Regular Session - January 27, 2025
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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
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6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 January 27, 2025
11 3:37 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
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16
17
18 SENATOR JEREMY COONEY, 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 COONEY: 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 COONEY: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Reading
14 of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Friday,
16 January 24, 2025, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Thursday,
18 January 23, 2025, was read and approved. On
19 motion, the Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: 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 Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good afternoon,
7 Mr. President.
8 Please call on Senator Liu for an
9 introduction.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
11 Liu for an introduction.
12 SENATOR LIU: Mr. President, I rise
13 to recognize iMentor NYC, a mentoring program
14 that partners with 12 public high schools in the
15 Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, offering
16 mentorships and invaluable guidance to primarily
17 first-generation college students.
18 Their work not only supports
19 academic success but also fosters personal
20 development and prepares students for future
21 challenges in their careers and everyday life.
22 Since 1999, the program has helped
23 over 40,000 students grow into professional and
24 upstanding members of their community.
25 I'd like to recognize the
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1 13 students and iMentor staff here today for
2 their hard work and ambition in creating the next
3 generation of leaders, Mr. President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
5 you, Senator Liu.
6 To our guests, I welcome you on
7 behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the
8 privileges and courtesies of this house.
9 Please rise and be recognized.
10 (Standing ovation.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
12 Gianaris.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: Next up we have
14 previously adopted Resolution 229, by
15 Senator Krueger. Please read that resolution's
16 title and, since Senator Krueger is in the midst
17 of budget hearings, please call on Senator Mayer
18 on the resolution.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
20 Secretary will read.
21 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
22 229, by Senator Krueger, memorializing
23 Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 27,
24 2025, as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the
25 State of New York.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
2 Mayer on the resolution.
3 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
4 Mr. Speaker.
5 It is with a particularly heavy
6 heart this year that I rise to speak in support
7 of Senator Krueger's resolution urging the
8 Governor to proclaim January 27, 2025, as
9 Holocaust Remembrance Day in the State of
10 New York.
11 This has been an extremely tough
12 two-year period for those who are Jewish and
13 those who are not Jewish who stand in solidarity
14 against antisemitism and hatred.
15 In the face of rising antisemitism
16 here in our own communities we represent and in
17 this state, in the nation, and sadly in the
18 world, it's absolutely essential that we rise and
19 speak together with one voice in support of this
20 resolution to commemorate this day.
21 This day was established by the
22 United Nations in 2005. And I'd like to read
23 some of what they said at the time: "Reaffirming
24 that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder
25 of one-third of the Jewish people, along with
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1 countless members of other minorities, will
2 forever be a warning to all people of the dangers
3 of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice."
4 And among the things that they urged
5 us to do is "condemn without reserve all
6 manifestations of religious intolerance,
7 incitement, harassment or violence against
8 persons or communities based on ethnic origin or
9 religious belief wherever they occur."
10 It's especially fitting this year,
11 on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the
12 Nazi concentration and extermination camp
13 Auschwitz-Birkenau, that we stand together and we
14 affirm our unity as one body. And we can't just
15 speak together in here. Our job is to speak
16 together outside of here. Our job is to speak up
17 in our communities when we see antisemitism and
18 hatred, as we saw only yesterday in the City of
19 New York, in a restaurant in Brooklyn. And thank
20 goodness so many of my colleagues rose to the
21 defense.
22 But we need to do that every time,
23 and we need to do it not only in the face of
24 antisemitism, but in the face of hatred.
25 And I hate to say that this is a
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1 moment in Americans' history, in the world's
2 history, where there are warning signs about the
3 rise of hatred and antisemitism. This calls for
4 our renewed vigilance and our determination to
5 turn this away before it gets to a state that we
6 cannot explain and cannot justify.
7 So I hope all my colleagues will
8 join me not only in supporting this resolution,
9 but promising that they will speak up in their
10 communities and as a state against antisemitism
11 and hatred in all forms.
12 I thank Senator Liz Krueger for
13 always putting this resolution forward. This is
14 not a resolution for only Jewish members. This
15 is a resolution for all New Yorkers.
16 I urge a vote of yes. Thank you.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
18 you, Senator Mayer.
