Monday, May 8, 2006

1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE 2 3 4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD 5 6 7 8 9 ALBANY, NEW YORK 10 May 8, 2006 11 3:17 p.m. 12 13 14 REGULAR SESSION 15 16 17 18 LT. GOVERNOR MARY O. DONOHUE, President 19 STEVEN M. BOGGESS, Secretary 20 21 22 23 24 25

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(518) 371-8910 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 THE PRESIDENT: The Senate will 3 please come to order. 4 I ask everyone present to please 5 rise and repeat with me the Pledge of 6 Allegiance. 7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited 8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.) 9 THE PRESIDENT: With us is a 10 colleague, friend and advisor who needs no 11 introduction, Reverend Peter G. Young, from 12 Blessed Sacrament Church in Bolton Landing, 13 New York. 14 REVEREND YOUNG: As New Yorkers, 15 in having honored the prayer and having 16 honored, of course, our flag, we are proud 17 that the first christening of the American 18 flag, the Stars and Stripes, was flown in 19 battle at the defense of Fort Stanwick in 20 Rome, in Senator Meier's turf. 21 It's with great pride that we are 22 able to serve as Senators in this patriotic 23 tradition, as elected leaders to fill Your 24 call, O God of leadership to all our people of 25 New York State.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Amen. 2 THE PRESIDENT: Reading of the 3 Journal. 4 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, 5 Sunday, May 7, the Senate met pursuant to 6 adjournment. The Journal of Saturday, May 6, 7 was read and approved. On motion, Senate 8 adjourned. 9 THE PRESIDENT: Without 10 objection, the Journal stands approved as 11 read. 12 Presentation of petitions. 13 Messages from the Assembly. 14 Messages from the Governor. 15 Reports of standing committees. 16 Reports of select committees. 17 Communications and reports from 18 state officers. 19 Motions and resolutions. 20 Senator Fuschillo. 21 SENATOR FUSCHILLO: Thank you, 22 Madam President. 23 On behalf of Senator Meier, on page 24 number 58 I offer the following amendments to 25 Calendar Number 849, Senate Print Number

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(518) 371-8910 1 2322A, and ask that said bill retain its place 2 on Third Reading Calendar. 3 THE PRESIDENT: The amendments 4 are received, and the bill will retain its 5 place on the Third Reading Calendar. 6 SENATOR FUSCHILLO: Thank you, 7 Madam President. 8 On behalf of Senator Little, on 9 page number 33 I offer the following 10 amendments to Calendar Number 412, Senate 11 Print Number 3844, and ask that said bill 12 retain its place on Third Reading Calendar. 13 THE PRESIDENT: Those amendments 14 are also received, and the bill will retain 15 its place on the Third Reading Calendar. 16 SENATOR FUSCHILLO: Madam 17 President, on behalf of Senator Meier, on page 18 number 39 I offer the following amendments to 19 Calendar Number 579, Senate Print Number 20 2316B, and ask that said bill retain its place 21 on Third Reading Calendar. 22 THE PRESIDENT: The amendments 23 are received, and the bill will retain its 24 place on the Third Reading Calendar. 25 SENATOR FUSCHILLO: Madam

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(518) 371-8910 1 President, on behalf of Senator Libous, on 2 page number 54 I offer the following 3 amendments to Calendar Number 812, Senate 4 Print Number 6425, and ask that said bill 5 retain its place on Third Reading Calendar. 6 THE PRESIDENT: The amendments 7 are received. The bill will retain its place 8 on the Third Reading Calendar. 9 SENATOR FUSCHILLO: Thank you. 10 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Skelos. 11 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President, 12 there's a Resolution 5006 at the desk, by 13 Senator Breslin. Could we have it read in its 14 entirety and move for its immediate adoption. 15 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary 16 will read. 17 THE SECRETARY: By Senator 18 Breslin, Legislative Resolution Number 5006, 19 congratulating the University at Albany Men's 20 Basketball Team and Coach Will Brown upon the 21 occasion of capturing the 2006 America East 22 Conference Championship. 23 "WHEREAS, It is with great pride 24 that this Legislative Body commends those 25 outstanding athletes of the State of New York

