Regular Session - March 19, 2025

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 1                NEW YORK STATE SENATE

 2                          

 3                          

 4               THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD

 5                          

 6                          

 7                          

 8                          

 9                  ALBANY, NEW YORK

10                   March 19, 2025

11                      4:00 p.m.

12                          

13                          

14                   REGULAR SESSION

15  

16  

17  

18  SENATOR JAMAAL T. BAILEY, Acting President

19  ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary

20  

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  


                                                               1281

 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 to please rise and 

 5    recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

 6                 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited 

 7    the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   His 

 9    Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, of the 

10    Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, will 

11    deliver today's invocation.  

12                 His Eminence.

13                 ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS:   May we 

14    bow our heads in prayer.  

15                 In the name of the Father and the 

16    Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

17                 O God, we offer our abundant thanks 

18    and praise for gathering us together today in the 

19    Senate Chamber of the great State of New York to 

20    pray for the good estate of our government.  

21                 Bless all these servants who 

22    represent the people, that they may always uphold 

23    justice and the rule of law.

24                 Grant unto them to fulfill their 

25    duties, their responsibilities and obligations to 


                                                               1282

 1    people of New York with honor, with integrity, 

 2    and with faithfulness to their oath of office.

 3                 Bless them to love liberty, the same 

 4    freedom that we commemorate today in our 

 5    recognition of March 25th, the day of Greek 

 6    Independence, and the freedom enshrined in our 

 7    beloved state and nation.  

 8                 Keep these lawgivers in Your loving 

 9    care, that they may ever serve with dignity and 

10    grace in their high office and thus may they 

11    render glory, reverence and honor to You, the 

12    Source of Righteousness and the Law of Love.  

13                 Amen.  

14                 (Response of "Amen.")

15                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Reading 

16    of the Journal.

17                 THE SECRETARY:   In Senate, Tuesday, 

18    March 18, 2025, the Senate met pursuant to 

19    adjournment.  The Journal of Monday, March 17, 

20    2025, was read and approved.  On motion, the 

21    Senate adjourned.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Without 

23    objection, the Journal stands approved as read.

24                 Presentation of petitions.

25                 Messages from the Assembly.


                                                               1283

 1                 Messages from the Governor.

 2                 Reports of standing committees.

 3                 Reports of select committees.

 4                 Communications and reports from 

 5    state officers.

 6                 Motions and resolutions.

 7                 Senator Gianaris.

 8                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Good afternoon, 

 9    Mr. President.  

10                 Let's begin by recognizing 

11    Senator Gounardes for an introduction.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: 

13    Senator Gounardes for the purposes of an 

14    introduction.

15                 SENATOR GOUNARDES:   Thank you, 

16    Mr. President.

17                 In a little while we will read a 

18    resolution to commemorate the 204th anniversary 

19    of Greece's independence and to declare March as 

20    Greek-American Heritage Month.  

21                 Today the relationship between the 

22    United States, Greece and our sister nation of 

23    Cyprus is as strong as it's ever been.  Anchored 

24    in the shared values of democratic governance, 

25    these three nations are joined together through 


                                                               1284

 1    mutual economic, political and security matters.

 2                 Souda Bay, in Crete, is home to the 

 3    U.S. Navy's base of operations in the Eastern 

 4    Mediterranean, and the enactment of the Eastern 

 5    Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act 

 6    in our own U.S. Congress has positioned Greece 

 7    and Cyprus to play leading roles in securing 

 8    energy independence for the entire European 

 9    continent.  

10                 The relationship between our 

11    countries would not be possible but for the 

12    persistent and engaged advocacy of the 

13    Greek-American communities that can be found in 

14    each and every one of our districts.  

15                 And so that's why it's my honor now 

16    to recognize that we are joined in this chamber 

17    by the Consul General of Greece in New York, 

18    Mrs. Iphigenia Kanara.  We want to welcome her 

19    and thank her for her nation's friendship.  

20                 And, Mr. President, I ask that you 

21    welcome our guest and bestow on her the full 

22    privilege of our chamber.  

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   To the 

24    Consul General, I welcome you on behalf of the 

25    Senate.  We extend to you all of the privileges 


                                                               1285

 1    and courtesies of this house.  

 2                 Please rise and be recognized.

 3                 (Standing ovation.)

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 5    Gianaris.

 6                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Let's stick with 

 7    the theme, Mr. President, and take up previously 

 8    adopted Resolution 510, by Senator Gianaris, read 

 9    that resolution's title, and call on the esteemed 

10    Senator Gianaris to speak.  

11                 (Laughter.)

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

13    Secretary will read.

14                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 510, by 

15    Senator Gianaris, memorializing Governor Kathy 

16    Hochul to proclaim March 2025 as Greek History 

17    Month in the State of New York, in conjunction 

18    with the commemoration of the 204th Anniversary 

19    of Greek Independence.

20                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

21    esteemed Senator Gianaris on the resolution.

22                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Thank you, 

23    Mr. President.  

24                 First of all, I want to second my 

25    colleague Senator Gounardes in welcoming 


                                                               1286

 1    His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros here today.  

 2    It is always a pleasure to have him join us in 

 3    the Senate chamber, and of course our friends 

 4    representing the Greek government.  I know the 

 5    Cyprus Consul General was also here, and he had 

 6    to head back home.  But he was here with us 

 7    earlier today at the luncheon where many of you 

 8    were.  

 9                 This is the day of the year when I 

10    stand up and I tell you how much credit the 

11    Greeks deserve for everything that we experience 

12    in Western civilization.  I'm going to leave a 

13    lot of that to Senator Gounardes, who's a better 

14    student of history than I am, to go through.  

15    What I want to spend my time on today, in 

16    addition to all the wonderful things about the 

17    arts and philosophy and science and mathematics 

18    and our very democracy, which is under threat 

19    even in this country, is a discussion of 

20    architecture.  

21                 And I wanted to spend this time 

22    talking about something that many of you may not 

23    appreciate or understand.  

24                 So let's talk about ancient Greek, 

25    even ancient Roman architecture.  So when you 


                                                               1287

 1    think about that, when you see it depicted in the 

 2    movies, when you picture in your mind's eye what 

 3    it was like back then, you probably think of 

 4    those beautiful marble white buildings 

 5    everywhere.  

 6                 In fact, that is not at all what 

 7    they looked like.  Even our State Education 

 8    building, in attempting to emulate that classical 

 9    architecture, shows that.  

10                 Did you know that back then all 

11    those buildings were painted, in very bright 

12    colors.  So even the Parthenon or any of the 

13    other buildings you see would be red and blue and 

14    gold, because they painted things the way we do.  

15    It's just that over the thousands of years the 

16    paint has worn off, and so they look -- when we 

17    found the ruins, they looked to be white.  

18                 And so here we are in modern times, 

19    like, That's what they were like, let's make them 

20    all white.  But in fact, not at all the case.  I 

21    just wanted to share that bit of trivia with all 

22    of you.  If you want to get a couple of buckets 

23    and head over to the Education building, we can 

24    make it look -- 

25                 (Laughter.)


                                                               1288

 1                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   -- more 

 2    representative of what it was like back then.

 3                 I think I'm going to do this every 

 4    year, is find a new bit of trivia to share with 

 5    you about our history.  

 6                 But of course those of us who are of 

 7    Greek extraction -- my own parents are proud 

 8    immigrants from Greece; Senator Gounardes, 

 9    Senator Skoufis here also share our Greek 

10    heritage -- are very, very proud of it, because 

11    it is the ultimate immigrant story.  The story of 

12    Greeks in America is the story of people who came 

13    here, and it sounds cliche, but it's true, with 

14    very little in their pockets, very little in 

15    terms of acquaintances or people they knew.  

16    They'd often come to this country just because 

17    they had a family friend or a cousin or someone 

18    who came first, and they'd just show up at their 

19    home and start a life.  

20                 And a generation or two later, their 

21    children are senators or lawyers or doctors or 

22    successful in so many different ways in the U.S. 

23    because they sacrificed their lives for their 

24    children and their children's children.  And I, 

25    for one, appreciate that so much.  You know, I 


                                                               1289

 1    lost my father last year, and my mom, thank God, 

 2    is still with us.  But I think about that often.  

 3    I think about, you know, we tend to be selfish -- 

 4    too selfish, I would say.  

 5                 But I think about that generation of 

 6    people who put themselves through pain, who put 

 7    themselves through suffering just so that we 

 8    could have it a little better.  And that's the 

 9    Greek story.  And that's the story of so many 

10    people who have come to this country from 

11    elsewhere.  And I daresay to this day that is the 

12    story of so many others who are trying to get 

13    into this country and are facing obstacles 

14    unnecessarily and unjustly.  Some who are already 

15    here and are being ejected unjustly and 

16    unnecessarily.  