19 Senator Stavisky on the resolution.
20 SENATOR STAVISKY: Yes, thank you,
21 Mr. President. And thank you, Senator Krueger
22 and Senator Mayer.
23 Yes, January 27th is the
24 80th anniversary of the liberation of the death
25 camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where over a million
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1 Jewish people were murdered. But there's another
2 date in infamy, and that is this coming Thursday,
3 January 30th, which is the 92nd anniversary of
4 the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of
5 Germany.
6 And in a sense when we, as we
7 should, commemorate the 80th anniversary, it's
8 sort of like looking at a book and reading the
9 last chapter first. It really began in 1933 with
10 Hitler's ascension to be chancellor, but it
11 started a long time before that. It started much
12 earlier.
13 And as Senator Mayer alluded, it
14 started when Jewish-owned shops were vandalized,
15 when there were boycotts, when there were books
16 that were banned and burned. And, yes, we had an
17 attack in Brooklyn on an Israeli restaurant a
18 couple of days ago. That's how it started.
19 And we are very concerned today
20 that history does not repeat itself. In the
21 words of the Spanish-American philosopher George
22 Santayana, he said -- to paraphrase him -- if we
23 don't learn our history, we're doomed to repeat
24 the mistakes. And we are determined not to
25 repeat the mistakes of the past.
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1 There are attacks not just on
2 Jewish merchants, not just on people --
3 Asian-American people who were subjected to
4 slurs. This is really a story of hatred amongst
5 everybody, attacks on everybody. And it's wrong.
6 And as Thomas Jefferson, our third
7 president, said: "Eternal vigilance is the price
8 of liberty." And with this resolution we hope to
9 maintain eternal vigilance, because it is the
10 price of liberty.
11 Thank you, Mr. President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
13 you, Senator.
14 Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick on the
15 resolution.
16 SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:
17 Thank you, Mr. President.
18 Thank you, Senator Mayer and
19 Senator Krueger bringing this important
20 resolution to the floor.
21 As was stated, January 27th marks
22 the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the
23 concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
24 My dear friend Elly Gross was a
25 Holocaust survivor and told me the story, with
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1 great trepidation, of how she stated to me that
2 she killed her mother. And I said, "Elly, how is
3 that possible?"
4 And Elly told me the story of when
5 she arrived at Auschwitz, that there were two
6 lines. And her brother was younger than her, and
7 he was put on one line, and Elly, who was a
8 teenager, was put on the other line.
9 And her mother initially was put
10 with Elly. And Elly said, "No, Mom, my brother
11 needs you more. You go with him." And it turned
12 out that that was the line to the gas chamber.
13 And Elly lived with that horrible, horrible guilt
14 her entire life.
15 She took her experience, though --
16 she survived being at Auschwitz and the horrors
17 of being there, and then shared her story so that
18 her family's horrific end was not in vain. She
19 wrote books, she spoke at schools, she shared her
20 story so that people would not repeat history, as
21 we just said.
22 Elly was spared the fate of being
23 sent to the gas chambers because she was old
24 enough to be put to work, because that's how they
25 valued life at that point.
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1 I can only imagine how difficult it
2 was for her to speak about this, but she had the
3 courage to speak out.
4 Today reminds us of the horrors of
5 the hatred and intolerance, especially in the
6 wake of October 7th. And as we await the release
7 of the remaining hostages from Hamas, we must
8 stand united against all forms of evil and
9 hatred. It serves as a reminder of our need to
10 be vigilant and take decisive action to combat
11 antisemitism and all forms of hate and prejudice.
12 So thank you again for allowing us
13 to remember those who perished so that history
14 does not repeat itself.
15 Thank you, Mr. President.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
17 you, Senator.
18 Senator Weber on the resolution.
19 SENATOR WEBER: Thank you,
20 Mr. President.
21 Thank you to the sponsors for
22 bringing this very important resolution to the
23 floor today.