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(518) 371-8910 1 who bring honor and distinction to the game of 2 college basketball, distinguishing themselves 3 through notable achievement and thereby 4 representing the State of New York with 5 exceptional dignity and determination; and 6 "WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is 7 justly proud to congratulate the University at 8 Albany Men's Basketball Team and Coach Will 9 Brown upon the occasion of capturing the 2006 10 America East Conference Championship. The 11 Great Danes defeated three-time defending 12 champions, the University of Vermont 13 Catamounts, on Saturday, March 11, 2006, in 14 front of a jubilant crowd of 4,538 fans at the 15 Recreation and Convocation Center, Albany, 16 New York, in a game televised nationally on 17 ESPN 2; and 18 "WHEREAS, The top-seeded Great 19 Danes earned the league's automatic bid to the 20 NCAA Tournament and completed their turnaround 21 from Division I patsy. Entering this year, 22 UAlbany hadn't had a winning season since 23 upgrading to Division I in 1999-2000 and 24 bottomed out with a 5-23 record just two years 25 ago; and

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(518) 371-8910 1 "WHEREAS, The Great Danes came out 2 like a team determined to put that history 3 behind them. Hundreds of UAlbany students 4 rushed the court when the game was over, and 5 UAlbany players cut down the net; and 6 "WHEREAS, Entering the NCAA 7 Tournament on Friday, March 17, 2006, the 8 Great Danes competed against the top-seeded 9 University of Connecticut Huskies in the first 10 round at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, 11 Pennsylvania; and 12 "WHEREAS, The athletic talent 13 displayed by this team is due in great part to 14 the efforts of Coach Will Brown and his 15 dedicated assistants, skilled and 16 inspirational tutors, respected for their 17 ability to develop potential into excellence; 18 and 19 "WHEREAS, The team's overall record 20 of 21 wins and 11 losses is outstanding, and 21 the team members were loyally and 22 enthusiastically supported by family, friends 23 and fans all across the great State of 24 New York; and 25 "WHEREAS, The hallmarks of the

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(518) 371-8910 1 University at Albany's Men's Basketball Team, 2 from the opening practice of the season to 3 participation in the NCAA Tournament in 4 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were a brotherhood 5 of athletic ability, of good sportsmanship, of 6 honor and of scholarship, demonstrating that 7 these team players are second to none; and 8 "WHEREAS, Athletically and 9 academically, the team members have proven 10 themselves to be an unbeatable combination of 11 talents, reflecting favorably on their 12 college; and 13 "WHEREAS, Coach Will Brown and his 14 staff have done a superb job in guiding, 15 molding and inspiring the team members toward 16 their goals; and 17 "WHEREAS, Sports competition 18 instills the values of teamwork, pride and 19 accomplishment, and Coach Will Brown and the 20 12 outstanding athletes have clearly made a 21 contribution to the spirit of excellence which 22 is a tradition at the University at Albany; 23 now, therefore, be it 24 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative 25 Body pause in its deliberations to

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(518) 371-8910 1 congratulate the University at Albany Men's 2 Basketball Team, its members -- David Bauman, 3 Brian Connelly, Jimmie Covington, Jon Iati, 4 Lucious Jordan, Jerrad Knotts, Levi Levine, 5 Brian Lillis, Jason Siggers, Brent Wilson, 6 Jamar Wilson and Kirsten Zoellner -- Trainers 7 Rich Bennet and Brian DePasquale, Managers 8 Michael Peck, Rob Longert, and Nick Mattera, 9 Assistant Coaches Pat Filien, Chad O'Donnell, 10 Eric Eaton and Jeremy Friel, and Coach Will 11 Brown on their outstanding season and on 12 winning the America East Conference 13 Championship; and be it further 14 "RESOLVED, That copies of this 15 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted 16 to the members of the University at Albany 17 Men's Basketball Team and to Coach Will 18 Brown." 19 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Breslin. 20 SENATOR BRESLIN: Thank you, 21 Madam President. 22 This is a wonderful day to stand 23 and to applaud this basketball team, a team 24 that didn't become a Division I team until 25 1999. And to have its first winning season