17                 But I don't want to diverge too far 

18    from the importance of Greek History Month.  As a 

19    proud American of Greek descent, I thank my 

20    colleagues for giving us a moment to talk about 

21    this on the floor today.  And thank you, 

22    Mr. President for the time to discuss the 

23    resolution.

24                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

25    you, Senator Gianaris.


                                                               1290

 1                 Senator Gounardes on the resolution.

 2                 SENATOR GOUNARDES:   Thank you, 

 3    Mr. President.  

 4                 And thank you, Senator Gianaris, and 

 5    Senator Skoufis.

 6                 We think and feel differently 

 7    because of what a little Greek town did during a 

 8    century or two 2400 years ago.  That's how 

 9    esteemed classicist Edith Hamilton described the 

10    impact that Greece and the Greek people have had 

11    on the world for two-and-a-half millennia.  And 

12    like Senator Gianaris, I'll spare you the litany 

13    of ways in which Greece has shaped our world 

14    today, but it's objectively true that 

15    Professor Hamilton's statement is 100 percent 

16    fact.  That's why I'm incredibly proud, as a 

17    fourth-generation Greek-American, to stand here 

18    today and recognize March as Greek Heritage 

19    Month.  

20                 But it's not just what happened in 

21    the days of Socrates and Pericles that inspire us 

22    to celebrate Greek heritage.  Indeed, it's the 

23    vast span of history over the last 2500 years and 

24    the collective impact of that history on our 

25    world today that gives Greeks and philhellenes a 


                                                               1291

 1    a swell of pride and jubilee.  

 2                 The rich glory of the Byzantine 

 3    Empire that lasted for a thousand years; the 

 4    tenacious resilience that survived 400 years of 

 5    Ottoman oppression and enslavement; the fierce 

 6    courageousness of the war for independence that 

 7    sparked revolutionary change across the European 

 8    continent; the determined resistance that stymied 

 9    Nazi occupiers and bought enough time for Allied 

10    forces to shift the balance of war along the 

11    Eastern Front of World War II; and the soaring 

12    heights of success that Greeks in the diaspora 

13    have achieved throughout the world today -- these 

14    are all reasons why Greeks and people of Greek 

15    heritage have enormous pride in who we are.

16                 This year -- next week -- we'll be 

17    celebrating 204 years of Greece's independence.  

18    On March 25, 1821, revolutionary fighters 

19    gathered together with Metropolitan Germanos in 

20    the Monastery of Agia Lavra, in the village of 

21    Kalavryta -- which is where Senator Gianaris's 

22    family is from -- and declared independence 

23    against Ottoman occupation and enslavement.  

24                 The war was hard-fought, resulting 

25    in countless acts of devastation and atrocities, 


                                                               1292

 1    as war so often brings, including the Massacre of 

 2    the Island of Chíos, the island where my family 

 3    is from, where nearly 100,000 people were killed 

 4    or expelled from the island forcibly.  

 5                 And much like our own Revolutionary 

 6    War here in America, seven years after declaring 

 7    independence, the people of Greece -- the 

 8    farmers, the sailors, the merchants, the 

 9    shepherds who lived in towns and villages all 

10    across the Greek countryside won the war and 

11    formed their own Hellenic republic.  

12                 Today we celebrate this history and 

13    reflect on the rich contributions that the 

14    Greek-American community has made to our own 

15    nation's history.  We cheer the incredible 

16    success that Greek-Americans have achieved in 

17    law, media, business, science, medicine, politics 

18    and other fields.  

19                 But it should not be forgotten by us 

20    that at one time our forefathers were unwanted in 

21    this country.  And at one time it was not 

22    uncommon to see crosses burning on the lawns of 

23    Greek houses.  

24                 We cherish the personal stories of 

25    our own families who came to this country to seek 


                                                               1293

 1    their American dream and to create a better life 

 2    for themselves.  But it should not be forgotten 

 3    by us that there was a time when this country 

 4    would not accept more than 100 immigrants a year 

 5    from Greece.  And yet we still smuggled ourselves 

 6    in by the thousands and tens of thousands.  

 7                 We applaud at the remembrance of 

 8    Archbishop Iakovos boldly standing beside 

 9    Dr. King at the funeral of Reverend Reeb and then 

10    crossing the Pettus Bridge.  Or even our own 

11    Archbishop Elpidophoros, who is here with us 

12    today, marching in the streets for Black lives.  

13    But it should not be forgotten by us that there 

14    were many, even in our own community, who did not 

15    and still do not see value in the struggle for 

16    civil rights and equality and condemned the 

17    actions of our own leaders.  

18                 So as I reflect on today's 

19    commemoration of Greek heritage and I think about 

20    the moment that we are living in right now, I 

21    find wisdom and guidance in the totality of the 

22    Greek-American experience.  I draw inspiration 

23    from the high points of our stories as well as 

24    the trials our community has faced.  And I remain 

25    ever hopeful that we as a community will remember 


                                                               1294

 1    the struggles our ancestors faced and we open our 

 2    hands and we open our hearts to all those whose 

 3    stories mirror our own and embrace our fellow 

 4    human beings as true brothers and sisters.  

 5                 And so with that, Mr. President, I 

 6    say with great pride:  Happy Greek independence 

 7    Day.  Zhtw h Ellas! 

 8                 Thank you.  

 9                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

10    you, Senator Gounardes.

11                 The resolution is adopted on 

12    March 18th.

13                 Senator Gianaris.

14                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Can we now take 

15    up privileged Resolution 529, by 

16    Leader Stewart-Cousins.  This is the resolution 

17    honoring the Legislative Women's Caucus.  We have 

18    agreed that there will be one Senator from each 

19    side of the aisle speaking on this, only so we 

20    don't spend the whole afternoon on it.  

21                 So please call on Senator Webb after 

22    we have take up this resolution, and then 

23    Senator Helming.

24                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   There's a 

25    privileged resolution at the desk.


                                                               1295

 1                 The Secretary will read.  

 2                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 529, by 

 3    Senator Stewart-Cousins, recognizing the honorees 

 4    of the New York State Legislative Women's Caucus, 

 5    in conjunction with the observance of 

 6    Women's History Month.

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 8    Webb on the resolution.

 9                 SENATOR WEBB:   Thank you, 

10    Mr. President.  

11                 I rise, as the proud chair of our 

12    Women's Issues Committee, with the distinct honor 

13    and privilege to recognize all of our honorees 

14    who have come from all over the state as part of 

15    our Legislative Women's Caucus Women's History 

16    Month celebration.

17                 New York's history as the birthplace 

18    of the suffrage movement, the home of 

19    change-makers and glass-ceiling breakers -- and, 

20    in most cases, especially for women of color, 

21    brick-ceiling breakers -- like Shirley Chisholm, 

22    Constance Baker Motley, Ida Sammis, Ruth Bader 

23    Ginsburg, and countless others, makes today 

24    particularly auspicious.

25                 We all stand on the great shoulders 


                                                               1296

 1    of women who have come before us, some walking 

 2    through these very doors, with the responsibility 

 3    to pass the torch forward and continue blazing a 

 4    a path forward for our collective change and 

 5    progress.

 6                 There is hardly a more urgent time 

 7    and moment for us to continue this fight, as we 

 8    are seeing and experiencing firsthand the 

 9    systemic and deliberate erasure of women's 

10    excellence from both public records and 

11    commemorations, in a backwards purge of our own 

12    history by the federal government.

13                 Some people falsely believe that if 

14    we are out of sight, we will be out of mind and 

15    our indelible contributions as women can be 

16    chipped away, that our existence will be subdued, 

17    relegated, and in some cases subjugated to a 

18    point where we are considered less than human.  

19                 I am here as proof, along with my 

20    follow colleagues who broke their own glass 

21    ceilings and served as firsts in their own ways, 

22    that those hard battles won can never be undone 

23    because we all benefit from it.

24                 Together, we have made the New York 

25    State Senate a more representative body and 


                                                               1297

 1    advanced transformational policies around women's 

 2    healthcare, antidiscrimination, maternal 

 3    well-being, equal opportunity, that help to shape 

 4    a much wider path for all of us to follow.  And 

 5    we will continue our work in this great state in 

 6    the face of any opposition that may come our way 

 7    or challenges that present themselves in our 

 8    path, just like those who came before us and just 

 9    like those who will inevitably follow behind us.  

10                 Being in Albany today with other 

11    Women of Excellence from across our state only 

12    reaffirms this truth that the talent, the 

13    tenacity, the prestige that fills every corner of 

14    New York in numbers far greater than any who wish 

15    to diminish our contributions.  Adjectives like 

16    trailblazer, visionary, determined, 

17    legacy-builder, change-maker and others are just 

18    a few of the many ways that our honorees who are 

19    here today not only represent the best of our 

20    communities, but they are working to improve our 

21    collective lives.

