance
25 Program. We know SUNY and CUNY do so much for
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1 our veterans already, but it's crucial to be able
2 to translate their military skills into civilian
3 life.
4 I'm a proud CUNY graduate, as is my
5 husband, who is a veteran and graduate of
6 Brooklyn College. I am the College of
7 Staten Island, so we've got both sides of the
8 bridge covered. I'm really proud to sponsor this
9 legislation, and thank you to my colleagues for
10 passing it today.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
12 Scarcella-Spanton to be recorded in the
13 affirmative.
14 Announce the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 208, Senate Print 6617, by Senator Addabbo, an
20 act to amend the Correction Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
22 last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect immediately.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
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1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
6 Calendar 208, those Senators voting in the
7 negative are Senators Borrello,
8 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Oberacker, O'Mara,
9 Rhoads, Stec, Weber and Weik.
10 Ayes, 42. Nays, 9.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
12 is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 209, Senate Print 6975, by Senator Salazar, an
15 act to amend the Executive Law.
16 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Lay it
18 aside.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 294, Senate Print 5974A, by Senator Parker, an
21 act to amend the General Municipal Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
5 the results.
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 295, Senate Print 6310, by Senator Hinchey, an
11 act to amend the Public Service Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
22 Calendar Number 295, those Senators voting in the
23 negative are Senators Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and
24 Martins.
25 Ayes, 49. Nays, 2.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 321, Senate Print 5516A, by Senator Brouk, an act
5 to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
9 act shall take effect immediately.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 325, Senate Print 1290, by Senator Hinchey, an
20 act to amend the State Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
22 last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect immediately.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
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1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 330, Senate Print 3406, by Senator Skoufis, an
10 act to amend the Public Officers Law.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
14 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
15 shall have become a law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 51.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
23 is passed.
24 Senator Serrano, that completes the
25 reading of today's calendar.
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1 SENATOR SERRANO: Please go to the
2 reading of the controversial calendar.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
4 Secretary will ring the bell.
5 The Secretary will read.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 209, Senate Print 6975, by Senator Salazar, an
8 act to amend the Executive Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
10 Lanza, why do you rise?
11 SENATOR LANZA: Mr. President, I
12 believe there's an amendment at the desk. I
13 waive the reading of that amendment and ask that
14 you recognize Senator Rolison.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
16 you, Senator Lanza.
17 Upon review of the amendment, in
18 accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B, I rule it
19 nongermane and out of order at this time.
20 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
21 Mr. President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
22 and ask that Senator Rolison be heard on that
23 appeal.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
25 appeal has been made and recognized, and
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1 Senator Rolison may be heard.
2 Senator Rolison.
3 SENATOR ROLISON: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I rise to appeal the ruling of the
6 chair because the proposed amendment is germane
7 to the bill at hand because it amends the bill to
8 include corrections officers and civilian staff.
9 The violence that we have seen in
10 our correctional facilities is unconscionable.
11 It is of the utmost importance that every person
12 within all correctional facilities in the state
13 remain safe from harm. Just as important are the
14 mechanisms and procedures that are in place
15 through which victims can seek recourse when
16 affected by violence and misconduct within their
17 facility.
18 Notably absent from this bill are
19 the people who work all day, all year, to
20 maintain safety and order within our correctional
21 facilities. These are our corrections officers
22 and civilian staff, who work tirelessly, day and
23 night, to ensure their facilities are maintained
24 and incarcerated individuals are kept safe.
25 While it's definitely laudable that
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1 we enact a anonymous mechanism for reporting
2 sexual violence perpetrated against incarcerated
3 individuals, this mechanism should be available
4 to all employees working within these facilities.
5 This bill unfortunately offers none of those
6 protections for our corrections officers and
7 civilian staff.
8 If there are consequences for
9 violence between incarcerated individuals, there
10 should be consequences for violence against
11 employees. It must follow that consequences
12 exist for incarcerated individuals against
13 employees.
14 We must address the issue of
15 assaults on corrections officers and civilian
16 staff. The current staffing shortages at DOCCS
17 will not alleviate if employees are afforded
18 lesser protection than the incarcerated
19 individuals they're tasked with protecting.
20 This bill should not be limited to
21 incarcerated individuals. The bill should have
22 encompassed everyone within that facility against
23 violence and sexual violence within a
24 correctional facility with the same level of
25 concern.
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1 Therefore, Mr. President, for those
2 reasons, I strongly urge you to reconsider your
3 ruling.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
5 you, Senator Rolison.
6 I want to remind the house that this
7 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
8 ruling of the chair.