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(518) 371-8910 1 this year, at 21 and 11, and to be able to 2 turn on the television and watch a national 3 game, as Albany beat Vermont for the America 4 East title -- and then that Friday night, that 5 Friday night when all of us were watching, 6 when Albany played Connecticut -- Connecticut, 7 a team that we see every day, a team that was 8 arguably the number-one team in the country 9 then -- and to watch minute after minute go by 10 as, shot for shot, these kids just stayed with 11 them and stayed with them, stayed with the 12 team, the Connecticut team that's made up 13 predominantly of McDonald's All Americans. 14 But as I talked to these young men, 15 they weren't at all fazed by the people they 16 were playing against. They knew if they 17 played their own game, they would be right 18 there with them. 19 And speaking of that team, the team 20 at Albany is more than just the players, it's 21 made up of the coaches: Will, who you know, 22 Will Brown -- if you'd stand up, Will -- Eric 23 Eaton, Pat Filien, Chad O'Donnell, Jeremy 24 Friel; the athletic administration, led by 25 Athletic Director Lee McElroy, who's here, and

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(518) 371-8910 1 Brian DePasquale and Charlie Voelker, who many 2 of us know; and the university administration, 3 our fine president, Kermit Hall, who's there 4 with Charlie Williams and Mark Schmidt. 5 But now to the people who brought 6 it all together. And you can rest assured I 7 won't be like the Governor; I'm not going to 8 challenge any of these young men one-on-one, 9 even though I threatened to before. And if 10 you'd stand: Lucious Jordan, who happens to 11 be from Colonie Center and a member of Albany 12 County, and hopefully a voter in this 13 county -- that's called an aside -- Jamar 14 Wilson, from the Bronx; Jon Iati, from York, 15 Pennsylvania; Dave Bauman, from Pittsburgh; 16 and, last but not least, Levi Levine, from 17 New York City. 18 We applaud what's happened. You've 19 set a new standard for basketball. We expect 20 to have you back each and every year. I am 21 terribly impressed by watching you all this 22 year, you players, the way you handled 23 yourselves -- we knew you could do it on the 24 court, but off the court, your ability to 25 articulate and to bring prestige to this

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(518) 371-8910 1 university. 2 We of course have another kind of 3 informal member of your team right here on the 4 floor, and that's Senator Hugh Farley, from 5 Schenectady, a long-time professor at Albany 6 State, who I know joins with me in this 7 tribute. 8 Again, I commend you, I'm humbled 9 to have you here, and I look forward to seeing 10 many of your games next year. 11 Thank you very much. 12 (Applause.) 13 SENATOR BRESLIN: I'd like to 14 note, just before Senator Farley speaks, that 15 they have decided to retire my number here at 16 Albany State. 17 (Laughter.) 18 SENATOR BRESLIN: Thank you very 19 much, Senator Farley. 20 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Farley. 21 SENATOR FARLEY: Thank you, Madam 22 President, Senator Breslin. 23 Let me just say that as a graduate 24 of the State University of New York at Albany, 25 and somebody that's taught there for

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(518) 371-8910 1 35 years -- and for many, many years I used to 2 rehabilitate Coach Sauer's players in my 3 classes and enjoyed all of those basketball 4 players who have been academic outstanding 5 students -- let me just say, Albany, it was 6 incredible. 7 The whole nation was watching them 8 and rooting for them as they -- as the bottom 9 seed was really taking the University of 10 Connecticut and almost beat them, to the last 11 minute. We got the light out from underneath 12 the bushel for Albany. This is a national 13 school. 14 Will Brown, what you've done with 15 that team in the very short time you've been 16 Division I is absolutely incredible. We're 17 very, very proud of you. There's a lot of 18 better days coming. This is one of the most 19 exciting things that has ever happened in this 20 Capital District. And I salute you, not only 21 as a fine academic institution but as a great 22 team and a great bunch of youngsters. And, 23 you know, we've got them coming back for next 24 year. 25 We're very proud of you.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Congratulations. 2 THE PRESIDENT: Senator 3 Stachowski. 4 SENATOR STACHOWSKI: Just 5 briefly. I won't rehash everything they said 6 about the great year you guys had and the 7 wonderful job you did in the tournament. 8 I just wanted to point out to you, 9 as somebody who has nothing to do with the 10 University at Albany, and I don't live in 11 Albany except when I work here, what I noticed 12 that you did for the university is lobbyists, 13 people that work here, members of the 14 Legislature that went to Albany were now 15 suddenly telling everybody: "You know, I went 16 to Albany. I'm going to watch my team 17 Friday." 18 Then when you guys played so well, 19 the following Monday they were all, again, in 20 our face, telling us what a great job you guys 21 did and how proud they were to be from the 22 University of Albany. And I think that that 23 job you did for the university, the university 24 couldn't afford to pay for. 25 So I just join everyone else in