22                 I am proud to be joined here today 

23    with my own Women's History Month honoree, 

24    Dr. Leslyn McBean Clairborne, who served for more 

25    than 20 years on the Tompkins County Legislature, 


                                                               1298

 1    who was the first woman of color to serve as the 

 2    chair.  As an accomplished academic, highly 

 3    decorated activist, and prolific member of our 

 4    community, Leslyn makes our community very proud.  

 5                 And she is joined by many other 

 6    incredible women here in our chamber from across 

 7    the state that my colleagues have chosen to honor 

 8    this particular month, but honor them every 

 9    single day, to be clear.

10                 They are lifelong advocates, 

11    educators, electeds, leaders who hold many 

12    titles, some that are paid and, most often, some 

13    that are not.  But they are committed to ensuring 

14    that our state continues to thrive.  And they 

15    make us better.  

16                 You bring us all great pride, and we 

17    thank you all for the work that you have done and 

18    the work that you will continue to do on behalf 

19    of all of our communities that make us the 

20    Empire State.

21                 I want to thank our Majority Leader, 

22    who continues to shatter barriers every single 

23    day, our Senate Majority Leader Andrea 

24    Stewart-Cousins.

25                 Also, all of our members of the New 


                                                               1299

 1    York State Legislative Women's Caucus for 

 2    elevating this year's honorees and once again 

 3    commemorating this important month this year and 

 4    for many more months and years to come.

 5                 Mr. President, I proudly vote aye 

 6    and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.  

 7                 Happy Women's History Month.

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 9    you, Senator Webb.

10                 (Applause from gallery.)

11                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   There 

12    will be opportunity for more applause later.

13                 Senator Helming on the resolution.

14                 SENATOR HELMING:   I thought it was 

15    for me!  

16                 (Laughter.)

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Yes, 

18    indeed.

19                 SENATOR HELMING:   Thank you, 

20    Mr. President.  And thank you, Senator Webb, for 

21    those wonderful words.

22                 I'm so honored to stand before this 

23    body to commemorate Women's History Month and our 

24    Legislative Women's Caucus honorees.  There's a 

25    saying that I think probably all of us are 


                                                               1300

 1    familiar with:  In order to know where you're 

 2    going, it's important to know where you've been.

 3                 By understanding the challenges 

 4    women have endured throughout our state and our 

 5    nation's history and, importantly, the 

 6    contributions they have made, we not only deepen 

 7    our understanding of the past but we heighten our 

 8    collective determination to keep going, to 

 9    achieve the progress that we need and, honestly, 

10    the progress that we deserve.

11                 This year's Women's History Month 

12    theme is "Moving Forward Together:  Women 

13    Educating and Inspiring Generations."  We are 

14    celebrating women who have dedicated their lives 

15    to education, mentorship, and to leadership.

16                 So it's fitting that my Women's 

17    History Month honoree this year is Amy West.  

18                 Amy is a wonderful person.  She's an 

19    entrepreneur, she's a leader in the education 

20    field.  She serves as a Monroe County BOCES No. 1 

21    school board member.  She had been a past school 

22    board president for the Honeoye Falls-Lima School 

23    District.  She is a small businesses owner.  She 

24    owns two grocery stores, and she is a mentor.  

25    And just as importantly, she is a mother.


                                                               1301

 1                 I'd like to congratulate Amy and all 

 2    of the Women's History Month honorees.  I have to 

 3    say it was such a treat at the luncheon this 

 4    afternoon hearing about these incredible women.  

 5    All across the state women are leading 

 6    courageously, fiercely -- sometimes quietly, but 

 7    oftentimes fiercely -- for equal rights, for 

 8    equal pay, equal protection, and equal 

 9    opportunity.

10                 My Senate district, the 

11    54th District, is home of the Ontario County 

12    Courthouse, where in 1873 Susan B. Anthony was 

13    tried and convicted of voting illegally as a 

14    woman.  This year we proudly mark the 

15    105th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting 

16    women the right to vote.

17                 As the saying goes, we've come a 

18    long way.  Yet we recognize the ways in which we 

19    must still go.  And we have so far to go.  

20                 And, you know, I was reminded of 

21    that downstairs, on display as part of the 

22    Women's History Month, there are a number of 

23    banners and there's one that really, it grabbed 

24    me.  First of all, because the quote is from 

25    Clara Barton.  Many of us know her as the founder 


                                                               1302

 1    of the American Red Cross.  But the quote reads:  

 2    "I shall never do a man's work for less than a 

 3    man's pay."

 4                 That resonates with me today 

 5    because, you know what, women are still not being 

 6    paid equally.  The United States Census data 

 7    shows that women are earning, in equal jobs, 

 8    84 cents to a man's $1.  We've got to continue to 

 9    fight, push back against that, for equal pay.

10                 To all the women who are here today, 

11    to the female leaders everywhere who inspire all 

12    of us and, most importantly, to our young girls 

13    and our young women, we see you, we celebrate 

14    you, and we thank you.

15                 In order to know where you're going, 

16    like I said, it's important to know where you've 

17    been.  Together, we are going to keep going for 

18    our daughters and our granddaughters and for the 

19    good of our great Empire State.  

20                 Mr. President, I vote yes on this 

21    resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same.

22                 Thank you.

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

24    you, Senator Helming.

25                 To our guests, our phenomenal 


                                                               1303

 1    honorees, I welcome you on behalf of the Senate.  

 2    We extend to you all of the privileges and 

 3    courtesies of this house.  

 4                 Please rise and be recognized.

 5                 (Standing ovation.)

 6                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 7    question is on the resolution.  All in favor 

 8    signify by saying aye.

 9                 (Response of "Aye.")

10                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Opposed, 

11    nay.

12                 (No response.)

13                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

14    resolution is adopted.

15                 Senator Gianaris.

16                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   At this time, 

17    Mr. President, please call on Senator Cleare for 

18    an introduction.

19                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

20    Cleare for the purposes of an introduction.

21                 SENATOR CLEARE:   Thank you, 

22    Mr. President.  

23                 I'm excited to rise today.  It is my 

24    honor to welcome SkillSpring to Albany today.  I 

25    appreciate your indulgence as you allow me to 


                                                               1304

 1    brag about a program that is equal parts 

 2    healthcare, workforce, education, empowerment and 

 3    economic development all at the same time.

 4                 The New Jewish Home's SkillSpring 

 5    program reaches out to high school students, 

 6    often from public housing, and pays them to 

 7    become certified nurse assistants, while 

 8    guaranteeing permanent job placement at the end.

 9                 SkillSpring is an initiative that 

10    has major intergenerational effects.  Our youth 

11    learn a valuable skill, responsibility, and 

12    compassion, and our older New Yorkers have 

13    someone to pass along their wisdom, insight and 

14    share life experiences with.  Lifetime bonds are 

15    often formed.

16                 To date, SkillSpring has created 

17    healthcare career pathways for over 1100 young 

18    people, providing them the mentoring, training 

19    and allied health accreditation that leads to 

20    good-paying jobs, career pathways, and the 

21    rewards of a profession well pursued.

22                 I've never missed an opportunity to 

23    attend a graduation, and I hope that I never do.  

24    Every time I attend, I see the work that's being 

25    done.  I see our money pay off in our young 


                                                               1305

 1    people.  I see pride, I see purpose.  And I think 

 2    that is something that we have to do much, much 

 3    more for our young people, and also build our 

 4    workforce.  

 5                 So today I just want to thank you 

 6    for all that you do.  I know some of the students 

 7    had to leave, they had a train to catch.  But 

 8    today I'm going to welcome -- well, he was 

 9    here -- SkillSpring alumni Christopher Kelly 

10    Davis and Damian Harvey.  SkillSpring staff 

11    Alyssa Herman, Tanya Isaacs, Alita Maristany.  

12    Sarah Daly from LeadingAge, thank you for your 

13    support.  Laura Niland from the Metropolitan 

14    Jewish Health System, and ArchCare.

15                 Mr. President, please recognize them 

16    and afford them all the cordialities of the 

17    Senate.  Thank you.

18                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

19    you, Senator Cleare.  

20                 To our guests, I welcome you on 

21    behalf of the Senate.  We extend to you all of 

22    the privileges and courtesies of this house.  

23                 Please rise and be recognized.

24                 (Standing ovation.)

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 


                                                               1306

 1    Gianaris.  

 2                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Mr. President, 

 3    let's move on to previously adopted 

 4    Resolution 487, by Senator John Liu, read that 

 5    resolution's title, and recognize Senator Liu.  

 6                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 7    Secretary will read.