24 You know, Holocaust Remembrance Day
25 is something that -- is something that we really
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1 take at heart in Rockland community, being a very
2 large and vibrant Jewish community. Most of the
3 residents in my district have firsthand accounts
4 or secondhand accounts of family members
5 perishing during the Holocaust. We also remember
6 the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the
7 Auschwitz concentration camps.
8 You know, today I rise to remember
9 the 6 million Jews and millions of others who
10 were murdered by the Nazi regime. Today
11 antisemitism is rising in America and around the
12 world, and we must learn from history to ensure
13 that something like this is never permitted to be
14 perpetrated again.
15 We also need more and more people on
16 both sides of the aisle to speak up and to
17 continually speak out against antisemitism.
18 Notably, there was an incident of antisemitism in
19 Brooklyn just this past weekend.
20 I proudly represent, as I said
21 earlier, a vibrant Jewish community in
22 Rockland County, and we continue to honor those
23 that perished during World War II.
24 So thank you for bringing this
25 resolution forward, and thank you for my time.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
2 you, Senator.
3 Senator Hoylman-Sigal on the
4 resolution.
5 SENATOR HOYLMAN-SIGAL: Thank you,
6 Mr. President.
7 I wanted to thank Senator Krueger
8 and Senator Mayer and Senator Stavisky for
9 leading this very important resolution on
10 Holocaust Remembrance Day.
11 You know, what I think about,
12 Mr. President, is the recent data on Holocaust
13 denialism, which is spreading disturbingly across
14 this country and across the entire world.
15 There was an Index of Holocaust
16 Knowledge and Awareness that took into account a
17 number of Western nations, testing the population
18 as to their understanding of this horrific of all
19 crimes that happened.
20 In the United States it's good to
21 know that 76 percent of all adults surveyed
22 believe something like the Holocaust could happen
23 today, because I think that awareness is so
24 important.
25 On the other side of the same coin
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1 is that the fact that Americans are so uneasy
2 about antisemitism and bigotry and racism in all
3 its forms to think that the vast majority of
4 Americans believe our democracy and our human
5 rights are so fragile that the Holocaust might
6 happen again sends a very stark message, I think,
7 to our fellow Americans.
8 Nearly half, 48 percent of
9 Americans, those surveyed, were unable to name a
10 single camp or ghetto established by the Nazis
11 during World War II. Twenty-eight percent of
12 Americans thought that less than 2 million Jews
13 were killed in the Holocaust. We know that that
14 number is off by a factor of three. Forty-four
15 percent in the U.S. reported that Holocaust
16 denialism across the United States was common.
17 And 49 percent of adults in the United States
18 reported that Holocaust distortion is widespread.
19 In New York I wanted you to know
20 that 58 percent of New Yorkers can't name a
21 concentration camp or ghetto -- more than half.
22 And 60 percent of New Yorkers don't know that
23 6 million Jews were in fact killed.
24 And, Mr. President, just last week
25 when an American official, behind the seal of the
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1 President of the United States, gave a salute
2 that can only remind us of the Nazi horrors, and
3 then followed up with a tweet where he mocked,
4 openly mocked the Holocaust while serving as an
5 American official -- and of course I'm talking
6 about Elon Musk -- is so disturbing that I think
7 we all need to take this moment this day and
8 resolve, each and every one of us, that we will
9 work harder to combat antisemitism in all its
10 forms.
11 You know, my rabbi once said the
12 answer to antisemitism is to be more Jewish. And
13 I take that to heart. But for Jews and non-Jews
14 alike, and as we speak to our constituents, we
15 must implore and impress upon them that we can
16 never forget the horrors of that dark period, and
17 we have to work to ensure that they never happen
18 again.
19 So thank you again to my colleagues
20 for sponsoring this resolution, and let us all
21 make certain that when we welcome a stranger to
22 our shores, we keep in mind the MS St. Louis, the
23 ship that was turned away from the shores of Cuba
24 and Miami and Europe, where hundreds of Jews
25 aboard that ship in 1939 were denied entry into
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1 the United States, and over a quarter of them
2 ended up being returned to Europe and perishing
3 in the camps.
4 And again, that's a lesson for today
5 when we see the news about potential raids on our
6 own fellow New Yorkers who are seeking asylum in
7 our state.
8 Thank you, Mr. President.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
10 you, Senator.
11 Senator Scarcella-Spanton on the
12 resolution.