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(518) 371-8910 1 congratulating you. 2 THE PRESIDENT: On the 3 resolution, all in favor please signify by 4 saying aye. 5 (Response of "Aye.") 6 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay. 7 (No response.) 8 THE PRESIDENT: The resolution is 9 adopted. 10 Congratulations. Best wishes, as 11 we're sure you will have similar success down 12 the road. 13 (Applause.) 14 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Skelos. 15 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President, 16 there's a Resolution 4632 at the desk, by 17 Senator Flanagan. Could we have the title 18 read and move for its immediate adoption. 19 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary 20 will read. 21 THE SECRETARY: By Senator 22 Flanagan, Legislative Resolution 4632, 23 commending Lieutenant Dennis Carman upon the 24 occasion of his designation as Correction 25 Officer of the Year by the New York State

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(518) 371-8910 1 Deputies Association. 2 THE PRESIDENT: On the 3 resolution, all in favor please signify by 4 saying aye. 5 (Response of "Aye.") 6 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay. 7 (No response.) 8 THE PRESIDENT: The resolution is 9 adopted. 10 Senator Skelos. 11 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President, 12 there's a resolution at the desk, 5100, by 13 Senator Little. Could we have the title read 14 and move for its immediate adoption. 15 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary 16 will read. 17 THE SECRETARY: By Senator 18 Little, Legislative Resolution Number 5100, 19 commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 20 Tupper Lake National Bank. 21 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Little. 22 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you. 23 We always speak about small 24 businesses and how they are the backbone of 25 our community. The Tupper Lake National Bank

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(518) 371-8910 1 is a small business. It has been an ongoing 2 banking business in Tupper Lake for 100 years. 3 And it's with a great deal of pride that we 4 celebrate that. 5 They now have branches in Saranac 6 Lake, Lake Placid, and Plattsburgh. And they, 7 like many of our other small businesses, have 8 been able to grow in the New York State 9 business climate. 10 So I congratulate them and all of 11 their previous workers and current-day workers 12 for the wonderful job that they do providing 13 banking services to the people in my district. 14 Thank you. 15 THE PRESIDENT: All in favor 16 please signify by saying aye. 17 (Response of "Aye.") 18 THE PRESIDENT: Opposed, nay. 19 (No response.) 20 THE PRESIDENT: The resolution is 21 adopted. 22 Senator Skelos. 23 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President, 24 if we could go to the noncontroversial reading 25 of the calendar.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary 2 will read. 3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 4 57, by Senator Wright, Senate Print 5532B, an 5 act to amend the Family Court Act, in relation 6 to making juvenile delinquents criminally 7 responsible. 8 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 9 section. 10 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 11 act shall take effect on the first of 12 November. 13 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 14 (The Secretary called the roll.) 15 SENATOR SKELOS: Lay it aside 16 temporarily, please. 17 THE PRESIDENT: The roll call is 18 withdrawn. 19 The bill is laid aside temporarily. 20 The Secretary will continue to 21 read. 22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 23 105, by Senator Skelos, Senate Print 494B, an 24 act to amend the Education Law. 25 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last

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(518) 371-8910 1 section. 2 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This 3 act shall take effect on the 180th day. 4 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 5 (The Secretary called the roll.) 6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 7 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 8 passed. 9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 10 162, by Senator Skelos, Senate Print 4381A, an 11 act to amend the Uniform Commercial Code, in 12 relation to conversion. 13 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 14 section. 15 THE SECRETARY: Section 4. This 16 act shall take effect immediately. 17 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 18 (The Secretary called the roll.) 19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 20 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 21 passed. 22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 23 517, by Senator Larkin, Senate Print 6880A, an 24 act to amend the Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering 25 and Breeding Law, in relation to authorizing.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 2 section. 3 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 4 act shall take effect immediately. 5 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 6 (The Secretary called the roll.) 7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 8 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 9 passed. 10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 11 611, by Senator Maziarz -- 12 SENATOR SKELOS: Lay it aside for 13 the day, please. 14 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is laid 15 aside for the day. 16 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 17 700, by Senator Farley, Senate Print 4677A, an 18 act to amend the Banking Law, in relation to 19 changing. 20 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 21 section. 22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 23 act shall take effect on the 90th day. 24 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 25 (The Secretary called the roll.)