 8                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 487, by 

 9    Senator Liu, memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul 

10    to proclaim March 23, 2025, as Pakistan-American 

11    Heritage Day in the State of New York.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

13    Liu on the resolution.

14                 SENATOR LIU:   Thank you, 

15    Mr. President.  

16                 I am so happy and excited to be 

17    joined by many friends from the very proud 

18    Pakistani-American community.  We have many 

19    friends and leaders in the Senate gallery.  And 

20    we are joined on the floor by none other than the 

21    Bangladesh ambassador to the United States, 

22    Rizwan Saeed -- we are joined by the Pakistan 

23    ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed 

24    Sheikh.  Thank you, Your Excellency, for joining 

25    us on the Senate floor.  


                                                               1307

 1                 We're also joined by the 

 2    Consul General from Bangladesh to New York, 

 3    Mr. Aamer Ahmed Atozai, thank you very much.  And 

 4    of course our friend and brother Ali Rashid, who 

 5    is the head of the American Pakistani Advocacy 

 6    Group.  Thank you so much.

 7                 You know, a lot's been said about 

 8    different communities today already, but the 

 9    Pakistani-American community is one that's very 

10    proud that boasts all parts of our American 

11    society and economy.  They are accomplished in 

12    their small businesses, whether it be in stores 

13    or restaurants or transportation services, as 

14    well as the most professional endeavors, 

15    including physicians, attorneys, engineers and 

16    the like.

17                 And we would not be the State of 

18    New York today if not for this very important and 

19    influential Pakistani-American community that we 

20    celebrate with the designation of 

21    Pakistani-American Day on March 23rd.

22                 So, Mr. President, please accord our 

23    distinguished guests all the celebration and 

24    valor of this chamber.  

25                 Thank you.


                                                               1308

 1                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 2    you, Senator Liu.

 3                 To our distinguished guests, I 

 4    welcome you on behalf of the Senate.  We extend 

 5    to you all of the privileges and courtesies of 

 6    this house.  

 7                 Please rise and be recognized.

 8                 (Standing ovation.)

 9                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

10    resolution was previously adopted on March 11th.  

11                 Senator Gianaris.

12                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Next up is 

13    previously adopted Resolution 497, by 

14    Senator Sean Ryan.  Please read that resolution's 

15    title and recognize Senator Ryan, comma, S.

16                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

17    Secretary will read.

18                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 497, by 

19    Senator Sean Ryan, memorializing Governor 

20    Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 19, 2025, as 

21    Small Business Development Centers Day in the 

22    State of New York.

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

24    Sean Ryan on the resolution.

25                 SENATOR SEAN RYAN:   Thank you, 


                                                               1309

 1    Mr. President.  I rise today to celebrate the 

 2    Small Business Development Centers Day in 

 3    New York State.  

 4                 Small businesses make up 

 5    90 percent -- 96 percent of New York State 

 6    businesses and employ half of our workforce.  

 7    They're the backbone of our economy.  When 

 8    they're thriving, New York's thriving.  

 9                 As a legislature, it's our job to 

10    make sure they're getting the support that they 

11    need.  We do that by funding things with a proven 

12    track record of helping small businesses, things 

13    like investing in proven infrastructure, 

14    broadband deployment, cheap hydropower, 

15    supporting programs to grow our state workforces, 

16    like universal pre-K and childcare, and funding 

17    Small Business Development Centers.  

18                 Small Business Development Centers 

19    provide advice, training and research that helps 

20    New York's budding entrepreneurs to start and 

21    grow their businesses.  They're affiliated with 

22    13 SUNY and five CUNY campuses, as well as 

23    St. Thomas Aquinas and Pace University.  It's a 

24    connection that makes them a pipeline between our 

25    colleges, universities, communities and small 


                                                               1310

 1    businesses that rely on them to educate the 

 2    workforce.  

 3                 They're a huge help to individual 

 4    businesses, and they're an important economic 

 5    development tool.

 6                 I know firsthand; there's a Small 

 7    Business Development Center at Buffalo State.  I 

 8    go there several times a year, and each time I'm 

 9    blown away by the creativity, the 

10    stick-to-it-iveness of the entrepreneurs there, 

11    and the stick-to-it-iveness of the trainers, led 

12    by Sue McCartney, who runs that program.  

13                 But there's a lot of Sue McCartneys 

14    all around New York State who are doing this 

15    work.  This is their 41st year.  They've provided 

16    over $8 billion in direct financial impact and 

17    helped create hundreds and thousands of jobs.  In 

18    2024 alone, they helped over 31,000 small 

19    businesses to create an economic impact of over 

20    $240 million.

21                 As chair of the Economic Development 

22    Committee, I'm proud to support their work, and 

23    I'll continue to do my part to make sure that 

24    they have the support they need from this 

25    legislative body.


                                                               1311

 1                 And today I recognize them by 

 2    celebrating Small Business Development Centers 

 3    Day.

 4                 Thank you, Mr. President.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 6    you, Senator Ryan.

 7                 The resolution was previously 

 8    adopted on March 18th.

 9                 Senator Gianaris.

10                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Mr. President, 

11    next up, previously adopted resolution --

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Wait, 

13    wait, hold on.

14                 SENATOR SEAN RYAN:   Mr. President, 

15    I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have several 

16    people here from Small Business Development 

17    Centers -- 

18                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   I was 

19    wondering if you had guests, yes.

20                 SENATOR SEAN RYAN:   -- around the 

21    state.  They're our guests today.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   To our 

23    guests, we welcome you on behalf of the Senate.  

24    We extend to you extra privileges, because I 

25    forgot you the first time -- 


                                                               1312

 1                 (Laughter.)

 2                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   -- and 

 3    courtesies of this house.  

 4                 Please rise and be recognized.

 5                 (Standing ovation.)

 6                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 7    resolution was previously adopted on March 18th.

 8                 Senator Gianaris.

 9                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   And now, 

10    Mr. President, let's take up previously adopted 

11    Resolution 442, by Senator Hinchey, read that 

12    resolution's title, and recognize 

13    Senator Hinchey.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

15    Secretary will read.

16                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 442, by 

17    Senator Hinchey, commending New York Maple 

18    Producers during the Annual Maple Weekends on 

19    March 22-23, 2025, and March 29-30, 2025.

20                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

21    Hinchey on the resolution.

22                 SENATOR HINCHEY:   Thank you, 

23    Mr. President.

24                 I rise in honor of Maple Weekends.  

25    The first Maple Weekend began as Maple Sunday in 


                                                               1313

 1    1995, a single-day event to celebrate the maple 

 2    harvest and connect the public with local 

 3    producers.

 4                 2025 marks the 29th year of Maple 

 5    Weekends, now spanning four days across two whole 

 6    weekends, starting this weekend, actually.

 7                 Maple Weekends is an incredible 

 8    thing connecting our community to the producers 

 9    who farm and produce our food.  One of the things 

10    I love about driving around my district is being 

11    able to see the blue lines, knowing that in those 

12    woods something that looks just like a tree lot 

13    is actually a working farm that's connecting 

14    people to the land and creating something 

15    incredibly delicious that we all get to 

16    participate with.

17                 One of my favorite uses for maple is 

18    sweetening my coffee.  But there are many, from 

19    maple doughnuts to maple cronuts and all kinds of 

20    things.  

21                 I encourage everyone this coming 

22    weekend to get outside, find a maple farm, either 

23    in your community or around the state, and visit 

24    and talk with some of these producers.  They're 

25    all small farms, and we're so lucky to have them 


                                                               1314

 1    in our communities.

 2                 Thank you very much, Mr. President.

 3                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 4    you, Senator Hinchey.

 5                 Senator Borrello on the resolution.

 6                 SENATOR BORRELLO:   Thank you, 

 7    Mr. President.  I don't know how to follow up 

 8    maple cronuts, but I'll try.

 9                 Maple Weekends has been an amazing 

10    opportunity to recognize that New York State is 

11    the number-two maple producer in the country.  

12    And in fact, last year, in 2024, the maple 

13    production was 846,000 gallons, up a hundred 

14    thousand gallons from the year before.  

15                 And I'm told this is going to be 

16    another great year as we start to close out 

17    tapping of the maple trees around New York State.  

18                 And this weekend is our time to 

19    celebrate that.  In my district I am proud to 

20    have several legendary places where you can come 

21    and experience maple weekend -- places like 

22    Sprague's Maple Farms, Sweet Time Maple, 

23    Ulinger's Maple Farm, Wright Farms.  And then I 

24    myself will be down at Merle Maple.

25                 Come on out to one of the many 


                                                               1315

 1    places that we have here in New York State.  This 

 2    is a great opportunity to celebrate all the sweet 

 3    things that make up Maple Weekend.

 4                 Thank you, Mr. President.  

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 6    you, Senator Borrello.

 7                 The resolution was previously 

 8    adopted on March 11th.