13 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON: Thank
14 you.
15 And thank you to the sponsors for
16 bringing this resolution and honoring those who
17 were lost in the Holocaust.
18 I have the privilege of representing
19 the largest community of Holocaust survivors in
20 the State of New York, and today and every day I
21 am in awe of their resilience. The stories that
22 they have shared remain a somber reminder of the
23 importance of reflecting on the horrors that they
24 and their loved ones witnessed and experienced,
25 and vowed to let them never repeat.
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1 I would be remiss not to mention
2 that just last week in my district there was a
3 brutal attack of a taxi driver in Coney Island.
4 They stole the Star of David necklace right off
5 of his neck, and he was beaten, robbed and later
6 died in the hospital.
7 Antisemitism is alive and well.
8 It's horrifying, and we must never, ever forget.
9 Many of the survivors have formed
10 organizations to keep their history alive, and
11 they support one another. I'm so proud that I'm
12 able to support them, including the Holocaust
13 Remembrance Association led by my dear friend,
14 Mr. Sam Bykov; the American Association of
15 Invalids and Veterans of World War II; the
16 Association of East European Jewry; and many
17 others.
18 These people work tirelessly to make
19 sure that their history is remembered, their
20 stories are shared, and that survivors have the
21 resources and services that they need to support
22 their communities.
23 Thank you, everyone, for continuing
24 to work to memorialize this part of our
25 collective history. And I look forward to
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1 continuing to support our Holocaust survivors and
2 making sure that we fight antisemitism in every
3 way possible.
4 Thank you.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
6 you, Senator.
7 Senator Martins on the resolution.
8 SENATOR MARTINS: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 And I'd also like to thank the
11 sponsor for this resolution.
12 You know, I believe the answer to
13 antisemitism, Mr. President, is to be more human.
14 For those of us who are not Jews, I believe that
15 it's a question of humanity. We should all be
16 more human and understand the horrors and the
17 suffering of the systemic annihilation of
18 6 million people for no reason other than their
19 religious beliefs. The hate that stands behind
20 such an act is hard to understand, but it's
21 important that we all sit here and we learn from
22 it.
23 And I would caution anyone from
24 drawing comparisons. Because as you draw
25 comparisons to modern day, I fear that in those
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1 comparisons we actually minimize the tragedy and
2 the horror of the Holocaust by using references
3 to today, whatever those references happen to be.
4 So let's understand that when
5 6 million people died because of systemic hate,
6 that we as a world, one, obviously are cheapened
7 by it, but also have an opportunity to ensure,
8 and we say it time and again: Never again.
9 The United Nations General Assembly
10 designated today, January 27th, as the
11 anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and
12 Birkenau as International Holocaust Remembrance
13 Day. So we are here for that purpose.
14 We all remember the horrors in
15 Israel just 15 months ago, the hate behind that.
16 We've all seen the demonstrations on our college
17 campuses and across this country, I believe
18 motivated also by hate, misunderstanding, or just
19 uneducated people who are allowed to lash out.
20 It's hate. I don't want to hear
21 about free speech in the context of hate. There
22 is no such thing when we talk about the systemic
23 annihilation of an entire group because of their
24 religious beliefs, Mr. President.
25 And so I want to thank the sponsor
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1 again for the opportunity not only to speak on
2 this resolution, but to come together, both sides
3 of the aisle, both reiterating the same important
4 point today. Let's reaffirm our humanity, each
5 and every one of us. Let's stop the comparisons
6 for political purposes. Let's understand what's
7 at stake here and what happened. And let's vow
8 to never allow it to happen again under any
9 circumstances.
10 And we do not forgive hate or bad
11 behavior under any circumstances, Mr. President.
12 I'm happy to sign on to this
13 resolution. Thank you.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
15 you, Senator.
16 Senator Rhoads on the resolution.
17 SENATOR RHOADS: Thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 And I too want to rise and thank the
20 sponsors of this resolution for allowing us the
21 opportunity to pause today and recognize the
22 absolute horrors of the Holocaust, and to remind
23 not just ourselves but all New Yorkers of our
24 responsibility not just to remember, not just to
25 educate, but also to act.