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 2 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 3 passed. 4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 5 724, by Senator Fuschillo, Senate Print 6568, 6 an act to authorize the East Farmingdale 7 Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. 8 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 9 section. 10 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 11 act shall take effect immediately. 12 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 13 (The Secretary called the roll.) 14 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 15 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 16 passed. 17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 18 725, by Senator Johnson, Senate Print 6851, an 19 act to authorize. 20 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 21 section. 22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 23 act shall take effect immediately. 24 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 25 (The Secretary called the roll.)

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54. Nays, 2 1. Senator Bonacic recorded in the negative. 3 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 4 passed. 5 THE SECRETARY: In relation to 6 Calendar Number 725, those recorded in the 7 negative: Senators Bonacic, Larkin and Rath. 8 Ayes, 52. Nays, 3. 9 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 10 passed. 11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 12 778, by Senator Little, Senate Print 731A, an 13 act to amend the Local Finance Law, in 14 relation to advance refunding. 15 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 16 section. 17 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 18 act shall take effect immediately. 19 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 20 (The Secretary called the roll.) 21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 22 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 23 passed. 24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 25 783, by Senator Little, Senate Print 4916, an

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(518) 371-8910 1 act to amend the General Municipal Law, in 2 relation to balancing. 3 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 4 section. 5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 6 act shall take effect on the first of July. 7 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 8 (The Secretary called the roll.) 9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 10 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 11 passed. 12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 13 786, by Senator Winner, Senate Print 6316, an 14 act to amend the General Municipal Law and 15 others, in relation to requiring. 16 THE PRESIDENT: There is a local 17 fiscal impact note at the desk. 18 Read the last section. 19 THE SECRETARY: Section 8. This 20 act shall take effect on the first of January. 21 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 22 (The Secretary called the roll.) 23 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 24 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 25 passed.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 2 800, by Senator Bonacic, Senate Print 997, an 3 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law and 4 the Labor Law, in relation to fingerprinting. 5 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 6 section. 7 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 8 act shall take effect on the 90th day. 9 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 10 (The Secretary called the roll.) 11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54. Nays, 12 1. Senator A. Smith recorded in the negative. 13 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 14 passed. 15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 16 808, by Senator DeFrancisco, Senate Print 17 5054, an act to amend the Navigation Law, in 18 relation to operation. 19 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 20 section. 21 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 22 act shall take effect immediately. 23 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 24 (The Secretary called the roll.) 25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 2 passed. 3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 4 809, by Senator Padavan, Senate Print 5360, an 5 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law, in 6 relation to suspension. 7 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 8 section. 9 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 10 act shall take effect immediately. 11 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 12 (The Secretary called the roll.) 13 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 54. Nays, 14 1. Senator Montgomery recorded in the 15 negative. 16 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 17 passed. 18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 19 811, by Senator Young, Senate Print 6238, an 20 act to amend the Vehicle and Traffic Law, in 21 relation to designating. 22 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 23 section. 24 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 25 act shall take effect immediately.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 2 (The Secretary called the roll.) 3 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 4 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 5 passed. 6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 7 821, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 1412, an 8 act to amend the Real Property Actions and 9 Proceedings Law, in relation to purchase. 10 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 11 section. 12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This 13 act shall take effect on the 30th day. 14 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 15 (The Secretary called the roll.) 16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 55. 17 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 18 passed. 19 The Secretary will read Calendar 20 Number 57. 21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 22 57, by Senator Wright, Senate Print 5532B, an 23 act to amend the Family Court Act. 24 THE PRESIDENT: Read the last 25 section.