 9                 Senator Gianaris.

10                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Last but not 

11    least, previously adopted Resolution 460, by 

12    Senator Ashby.  Please read that resolution's 

13    title and recognize Senator Ashby.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

15    Secretary will read.

16                 THE SECRETARY:   Resolution 460, by 

17    Senator Ashby, commemorating the Third Annual 

18    Honor Flight Day in the State of New York.

19                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

20    Ashby on the resolution.

21                 SENATOR ASHBY:   Thank you, 

22    Mr. President.  

23                 Today we celebrate our third annual 

24    Honor Flight Day in our State Capitol.  Honor 

25    Flight is a national organization with more than 


                                                               1316

 1    100 hubs across America.  These Honor Flight hubs 

 2    provide all-expense-paid trips for our veterans 

 3    and their families to Washington, D.C., where 

 4    they visit memorials that are erected in their 

 5    honor.  

 6                 Many veterans and organizers call it 

 7    a flight of a lifetime.  It's my honor, as the 

 8    ranking member of the Veterans, Homeland Security 

 9    and Military Affairs Committee, to introduce our 

10    Honor Flight veterans and organizers.

11                 We have dozens of veterans here with 

12    us today representing 10 Honor Flight hubs 

13    throughout the State of New York, to include 

14    Long Island Honor Flight, Big Apple Honor Flight, 

15    Hudson Valley Honor Flight, Patriot Flight 

16    Albany, Leatherstocking Honor Flight, Honor 

17    Flight Syracuse, Honor Flight Rochester, Twin 

18    Tiers Honor Flight, Buffalo-Niagara Honor Flight, 

19    and North Country Honor Flight.

20                 We are also joined by veterans of 

21    the Vietnam War, the Korea conflict, World War II 

22    veterans, and Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, to 

23    include 99-year-old Arthur Grabiner, I believe a 

24    constituent of Senator Liu, a Navy Pacific 

25    Theater veteran who was in the Philippines just 


                                                               1317

 1    last month commemorating the 80th anniversary of 

 2    the Battle of Manila.  He will be receiving the 

 3    Congressional Gold Medal next month and will be 

 4    turning 100 in September.

 5                 Please welcome them and honor their 

 6    service.

 7                 (Applause from gallery.)

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

 9    you, Senator Ashby.

10                 Senator Scarcella-Spanton on the 

11    resolution.

12                 SENATOR SCARCELLA-SPANTON:   Thank 

13    you, Mr. President.  

14                 And thank you to my colleague 

15    Senator Ashby, who's a wonderful ranking member 

16    on this committee, for introducing this 

17    resolution today.

18                 It's important to mention each year 

19    the Honor Flight Network helps make it possible 

20    for about 22,000 veterans to travel to 

21    Washington, D.C.  And since its inception, 

22    approximately 275,000 veterans from all services, 

23    from more than 130 locations across the country, 

24    have taken this flight.

25                 In New York State alone, over 


                                                               1318

 1    5,000 members of the armed services have 

 2    fulfilled their wish to visit our nation's 

 3    capital and all its sites and memorials honoring 

 4    our country's great history.  

 5                 Once again, our nation's veterans 

 6    deserve to be recognized, commended and thanked 

 7    by the people of the State of New York.  

 8                 And it was wonderful to meet so many 

 9    of you this morning.  Thank you again to my 

10    colleague Senator Ashby for introducing this.  

11                 I proudly vote aye.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Thank 

13    you, Senator Scarcella-Spanton.

14                 To our guests, we thank you for your 

15    sacrifice and we appreciate and applaud your 

16    service.  I welcome you on behalf of the Senate.  

17    We extend to you all of the privileges and 

18    courtesies of this house.  

19                 Please be recognized.

20                 (Cheers; lengthy standing ovation.)

21                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

22    resolution was previously adopted on March 11th.

23                 Senator Gianaris.

24                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   At the request 

25    of the sponsors, today's resolutions are all open 


                                                               1319

 1    for cosponsorship.

 2                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   These 

 3    resolutions are open for cosponsorship.  Should 

 4    you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify 

 5    the desk.

 6                 Senator Gianaris.

 7                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   I have a motion 

 8    here, Mr. President.  

 9                 On behalf of Senator Stavisky, on 

10    page 27 I offer the following amendments to 

11    Calendar 458, Senate Print 4892, and ask that 

12    said bill retain its place on the Third Reading 

13    Calendar.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

15    amendments are received, and the bill will retain 

16    its place on the Third Reading Calendar.

17                 Senator Gianaris.

18                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Let's take up 

19    the calendar now, please.

20                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

21    Secretary will read.

22                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

23    130, Senate Print 1926, by Senator Persaud, an 

24    act to amend the Social Services Law.

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 


                                                               1320

 1    last section.

 2                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 3.  This 

 3    act shall take effect October 1, 2026.

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

 5    roll.

 6                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

 8    the results.

 9                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

10    Calendar 130, voting in the negative are 

11    Senators Borrello, Oberacker and Walczyk.

12                 Ayes, 57.  Nays, 3.

13                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

14    is passed.

15                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

16    289, Senate Print 568, by Senator May, an act to 

17    amend the Election Law.

18                 SENATOR LANZA:   Lay it aside.

19                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Lay it 

20    aside.

21                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

22    293, Senate Print 1809, by Senator Fernandez, an 

23    act to amend the Election Law.

24                 SENATOR LANZA:   Lay it aside.

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Lay it 


                                                               1321

 1    aside.

 2                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

 3    378, Senate Print 4980, by Senator Martinez, an 

 4    act to amend the General Municipal Law.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

 6    last section.

 7                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

 8    act shall take effect immediately.  

 9                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

10    roll.

11                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

13    the results.

14                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

15    Calendar 378, voting in the negative are 

16    Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, 

17    Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Lanza, Martins, Murray, 

18    Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, 

19    Tedisco, Walczyk and Weber.

20                 Ayes, 42.  Nays, 18.

21                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

22    is passed.

23                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

24    433, Senate Print 4852, by Senator Skoufis, an 

25    act to amend the Executive Law.


                                                               1322

 1                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

 2    last section.

 3                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 4.  This 

 4    act shall take effect immediately.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

 6    roll.

 7                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

 9    the results.

10                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

11    Calendar 433, voting in the negative are 

12    Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, 

13    Chan, Griffo, Helming, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, 

14    Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, 

15    Walczyk, Weber and Weik.

16                 Ayes, 42.  Nays, 18.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

18    is passed.

19                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

20    460, Senate Print Number 5392, by 

21    Senator Scarcella-Spanton, an act to amend 

22    the Education Law.

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

24    last section.

25                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 3.  This 


                                                               1323

 1    act shall take effect immediately.

 2                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

 3    roll.

 4                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

 6    the results.

 7                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

 8    Calendar 460, voting in the negative are 

 9    Senators Borrello, Griffo, Helming, O'Mara, 

10    Rhoads, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.

11                 Ayes, 51.  Nays, 9.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

13    is passed.

14                 THE SECRETARY:   Also Senator 

15    Martinez.

16                 Ayes, 50.  Nays, 10.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

18    is passed.

19                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

20    483, Senate Print 4911, by Senator Hinchey, an 

21    act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

23    last section.  

24                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

25    act shall take effect immediately.


                                                               1324

 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, 60.

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

 8    is passed.

 9                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

10    487, Senate Print 1287A, by Senator Persaud, an 

11    act to amend the Public Health Law.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

13    last section.

14                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

15    act shall take effect on the 30th day after it 

16    shall have become a law.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

18    roll.

19                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

20                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

21    the results.

22                 THE SECRETARY:   Ayes, 60.

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

24    is passed.

25                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 


                                                               1325

 1    528, Senate Print 2011, by Senator Parker, an act 

 2    to direct the Department of State and 

 3    Public Service Commission to jointly study and 

 4    report upon the disclosure to consumer credit 

 5    reporting agencies.

 6                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

 7    last section.

 8                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 4.  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:   In relation to 

16    Calendar 528, voting in the negative are 

17    Senators Martins, O'Mara and Ortt.

18                  Ayes, 57.  Nays, 3.

19                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

20    is passed.

21                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

22    529, Senate Print 2587, by Senator Mayer, an act 

23    to amend the Executive Law.  

24                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

25    last section.


                                                               1326

 1                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

 2    act shall take effect immediately.  

 3                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

 4    roll.

 5                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 6                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 7    Mayer to explain her vote.

 8                 SENATOR MAYER:   Thank you, 

 9    Mr. President.  I rise to vote aye on this 

10    legislation.  

11                 By establishing January 30th as 

12    Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the 

13    Constitution, we are affirming New York's 

14    commitment to learning and teaching about the 

15    difficult history of the United States' shameful 

16    treatment of Japanese and Japanese-Americans 

17    during World War II.  We recognize Fred 

18    Korematsu's contributions to helping us reckon 

19    with this history, and we recommit to the ongoing 

20    fight for civil and constitutional rights for 

21    all.  