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1 And recognize that man's inhumanity
2 to man did not just occur during the Holocaust,
3 that we see man's inhumanity to man displayed in
4 the acts that we witnessed in Israel on
5 October 7th, the continued demonstrations of
6 man's inhumanity to man as we continue to see
7 hostages being held, separated from their
8 families.
9 But also what we see happening right
10 here in our own State of New York, where we try
11 to preach tolerance and understanding. It's a
12 challenge for us not just to speak out today, but
13 it's a challenge for us to act out today and
14 every day to not only address things that are
15 going on in our communities, but to take
16 legislative action to address some of what we
17 see.
18 There are a number of bills that
19 have been filed, certainly in the
20 Minority Conference, giving judges the authority
21 to require or deny bail for someone arrested for
22 hate crimes, to deny state-funded tuition
23 assistance for students that are engaging in
24 antisemitic behavior. To require colleagues to
25 report antisemitic activity, and provide
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1 antisemitic awareness and prevention training.
2 To prohibit state funding for SUNY
3 and CUNY and community colleges that permit
4 terrorist organizations like Hamas on their
5 campuses. To expand New York's hate crime laws
6 to include people who trespass at a house of
7 worship or protesters who obstruct traffic and
8 restrict access to buildings.
9 To increase funding for the Securing
10 Communities Against Hate Crimes grant program,
11 and expand eligibility to include small
12 businesses. And to ban deceptive face coverings
13 at public protests to prevent those who commit
14 vandalism or violence from hiding their
15 identities to evade law enforcement.
16 And as we gather together in a
17 bipartisan way to remember the horrific acts of
18 the Holocaust and to condemn antisemitism, let us
19 also work in a bipartisan fashion to bring these
20 pieces of legislation and others that have been
21 filed to the floor to address some of the root
22 causes of antisemitism and to keep our
23 communities safer.
24 Again, thank you to the sponsors of
25 this resolution. And thank you, Mr. President,
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1 for being recognized.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Thank
3 you, Senator.
4 The resolution was adopted on
5 January 22nd.
6 Senator Gianaris.
7 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President, I
8 know that Senator Krueger would like to open that
9 resolution for cosponsorship.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
11 resolution is open for cosponsorship. Should you
12 choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify the
13 desk.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: There will be an
16 immediate meeting of the Rules Committee in
17 Room 332.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: There
19 will be an immediate meeting of the
20 Rules Committee in Room 332.
21 SENATOR GIANARIS: The Senate
22 stands at ease.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
24 Senate stands at ease.
25 (Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease
379
1 at 4:04 p.m.)
2 (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at
3 4:16 p.m.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
5 Senate will return to order.
6 Senator Gianaris.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: There's a
8 report of the Rules Committee at the desk.
9 Can we take that up, please.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Senator
13 Stewart-Cousins, from the Committee on Rules,
14 reports the following bills:
15 Senate Print 265, by
16 Senator Harckham, an act in relation to directing
17 the State Board of Real Property Tax Services to
18 conduct a study on real property tax saturation;
19 Senate Print 762A, by
20 Senator Cleare, an act to amend the
21 Public Health Law;
22 Senate Print 904, by
23 Senator Gonzalez, an act to amend the
24 Public Service Law;
25 Senate Print 1327, by
380
1 Senator Parker, an act to amend the
2 Public Service Law;
3 Senate Print 1329, by
4 Senator Parker, an act to amend the
5 Public Service Law;
6 Senate Print 1330, by
7 Senator Parker, an act to amend the
8 Public Service Law;
9 Senate Print 1701, by Senator Mayer,
10 an act to amend the Public Service Law;
11 Senate Print 1847, by
12 Senator Comrie, an act to amend the
13 Public Service Law;
14 Senate Print 1896, by Senator Mayer,
15 an act to amend the Public Service Law;
16 Senate Print 1966, by Senator Chris
17 Ryan, an act to amend the Social Services Law;
18 Senate Print 2124, by
19 Senator Kavanagh, an act to amend the Tax Law;
20 Senate Print 2182, by
21 Senator Hinchey, an act to amend the
22 Public Service Law;
23 Senate Print 2668, by
24 Senator Cleare, an act to amend a chapter of the
25 Laws of 2024;
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1 Senate Print 2669, by
2 Senator Hinchey, an act to amend the
3 Public Health Law;
4 Senate Print 2670, by
5 Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the
6 Real Property Law;
7 Senate Print 2671, by
8 Senator Baskin, an act to amend the
9 State Finance Law;
10 Senate Print 2672, by Senator May,
11 an act to amend the General Business Law;
12 Senate Print 2673, by
13 Senator Salazar, an act to amend the
14 Correction Law;
15 Senate Print 2674, by
16 Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the
17 Criminal Procedure Law;
18 Senate Print 2675, by Senator Fahy,
19 an act to amend the Public Health Law;
20 Senate Print 2676, by
21 Senator Bailey, an act to amend the
22 Insurance Law;
23 Senate Print 2677, by
24 Senator Martinez, an act to amend the
25 General Municipal Law;
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1 Senate Print 2678, by Senator Fahy,