9 Those in favor of overruling the
10 chair, signify by saying aye.
11 (Response of "Aye.")
12 SENATOR LANZA: Show of hands.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: A show of
14 hands has been requested and so ordered.
15 Announce the results.
16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 19.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
18 ruling of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief
19 is before the house.
20 Senator Rolison.
21 SENATOR ROLISON: Through you,
22 Mr. President, would the sponsor yield for a
23 question.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
25 sponsor yield?
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1 SENATOR SALAZAR: Yes.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
3 sponsor yields.
4 SENATOR ROLISON: What I tried to
5 attempt with the amendment was to include all
6 staff within a facility to have the same
7 reporting mechanism that will be afforded to the
8 incarcerated individuals.
9 Why would you not want to include
10 corrections officers and civilian staff within
11 our facilities in this bill?
12 SENATOR SALAZAR: Through you,
13 Mr. President, I really appreciate the spirit of
14 what Senator Rolison is saying, that sexual
15 violence is a serious problem in correctional
16 facilities, both for incarcerated individuals and
17 for staff, and we need to treat it seriously.
18 However, the reason why this
19 amendment would not be necessary is because in
20 addition to having mechanisms for reporting
21 sexual violence to their employer, a DOCCS
22 employee does have the freedom to report sexual
23 assault anonymously or confidentially to the
24 inspector general. But that option is just not
25 currently accessible to incarcerated individuals.
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1 So we feel that it would be redundant to do that.
2 SENATOR ROLISON: Mr. President,
3 through you, would the sponsor continue to yield?
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Will the
5 sponsor yield?
6 SENATOR SALAZAR: Yes.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
8 sponsor yields.
9 SENATOR ROLISON: Senator, would
10 you consider amending this bill to include that?
11 I know the amendment failed, but would you
12 consider that?
13 SENATOR SALAZAR: Through you,
14 Mr. President, I would not, respectfully, simply
15 because I feel that it would be redundant.
16 And the purpose of this bill is
17 actually to try to make sure that incarcerated
18 individuals have adequate means of reporting
19 sexual violence, which currently is often either
20 ignored entirely or claims of sexual violence
21 made by incarcerated individuals to DOCCS are
22 investigated by their alleged assailants,
23 colleagues or friends in OSI.
24 And that's why it's so important for
25 us to create this mechanism for incarcerated
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1 individuals specifically.
2 SENATOR ROLISON: Mr. President, on
3 the bill.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Senator
5 Rolison on the bill.
6 SENATOR ROLISON: Last year many of
7 us in the chamber and in the Assembly met with
8 and then held an event with numerous corrections
9 officers, female corrections officers from
10 throughout the state, who told about their
11 experiences to us and the others that were
12 present, what they experienced within
13 correctional facilities.
14 And I believe that that was a cry
15 for help. It was also a cry for "You need to
16 listen to us, please take these matters
17 seriously."
18 And I just believe, respectfully, to
19 my colleagues, that prison violence cannot be
20 tolerated, whether you're an incarcerated
21 individual or you're a member of staff. And
22 these women deserve -- all staff members, but
23 specifically that day, it was very disheartening
24 to hear their stories of things that they have to
25 encounter and endure within the correctional
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1 facilities in this state.
2 They should be getting the same
3 protections and mechanisms that our incarcerated
4 individuals get.
5 Thank you, Mr. President.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Thank
7 you, Senator Rolison.
8 Are there any other Senators wishing
9 to be heard?
10 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
11 closed.
12 Senator Serrano.
13 SENATOR SERRANO: Upon consent,
14 we've agreed to restore Calendar 209 to the
15 noncontroversial calendar. So let's take it up
16 that way.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: On
18 consent, the bill is restored to the
19 noncontroversial calendar.
20 The Secretary will read the last
21 section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
23 act shall take effect on the 180th day after it
24 shall have become a law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Call the
756
1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
6 Calendar 209, those Senators voting in the
7 negative are Senators Oberacker and Weik.
8 Ayes, 52. Nays, 2.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The bill
10 is passed.
11 Senator Serrano, that completes the
12 reading of today's calendar.
13 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you,
14 Mr. President.
15 Is there any further business at the
16 desk?
17 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: There is
18 no further business at the desk.
19 SENATOR SERRANO: I move to adjourn
20 until Monday, February 26th, at 3:00 p.m., with
21 the intervening days being legislative days.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: On
23 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Monday,
24 February 26th, at 3:00 p.m., with the intervening
25 days being legislative.
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1 Happy Valentine's Day.
2 (Whereupon, at 11:34 a.m., the
3 Senate adjourned.)
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