22                 In 1942, the United States forced 

23    West Coast residents of Japanese descent to leave 

24    their homes and communities to be sent to 

25    internment camps for the duration of the war.  


                                                               1327

 1    Fred Korematsu, who was born to Japanese 

 2    immigrant parents, refused to go when his family 

 3    was ordered.  He was arrested, convicted in 

 4    federal court, and sent to an internment camp.

 5                 He appealed his conviction, but the 

 6    United States Supreme Court ultimately affirmed 

 7    it in Korematsu versus the United States.  After 

 8    the war, when he was released, he began his life 

 9    as a civil rights advocate, fighting for those 

10    who were deeply wronged during the war, to ensure 

11    that this did not happen to any other group.  

12                 In 1984, his case was reopened and 

13    his conviction overturned on the basis of 

14    government misconduct.  He was awarded the 

15    Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.  

16                 As New York State and the 

17    United States see a rise in anti-Asian hate and 

18    other forms of hate and discrimination, we must 

19    stand united and continue to acknowledge the 

20    painful history of discrimination and 

21    mistreatment of Japanese-Americans.  

22                 Let us ensure that the words of the 

23    Constitution, which we swore to when we took our 

24    oath, remain our guiding light.  

25                 I would like to thank 


                                                               1328

 1    Assemblymember Grace Lee, who sponsors this bill 

 2    in the Assembly.  

 3                 And I'm grateful for the work of 

 4    Koji Sato and Takeshi and Carolyn Furumoto, who 

 5    brought this issue to me and have dedicated their 

 6    lives to advocating for the recognition of 

 7    Japanese-American history and the contributions 

 8    of Japanese-Americans to the United States.

 9                 I vote aye.

10                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

11    Mayer to be recorded in the affirmative.

12                 Announce the results.

13                 THE SECRETARY:   Ayes, 60.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

15    is passed.

16                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

17    544, Senate Print 5105, by Senator Harckham, an 

18    act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.

19                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Read the 

20    last section.

21                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

22    act shall take effect on the 60th day after it 

23    shall have become a law.

24                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

25    roll.


                                                               1329

 1                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 2                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Announce 

 3    the results.

 4                 THE SECRETARY:   Ayes, 60.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

 6    is passed.

 7                 Senator Gianaris, that completes the 

 8    reading of today's calendar.

 9                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Let's move to 

10    the controversial calendar, please.

11                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

12    Secretary will ring the bell.

13                 The Secretary will read.

14                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

15    289, Senate Print 568, by Senator May, an act to 

16    amend the Election Law.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

18    Walczyk, why do you rise?

19                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Mr. President, I 

20    rise hoping that the sponsor will yield for some 

21    questions.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

23    sponsor yield?

24                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 


                                                               1330

 1    sponsor yields.  

 2                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

 3    Mr. President.  This bill will allow new portable 

 4    polling sites during early voting, even two weeks 

 5    before Election Day.  

 6                 Will private businesses be eligible 

 7    to be a location for polling sites?

 8                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

 9    Mr. President, I believe, for example, that a 

10    mall would be an eligible site for this.

11                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

12    Mr. President, would the sponsor continue to 

13    yield.  

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

15    sponsor yield?

16                 SENATOR MAY:   Yes.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

18    sponsor yields.

19                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   So shopping 

20    malls.  Any other private businesses?  Would any 

21    private business be eligible to be a polling site 

22    for early voting?  

23                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

24    Mr. President.  When this has been implemented in 

25    Idaho, for example, it sometimes happens -- the 


                                                               1331

 1    Board of Elections will sometimes set up a mobile 

 2    site in a parking lot of, say, a Walmart or 

 3    something like that, where part of the idea is to 

 4    reach especially rural areas where they may have 

 5    difficulty getting to early voting sites if 

 6    there's just one site in their county.  So trying 

 7    to bring the polling to where the people are.  

 8                 So yes, you could -- at least the 

 9    parking lot of a major employer or of a major 

10    business might be a location for this.

11                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

12    Mr. President, would the sponsor continue to 

13    yield.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

15    sponsor yield?

16                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

18    sponsor yields.

19                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   What about 

20    colleges, would they be eligible to be a pop-up 

21    or a portable polling site if this bill is passed 

22    into law?  

23                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

24    Mr. President.  On the same principle, bringing 

25    it to people where they are, that would be also a 


                                                               1332

 1    possibility.

 2                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

 3    Mr. President, would the sponsor continue to 

 4    yield.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

 6    sponsor yield? 

 7                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 9    sponsor yields.

10                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   We've taken up 

11    legislation talking about the conflict of 

12    interest for certain polling locations recently 

13    in this chamber.  Any prohibition if it's a 

14    state-funded college or a college that gets a lot 

15    of state or federal funding?  Is there any 

16    prohibition in this legislation?

17                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

18    Mr. President, no.

19                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

20    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

21    yield.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

23    sponsor yield?  

24                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 


                                                               1333

 1    sponsor yields.

 2                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   How about 

 3    businesses, private businesses, like Micron 

 4    that's coming to CNY?  New York State is 

 5    investing $100 million.  The Federal CHIPS Act, 

 6    $6 billion.  Would they be prohibited from having 

 7    a portable polling site on location there?  

 8                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

 9    Mr. President.  The purpose of this bill is to 

10    bring the voting to where the voters are.  So if 

11    that was a logical place and both the Republican 

12    and the Democratic elections commissioner for the 

13    county decided that that was a logical place to 

14    put a three-day polling site, that could happen.

15                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

16    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

17    yield.

18                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

19    sponsor yield?

20                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.  

21                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

22    sponsor yields.

23                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   This bill says a 

24    polling site would have to be announced 14 days 

25    before Election Day, is that right?  


                                                               1334

 1                 SENATOR MAY:   I believe it's -- 

 2    yeah, 14 days before early voting begins, is my 

 3    understanding.

 4                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

 5    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

 6    yield.

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

 8    sponsor yield?

 9                 SENATOR MAY:   Yes.

10                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

11    sponsor yields.

12                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Looking at lines 

13    8, 9 and 10 of your bill, the designation -- and 

14    State Board of Elections, based on pop -- the 

15    designation and location of any portable polling 

16    place shall be made no later than 14 days before 

17    an election.  I would take that to be 14 days 

18    before Election Day.  

19                 Am I reading your legislation wrong, 

20    it's 14 days before early voting starts?

21                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

22    Mr. President, it doesn't specify in the bill, 

23    but my understanding is that it would be when the 

24    election begins, which would be the first day of 

25    early voting.


                                                               1335

 1                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

 2    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

 3    yield.

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

 5    sponsor yield? 

 6                 SENATOR MAY:   I will.

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 8    sponsor yields.

 9                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   We've asked about 

10    security in the past on this legislation.  I know 

11    you've brought this bill up a number of times.  

12    But given that a polling site in your district 

13    was broken into this past election, how has that 

14    informed any changes to this legislation when it 

15    comes to securing polling sites or the pop-up 

16    portable polling sites you're proposing here?  

17                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

18    Mr. President.  As I have explained in the past, 

19    the security -- the protocols for setting up one 

20    of these sites would be exactly the same as for 

21    setting up any early voting site or Election Day 

22    site.

23                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

24    Mr. President, would the sponsor continue to 

25    yield?  


                                                               1336

 1                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

 2    sponsor yield? 

 3                 SENATOR MAY:   I would.

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 5    sponsor yields.

 6                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   So no changes, no 

 7    consideration for securing those portable polling 

 8    sites?  

 9                 SENATOR MAY:   Through you, 

10    Mr. President.  They are the same considerations 

11    for all polling sites.

12                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Thank you.  

13                 Mr. President, on the bill.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

15    Walczyk on the bill.

16                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   A bipartisan 

17    group of election commissioners, each year they 

18    meet at the beginning of our legislative session.  

19    They actually -- they've given pretty clear 

20    direction to us as legislators.  Sometimes this 

21    body and the Assembly have passed as many as 

22    270 different changes to Election Law.  They've 

23    asked us to really back off on how many times we 

24    change the rules for how we run elections in 

25    New York State.


                                                               1337

 1                 But they have supported 19 measures 

 2    in this legislative session.  However, this is 

 3    not one of the measures that they support.

 4                 This bill would allow portable 

 5    polling locations for early voting to be 

 6    announced and then, by my read, start operating 

 7    on early voting just two weeks before 

 8    Election Day, to be announced and then begin 

 9    immediately.

