Senate Transcript - March 23, 1999

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SENATOR WALDON:Thank you very much, Mr. President. My colleagues, I have a golden opportunity for our chamber. We can do something that is only is not -- is righteous, but is right. This is something that will save lives into the millennium. If there is ever a time that we needed to look at diversity training amongst our police it is now. Post Diallo, plus a whole host of other confrontations with our police departments not only in New York City but across the state. The district I represent alone can be characterized as a polyglot. There is just so many languages in the district, so many cultures represented. Now, I think that is true across the width and breadth of New York State. Our police need to know more about the people they are constitutionally bound to serve. We need to have also more community policing grants for our police officers so that the CPOP teams in uniform will get to know the people they serve. O. W. Wilson and all the great writers in law enforcement say that when uniformed officers have a chance interface constantly with the people they serve they are able to render better service. And I believe we need to enhance that in New York State at this time. The fastest growing population in our criminal justice system is our youth and if we are to interdict that problem we need to create very creative situations for our youth to occupy themselves. My grandmother Maude Barbara Wallace said, "idle hands is the devil's playground." And I believe that is true even in 1999. And so if we can have creative programs in the schools that last not just until 7:00 but until midnight and after. If we can have centers everywhere a young person needs to involve him or herself, we will go a long way in preventing bad decisions being made regarding the criminal justice system. And I believe that our woman and children who suffer constantly in this state from domestic violence, need to have a friend. And we, the Legislature can be that friend. And I want us to creates 375 additional beds for them and the necessary legal services to ensure that the battered woman and children of this state are adequately cared for. And I offer this for our consideration more mere pittance, $26.45 million. I ask my colleagues to join me in taking care of business on behalf of the youth and the mothers and children of this state. Thank you very much, Mr. President

SENATOR HEVESI:Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, this is the largest of the amendments that we are offering up today. This amendment would allocate $600 million in consideration of prior year school aid receivables. I have been heard on this issue before on the floor of this institution. New York City is owed 700 -- owed a minimum of $725 million of prior year school aid. And many, many school districts throughout the State of New York, all over the state are all, are owed in the aggregate $95.3 million. $95.3 million. Compounding this problem the executive budget this year includes a woefully inadequate $36 million in consideration of these receivables. And New York City with 88 percent of the claims currently pending is capped at 40 percent of the allocation. Making matters even worse if the City of New York does not receive $39 million by June 30th of this year, the New York City Board or Education will forfeit, write-off $39 million. Mr. President, we face extraordinary educational challenges. We are trying to implement universal pre-k. We are trying to reduce class sizes. We are trying to reduce student-teacher ratio we are trying to better prepare our students for the standards that we have recently and wisely implemented. And most pressingly Mr. President, we have a crisis in overcrowding in my home county. There are currently 22,000 students that do not have seats in the classroom and over the next five to seven years we are getting an additional 60,000 students into the classroom. The amendment before us today is not a New York City aid package. I will remind everybody in this institution that this package will provide money immediately that is due for counties throughout the entire state including $1.1 million, for example, for the Binghamton school district, $1.6 million for the Auburn school district, $207,000 for Northern Adirondack school district. And in conclusion, this proposal today, a $600 million allocation does a series of things that we must move in the -- in the direction of doing, including reducing the state's long-term obligations. At the same time that we correct an injustice that has been before us for many years. And lastly, allocating those funds as a consequence of this policy to address our most pressing educational challenges where ever they are in the state of New York. I move that this motion be adopted and that my colleagues support it. Thank you.

SENATOR PADAVAN:Thank you, Mr. President. And knowing how long and hard we've deliberated on this issue, I will be very brief. The Majority leader earlier started this discussion by saying that this plan that is before us, the resolution, is both prudent, reasonable, and a proper approach. And I fully agree with that and comments made by our distinguished chairman of finance obviously were right to the mark. And the characteristically intellectually superior observations of Senator Marchi were also more than beneficial to all of us. However, there is one part of this resolution that is neither prudent nor desirable. And that relates to the continuation of something that is called Quick Draw. Quick Draw as you all know is a Keno game played in casinos. Several years ago it was adopted by this Legislature for the benefit of those new members by tying it together with a tax cut bill. Because most of us, if not virtually all of, found that the idea was somewhat displeasing to say the least, it became law. It became law however with several provisions. One that a report should be given prior its renewal at its sunset of three years. So the report to rendered by the state lottery division in conjunction with the Office of Mental Health on the impact of Quick Draw. Well, I haven't see this report, I assume neither have you. I will get a report with, but OMH -- and I have direct communication with the commissioner - will not have been involved, totally uninvolved. It will come from a marketing firm, the Goldfarb and Company under contract with the state lottery. In addition, the state counsel on problem gambling was suppose to be involved, totally uninvolved. And the director of that agency has communicated with us and I've shared that with all of you so I won't bore you by reading it. Simply saying, this is a big mistake, they haven't done it and when they do say they've done it, it won't be worth the paper it is written on. Now the fact remains, this is not economic development, the profits from the lottery last year were $147 million by their accounting. And that's $147 million worth of problems. 18 percent of the people calling the hot line that's set up by the counsel relate to the lottery and quick draw as their problem. The reason they got to that very critical point, and I suggest to you anyone who dials an 800 number, pleaing, calling for help, pleading for help, is in bad shape. The issues here are rather lengthy and involved. And there will be a time when we deal with the budget bills where we will address it once again. But I just want this body to know and to think as we work toward that, hopefully, near term solution to a budget, that Quick Draw should come to an end. We didn't wanted it in the first place and we certainly don't want to continue it for another two years. I will vote for this resolution, however.

Tuesday, March 23, 1999

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