2 an act to amend the Social Services Law;
3 Senate Print 2679, by Senator Ramos,
4 an act to amend the Public Service Law;
5 Senate Print 2680, by
6 Senator Sanders, an act to amend the
7 Financial Services Law;
8 Senate Print 3190, by
9 Senator Kavanagh, an act to amend the
10 Real Property Tax Law.
11 All bills reported direct to third
12 reading.
13 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
14 the report of the Rules Committee.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: All those
16 in favor of accepting the report of the
17 Rules Committee signify by saying aye.
18 (Response of "Aye.")
19 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Opposed,
20 nay.
21 (No response.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
23 report of the Rules Committee is accepted.
24 Senator Gianaris.
25 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's take up
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1 the supplemental calendar, please.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 141, Senate Print 904, by Senator Gonzalez, an
6 act to amend the Public Service Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
10 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
11 shall have become a law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
13 roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
16 the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
18 Calendar 141, those Senators voting in the
19 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
20 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Griffo, Helming,
21 Lanza, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt,
22 Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber
23 and Weik.
24 Ayes, 41. Nays, 19.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
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1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 142, Senate Print 1327, by Senator Parker, an act
4 to amend the Public Service Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
8 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
9 shall have become a law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
16 Calendar 142, voting in the negative:
17 Senator Walczyk.
18 Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
20 is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 143, Senate Print 1329, by Senator Parker, an act
23 to amend the Public Service Law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
25 last section.
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1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect immediately.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
4 roll.
5 (The Secretary called the roll.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
7 the results.
8 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
9 Calendar 143, those Senators voting in the
10 negative are Senators Borrello,
11 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Griffo, Lanza, Martins,
12 Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rolison, Stec,
13 Tedisco, Walczyk and Weik. Also Senator Rhoads.
14 Ayes, 45. Nays, 15.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 144, Senate Print 1330, by Senator Parker, an act
19 to amend the Public Service Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect on the 30th day after it
24 shall have become a law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
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1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
4 the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
6 Calendar 144, voting in the negative:
7 Senator Walczyk.
8 Ayes, 59. Nays, 1.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
10 is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 145, Senate Print 1701, by Senator Mayer, an act
13 to amend the Public Service Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
15 last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 8. This
17 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
18 shall have become a law.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
20 roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
23 the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
25 Calendar 145, those Senators voting in the
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1 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello,
2 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Griffo, Helming,
3 Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara,
4 Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, C. Ryan, Stec,
5 Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
6 Ayes, 39. Nays, 21.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 146, Senate Print 1847, by Senator Comrie, an act
11 to amend the Public Service Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
15 act shall take effect immediately.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
20 the results.
21 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
22 Calendar 146, those Senators voting in the
23 negative are Senators Borrello,
24 Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Palumbo, Walczyk, Weber
25 and Weik.
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1 Ayes, 54. Nays, 6.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 147, Senate Print 1896, by Senator Mayer, an act
6 to amend the Public Service Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
10 act shall take effect one year after it shall
11 have become a law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
13 roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
16 Mayer to explain her vote.
17 SENATOR MAYER: Thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 I'd like to take the opportunity to
20 read some of the emails I get every day.