10                 They could be at a location where 

11    the Governor or a State Senator or a 

12    Congressmember had stood just weeks before with a 

13    big government check announcing for that 

14    business, for that college, for whatever it is, a 

15    portable polling location could be at that same 

16    location where one of those politicians that's on 

17    the ballot was standing with a check just weeks 

18    before.

19                 If you want more people to vote, you 

20    don't have to buy their votes.  Don't ignore 

21    elections commissioners and don't do more 

22    gimmicks to help one party over the other.  

23    There's some things that you could do.  You can 

24    secure our elections.  You could eliminate 

25    fraud -- all of it.  You could require voter 


                                                               1338

 1    I.D., listen to our elections commissioners, and 

 2    you could stop constantly changing the rules for 

 3    how our elections run in New York State.  

 4                 This bill will only result in more 

 5    confusion and skepticism about our electoral 

 6    process.  It will do nothing to change turnout or 

 7    faith in our democratic process in the State of 

 8    New York, and I'll be voting no.  

 9                 Thank you.

10                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

11    Borrello.  On the bill?

12                 SENATOR BORRELLO:   On the bill, 

13    please.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

15    Borrello on the bill.

16                 SENATOR BORRELLO:   Thank you, 

17    Mr. President.  

18                 Thank you very much, 

19    Senator Walczyk, for summarizing what we've 

20    talked about before on this bill.  

21                 I get it.  We want to make sure that 

22    anybody and everybody gets to vote.  But we can't 

23    do it at the expense of security and ensuring 

24    that people have faith that our elections are 

25    fair and secure.  


                                                               1339

 1                 And unfortunately, this does none of 

 2    that.  We've asked in the past what kind of 

 3    security, and the answer was, Well, the same kind 

 4    of security that we have for other polling sites.  

 5                 I don't know, I'm not a hundred 

 6    percent sure, but I don't think any polling site 

 7    is located inside of an RV somewhere on the road.  

 8    We have to have specific measures to secure these 

 9    places.

10                 You know, the -- always when we do 

11    these things the answer I always hear from my 

12    colleagues on the other side of the aisle, when 

13    we start talking about how these things will be 

14    done fairly is that don't worry, we have 

15    bipartisan boards of elections throughout 

16    New York State.  However, they are actively 

17    engaged in removing that bipartisanship and 

18    turning -- what they term as professionalizing 

19    our boards of elections.  

20                 Which means no more bipartisanship.  

21    It means the party in power in that particular 

22    county, municipality, city, whatever it is, is 

23    going to decide who works at the Board of 

24    Elections.  So that's going to go out the window 

25    too.


                                                               1340

 1                 You know, I've referred to these 

 2    things as "voter food trucks" and kind of made 

 3    fun of the fact that, you know, we need to put 

 4    these things on wheels and move them around.  But 

 5    the reality is we need to make sure there is 

 6    security.  I heard earlier today that democracy 

 7    in our country is under assault and we have a 

 8    threat to democracy.  I hear "threat to 

 9    democracy" often.  

10                 I can't think of a greater threat to 

11    the democracy of the United States than people 

12    losing faith that our elections are fair and 

13    secure and that their vote actually counts.  And 

14    gimmicks like this will move us in the wrong 

15    direction to securing the most important part of 

16    democracy, which is ensuring that everyone has 

17    faith that our elections are fair, honest and 

18    secure.  

19                 So I will continue, for I think the 

20    fifth time now, to vote no on this bill.  

21                 Thank you, Mr. President.

22                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Are there 

23    any other Senators wishing to be heard?

24                 Seeing and hearing none, debate is 

25    closed.  The Secretary will ring the bell.


                                                               1341

 1                 Read the last section.

 2                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

 3    act shall take effect on the first of January.

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

 5    roll.

 6                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 8    May to explain her vote.

 9                 SENATOR MAY:   Thank you, 

10    Mr. President.

11                 I want to start by saying that the 

12    initial questioning about where these locations 

13    could be was deeply disingenuous.  Because as it 

14    is right now, polling places are located at 

15    schools, at colleges, at workplaces of various 

16    kinds, and any of the supposed conflicts of 

17    interest that my colleague was raising could have 

18    been happening for centuries at those locations.  

19                 There's nothing different about 

20    these particular locations, which aren't 

21    necessarily in a mobile site, but they would be 

22    only for three days instead of 10 days and 

23    allowing the Board of Elections to be a little 

24    more nimble about trying to site polling places 

25    where the people are.


                                                               1342

 1                 That's all this is doing.  And it 

 2    grew out of a hearing in 2019 that identified one 

 3    of the problems with early voting.  The first 

 4    time we experienced it in New York was that rural 

 5    New Yorkers were struggling to get to early 

 6    voting sites.  So the purpose of this was to help 

 7    rural voters in particular.

 8                 But let me push back even more about 

 9    the accusations about fraud and insecure 

10    elections and undermining voter confidence in our 

11    elections.  Because every time my colleagues 

12    raise some of these issues about -- earlier this 

13    week we heard about noncitizen voting.  This time 

14    we heard about voter fraud.  

15                 Every time you raise these issues, 

16    knowing full well that voter fraud is extremely 

17    rare and it would be extremely hard to find an 

18    instance of an election in New York State that 

19    had been swayed by voter fraud.  

20                 The problem with that is every time 

21    you use those phrases you chip away at voter 

22    confidence in our elections.  And the darkest 

23    secret about American elections is that our 

24    elections depend, above all, on voter confidence.

25                 Yes, we need good voting laws.  Yes, 


                                                               1343

 1    we need competent and careful election workers 

 2    and law-abiding voters.  But we cannot have a 

 3    democracy unless we have patriotic citizens who 

 4    will accept the result of the elections, even if 

 5    the elections don't go their way.

 6                 And it's that kind of patriotism, 

 7    it's that kind of faith in our elections that's 

 8    being eroded by this kind of rhetoric, day after 

 9    day, here in this chamber, in chambers all over 

10    the country and social media all over the 

11    country.

12                 And I for one can't just sit by and 

13    let that happen, so I will speak up about it 

14    every time I hear it.

15                 I vote aye on this bill.  Thank you.

16                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

17    May to be recorded in the affirmative.

18                 Announce the results.

19                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

20    Calendar 289, those Senators voting in the 

21    negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, 

22    Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, 

23    Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, 

24    Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, 

25    Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.


                                                               1344

 1                 Ayes, 38.  Nays, 22.

 2                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

 3    is passed.

 4                 THE SECRETARY:   Calendar Number 

 5    293, Senate Print 1809, by Senator Fernandez, an 

 6    act to amend the Election Law.

 7                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 8    Walczyk, why do you rise?

 9                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Mr. President, 

10    would the sponsor yield.

11                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

12    sponsor yield?

13                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Yes, 

14    Mr. President.

15                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

16    sponsor yields.  

17                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

18    Mr. President.  Are college students currently 

19    prohibiting from being elections inspectors or 

20    poll workers in the State of New York?

21                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   No.  Through 

22    you.  

23                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

24    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

25    yield.  


                                                               1345

 1                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

 2    sponsor yield?

 3                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Yes.

 4                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

 5    sponsor yields.

 6                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Currently they 

 7    can only be elections inspectors in the county in 

 8    which they're registered to vote, is that --

 9                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Currently.

10                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   And through you, 

11    Mr. President, would the sponsor continue to 

12    yield.

13                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

14    sponsor yield?

15                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   I'm not sure.

16                 No, I will, yes.

17                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

18    sponsor yields.

19                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   So this bill will 

20    allow nonresidents of a county to be elections 

21    inspectors as long as they go to college in that 

22    county, is that --

23                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Well, through 

24    you, Mr. President, you must be a full-time 

25    registered student within a university in the 


                                                               1346

 1    county.  That means that you must be 18 years and 

 2    older, you must be a New York State-registered 

 3    voter.  And as a college student living in that 

 4    town, that county, they are technically a 

 5    resident.

 6                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Through you, 

 7    Mr. President, if the sponsor would continue to 

 8    yield.

 9                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Will the 

10    sponsor yield?

11                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Yes.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The 

13    sponsor yields.  

14                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Does this bill 

15    that you're presenting today require elections 

16    inspectors and poll clerks to be citizens of the 

17    United States?

18                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Well, you must 

19    be a citizen to be registered, Mr. President, 

20    through you.

21                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   Thank you.  

22                 Mr. President, on the bill.

23                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

24    Walczyk on the bill.

25                 SENATOR WALCZYK:   As I stated 


                                                               1347

 1    earlier, there's a bipartisan group of elections 

 2    commissioners.  Each year they put together some 

 3    proposals that they want this Legislature to 

 4    consider.  There were 19 of them this year.  This 

 5    isn't on that list.

 6                 This bill would allow college kids 

 7    with no other connection to a community to be an 

 8    inspector overseeing integrity of our democratic 

 9    process at any poll site in that college's 

10    county.  So a kid that goes to Syracuse 

11    University will be paid by Board of Elections to 

12    inspect a poll site in the Town of Cicero.  Or a 

13    student at Potsdam will be paid by St. Lawrence 

14    to check in residents in the Town of Rossie.  

15                 The Board of Elections has no 

16    mechanism to see the citizenship of someone, 

17    whether they're registered to vote.  And New York 

18    City we all know is attempting to register 

19    noncitizens by local law.  In fact, commissioners 

20    receive calls from immigration lawyers asking 

21    them to remove registered voters from the rolls 

22    because, as was pointed out by the sponsor, it is 

23    illegal to register to vote in the State of 

24    New York as a noncitizen.

25                 However, that very function, when 


                                                               1348

 1    immigration lawyers are calling Board of 

 2    Elections to remove their client from our voter 

 3    rolls, shows that noncitizens are registering to 

 4    vote in the New York State.

 5                 You want to win?  Do better policy, 

 6    work hard, get results.  Not this.  

 7                 I'll be no.

 8                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Are there 

 9    any other Senators wishing to be heard?

10                 Seeing and hearing none, debate is 

11    closed.  The Secretary will ring the bell.

12                 Read the last section.

13                 THE SECRETARY:   Section 2.  This 

14    act shall take effect immediately.  

15                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Call the 

16    roll.

17                 (The Secretary called the roll.)

18                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

19    Fernandez to explain her vote.

20                 SENATOR FERNANDEZ:   Thank you.  I 

21    stood up early because I'm so ready to explain my 

22    vote here.  

23                 I need my fellow colleague to 

24    understand that college students are not just a 

25    stranger in your town, a stranger in your 


                                                               1349

 1    community.  They live there.  They invest their 

 2    time there.  As a college student, you do explore 

 3    your town.  You do pay taxes and support 

 4    businesses in that town.  So they are -- there is 

 5    a connection for a college student to where they 

 6    go to college.

 7                 And there is a crisis we have a 

 8    shortage of poll workers, of poll inspectors.  

 9    This is a fair effort to allow someone who wants 

10    to get engaged early -- and I think we want young 

11    people to be engaged early and understand the 

12    democratic process to be able to give back in 

13    that sense.

14                 There is no gotcha moment here that 

15    a noncitizen is going to register and then become 

16    a poll worker and then do something to the polls.  

17    There are strict rules that already exist in 

18    Election Law that you cannot infiltrate or -- not 

19    infiltrate.  But you cannot engage with voters to 

20    sway a vote.  You can't do that already.  

21                 So if there's fear that maybe a 

22    young person that is in an Ivy League school 

23    might have an opinion at the poll site, they have 

24    to keep that to themselves.  But this offers an 

25    opportunity for that young person to get an extra 


                                                               1350

 1    income; again, to be engaged in the political 

 2    process much earlier in their life; and to help 

 3    the crisis that is with the lack of poll workers 

 4    and poll coordinators.  

 5                 So I proudly vote for this bill 

 6    because we should be allowing people that want to 

 7    help our election system do that and to relieve 

 8    the crisis that is with poll workers, thus 

 9    probably limiting polling sites.  

10                 So I vote aye, and I thank everyone 

11    here for voting aye.

12                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

13    Fernandez to be recorded in the affirmative.

14                 Senator Gounardes to explain his 

15    vote.

16                 SENATOR GOUNARDES:   Thank you, 

17    Mr. President.  

18                 I really want to thank 

19    Senator Fernandez for this.  

20                 I'm just baffled why anyone would 

21    take objection to the notion that we should allow 

22    college students to experience democracy 

23    firsthand, the administration of our elections, 

24    which are a complicated thing.  Let them see it, 

25    learn it, appreciate it, engage with it, and then 


                                                               1351

 1    maybe it will spark an interest in them to want 

 2    to pursue some type of path in public service.  

 3                 It just baffles my mind that we're 

 4    going to discriminate and that we hear people on 

 5    the other side say kids who go to college are not 

 6    worthy enough to be poll watchers or poll 

 7    inspectors during an election.  That just boggles 

 8    my mind.  

 9                 The State of Oklahoma is now 

10    mandating that students have to learn about 

11    election irregularities, right?  What better way 

12    to actually show people how elections are run and 

13    administered than by training college students 

14    who want to do this work to learn about how their 

15    local elections happen, and then give them the 

16    opportunity to do so.

17                 Mr. President, every year for the 

18    last couple of years I teach a class on voting 

19    rights at Hunter College.  And every year when we 

20    have an election, I make an opportunity for my 

21    students to apply for the Board of Elections so 

22    that they can be poll watchers in their district.  

23                 You know how many jump at that 

24    opportunity?  Every single time I've taught that 

25    class, Mr. President, more than half of my class 


                                                               1352

 1    has jumped at that opportunity because they want 

 2    to learn.  

 3                 This body should not stand in their 

 4    way.  And for that, I proudly vote aye.

 5                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 6    Gounardes to be recorded in the affirmative.

 7                 Senator Martins to explain his vote.  

 8                 SENATOR MARTINS:   Thank you, 

 9    Mr. President.

10                 You know, look, I don't understand 

11    why it's always college students and we always 

12    focus on college students.  If you want to make 

13    it more available to people to work polls, let's 

14    talk about commuters.  I've got plenty of people 

15    in my district who commute to work every day, 

16    they commute to work in New York City, they go 

17    down into Manhattan, they go up into Westchester, 

18    different parts of the state.  They do support 

19    the local economy, they pay local sales tax.  

20                 You know, we always talk about 

21    college students.  But if we want to make it 

22    available, let's make it available to everybody.  

23    So if somebody is commuting and they're working 

24    in a certain area, let's allow them to work the 

25    polls.  


                                                               1353

 1                 But we don't.  And there's a reason 

 2    we don't, because we want to make sure that 

 3    people who are working the polls have 

 4    historically been people who live in the area, 

 5    know the area, know their constituents and their 

 6    neighbors and are able to properly service them.  

 7    That's always been the case.

 8                 And then we make exceptions.  But if 

 9    we're going to be consistent, if we're going to 

10    just allow it and allow the door to swing wide 

11    open, then let's consider the idea of allowing 

12    more than just colleges and college students.  

13    Let's consider the idea that people who are 

14    commuting, that people who are not there and 

15    living there and sleeping there but actually 

16    working there, and give them the opportunity to 

17    do so as well.  

18                 But you know what?  That never comes 

19    to the floor in this house.  That's never a 

20    consideration.  But yet time and again we're 

21    always talking about colleges and college 

22    students.  

23                 Mr. President, I vote no.

24                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

25    Martins to be recorded in the negative.


                                                               1354

 1                 Senator Krueger to explain her vote.

 2                 SENATOR KRUEGER:   I want to thank 

 3    Senator Martins.  I think we should do exactly 

 4    that, along with having college students being 

 5    able to be poll workers at their schools or 

 6    wherever, because we need more people to be 

 7    involved in democracy, as my colleague so 

 8    eloquently pointed out, and what better training 

 9    ground than actually working in an election?  

10                 And for the record, I come from 

11    New York City.  No one knows the people walking 

12    into the poll sites.  The poll workers do not 

13    know who -- they know who I am, happily.  They're 

14    very happy to see me each time.  But they don't 

15    know who's coming and going.  The population 

16    changes constantly.  The population is enormous.  

17    And we keep moving our poll sites every election, 

18    so it's not even the same location as the last 

19    time time.

20                 So I'm not worried about that 

21    reality.  But I think if more people want to be 

22    poll workers in a broader distribution of areas, 

23    I say yes, we need poll workers.  And we only pay 

24    them $300 a day, but they have to get there at 

25    6 a.m., to like 10 p.m.  So talk to your 


                                                               1355

 1    neighbors about that too.

 2                 Thank you.

 3                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   Senator 

 4    Krueger to be recorded in the affirmative.

 5                 Announce the results.

 6                 THE SECRETARY:   In relation to 

 7    Calendar 293, voting in the negative are 

 8    Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, 

 9    Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Martins, 

10    Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, 

11    Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, 

12    Weber and Weik.

13                 Ayes, 39.  Nays, 21.

14                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   The bill 

15    is passed.

16                 Senator Gianaris, that completes the 

17    reading of the controversial calendar.  

18                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   Is there any 

19    further business at the desk?

20                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   There is 

21    no further business at the desk.

22                 SENATOR GIANARIS:   I move to 

23    adjourn until tomorrow, Thursday, March 20th, at 

24    11:00 a.m.

25                 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY:   On 


                                                               1356

 1    motion, the Senate stands adjourned until 

 2    Thursday, March 20th, at 11:00 a.m.

 3                 (Whereupon, at 5:12 p.m., the Senate 

 4    adjourned.)

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