21 (Reading.) What exactly are you
22 doing about Con Ed rates rising so rapidly?
23 Senator Mayer, I know I represent most people
24 when I discuss the exorbitant fees charged by Con
25 Ed for delivery of our electricity and gas, it
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1 represents at least double the usage charge.
2 What can be done about this outrageous situation?
3 As we have no control over the delivery charges,
4 we want to join you in making a change. Please
5 advise if your office is undertaking any efforts
6 to address the unsustainable delivery charges
7 imposed by Con Ed, and how we may support that
8 effort.
9 I would say that is 3 out of
10 probably 20 a day that I receive in my office
11 about the rates charged by Con Ed. What can we
12 do? We can do something. We can change the
13 methodology by which the Public Service
14 Commission sets the rates for these utilities.
15 Which, I would point out, have a monopoly in
16 New York State. Basically they come in with a
17 rate, the PSC says no, you're a little too high,
18 and they negotiate something in between. That is
19 backwards.
20 They should set a preferred rate.
21 There should be a rebuttable presumption that
22 that is the right rate. They're allowed to make
23 a return, but not at the expense of our
24 constituents, who cannot afford to stay
25 downstairs in their homes or except in a single
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1 room where the heat is on.
2 It is absolutely unsustainable. The
3 time has come for us to do something. This body
4 passed this bill last year. I urge the Assembly
5 to do the same, the Governor to sign it. We need
6 to do something and do it now.
7 I vote aye.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
9 Mayer to be recorded in the affirmative.
10 Announce the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
12 Calendar 147, those Senators voting in the
13 negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, O'Mara,
14 Ortt, Palumbo, Stec, Tedisco and Weik.
15 Ayes, 52. Nays, 8.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 148, Senate Print 1966, by Senator C. Ryan, an
20 act to amend the Social Services Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
22 last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect immediately.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
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1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
4 Chris Ryan to explain his vote.
5 SENATOR CHRIS RYAN: Thank you,
6 Mr. President.
7 Thank you to my colleagues for their
8 support of the bill.
9 I just want to say during the first
10 few weeks in Albany, and for the months prior,
11 there certainly has been a concern I've heard far
12 more than any others -- from my constituents,
13 from advocates, from the budget we just heard
14 about -- and that issue is affordability.
15 The people of New York is desperate
16 for assistance to meet the cost of living, to pay
17 for the simple things like putting food on the
18 table, lowering the cost of healthcare, and in
19 this instance, heating their homes.
20 It's an honor that my first bill in
21 this great house will be one that directly
22 addresses this need and helps the most vulnerable
23 of us stay safe during this arguably hard time
24 and these harsh winter months.
25 This bill, requiring the automatic
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1 reenrollment of households eligible for the Home
2 Energy Assistance Program, known as HEAP, will
3 take one worry off the minds of people who have
4 enough to worry about. As we've seen in the last
5 week or two the drastic rise in demand for this
6 program, this benefit is important now more than
7 ever.
8 I am very proud to pick up this bill
9 from my predecessor, and I certainly hope to see
10 it passed into law by the State Assembly and
11 passed by the Governor.
12 So -- and thank you,
13 Majority Leader, for bringing this to the floor.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Senator
15 Chris Ryan to be recorded in the affirmative.
16 Announce the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
19 is passed.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Mr. President,
21 I'd like to pause for a moment to recognize the
22 first bill passed by Senator Ryan.
23 Now, you might -- (laughing).
24 (Standing ovation.)
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
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1 150, Senate Print 2182, by Senator Hinchey, an
2 act to amend the Public Service Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect on the 180th day after it
7 shall have become a law.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Call the
9 roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: Announce
12 the results.
13 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: The bill
15 is passed.
16 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
17 reading of today's calendar.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there any
19 further business at the desk?
20 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: There is
21 no further business at the desk.
22 SENATOR GIANARIS: I move to
23 adjourn until tomorrow, Tuesday, January 28th, at
24 12:00 noon.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT COONEY: On
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1 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until
2 tomorrow, Tuesday, January 28th, at 12:00 p.m.
3 (Whereupon, at 4:28 p.m., the Senate
4 adjourned.)
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