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(518) 371-8910 1 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This 2 act shall take effect on the first of 3 November. 4 THE PRESIDENT: Call the roll. 5 (The Secretary called the roll.) 6 THE PRESIDENT: The Secretary 7 will announce the results. 8 THE SECRETARY: Those recorded in 9 the negative on Calendar Number 57 are 10 Senators Dilan, Montgomery, Oppenheimer and 11 A. Smith. 12 Ayes, 51. Nays, 4. 13 THE PRESIDENT: The bill is 14 passed. 15 Senator Skelos, that completes the 16 reading of the noncontroversial calendar. 17 SENATOR SKELOS: Madam President, 18 if you could just recognize Senator Flanagan. 19 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Flanagan. 20 SENATOR FLANAGAN: Thank you, 21 Madam President. 22 Just a brief announcement. Many of 23 my colleagues know tomorrow is the bowlathon 24 for the Bone Marrow Foundation, which many 25 people have participated in.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Today, the Bone Marrow Foundation 2 is in the LOB, in Hearing Room C. They're 3 allowing people to get tested up until 4 6 o'clock. A very simple test, just a little 5 prick on the finger and it can help save 6 somebody's life. So if you have the time, 7 they're down there until 6 o'clock, Hearing 8 Room C, the Bone Marrow Foundation. 9 Thank you. 10 SENATOR BRUNO: Madam President. 11 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Bruno. 12 SENATOR BRUNO: Can we at this 13 time return to motions and resolutions. 14 I believe I have a resolution at 15 the desk. I would ask that it be read in its 16 entirety and move for its immediate adoption. 17 THE PRESIDENT: Motions and 18 resolutions. 19 The Secretary will read. 20 THE SECRETARY: By Senator Bruno, 21 Legislative Resolution Number 5115, 22 commemorating May 8, 2006, as Volunteer 23 Firefighter and EMS Day, in recognition of the 24 sacrifices and contributions these outstanding 25 individuals make to protect and to care for

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(518) 371-8910 1 the residents of the State of New York. 2 "WHEREAS, It is the custom of this 3 Legislative Body to recognize and pay just 4 tribute to those individuals who devote their 5 purposeful life to serving others, expressing 6 its highest regard and admiration for the 7 great skill and courageous dedication 8 exhibited by those individuals who take prompt 9 and heroic action in an emergency situation, 10 without due regard for their own safety and 11 welfare; and 12 "WHEREAS, Attendant to such 13 concern, and in full accord with its 14 long-standing traditions, this Legislative 15 Body is proud to commemorate Monday, May 8, 16 2006, as Volunteer Firefighter and Emergency 17 Medical Services (EMS) Day; and 18 "WHEREAS, The members of four vital 19 organizations that play a significant role in 20 caring for the residents of New York State 21 include the Firemen's Association of the State 22 of New York (FASNY), the Chiefs Association, 23 the Fire District Association, and the 24 Volunteer Ambulance Association; and 25 "WHEREAS, It takes a special

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(518) 371-8910 1 dedication, a strong desire to help others, 2 and a tireless sense of community to be a 3 volunteer firefighter, to respond to the 4 signal that a neighbor is in need, and to 5 heroically perform, often above and beyond the 6 call of duty, those responsibilities which 7 define the task of fire protection; and 8 "WHEREAS, Emergency medical 9 services providers have traditionally served 10 as the safety net of America's healthcare 11 system. The members of EMS teams are ready to 12 provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 13 hours a day, seven days a week; and 14 "WHEREAS, More than 75 percent of 15 the emergency response in the great State of 16 New York is volunteer. The selfless 17 contribution that these men and women make to 18 New York's quality of life cannot be replaced; 19 and 20 "WHEREAS, It is important for all 21 citizens of our state and nation to know and 22 understand the problems, duties and 23 responsibilities of their volunteer 24 firefighters and EMS personnel, and that these 25 brave volunteers recognize their duty to serve

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(518) 371-8910 1 the public by safeguarding both life and 2 property; now, therefore, be it 3 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative 4 Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate 5 May 8, 2006, as Volunteer Firefighter and EMS 6 Day, in recognition of the sacrifices and 7 contributions these outstanding individuals 8 make to protect and to care for the residents 9 of the State of New York; and be it further 10 "RESOLVED, That copies of this 11 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted 12 to the members of the Firemen's Association of 13 the State of New York, the Chiefs Association, 14 the Fire District Association, and the 15 Volunteer Ambulance Association." 16 THE PRESIDENT: Senator Bruno. 17 SENATOR BRUNO: Madam President, 18 we just heard a resolution that talks about 19 firemen and emergency responders here in this 20 state. They are -- many of them are here in 21 the building. We had hoped they could get 22 here before we finished session. They may or 23 they may not. 24 But the resolution describes the 25 contribution that they make to all of our

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(518) 371-8910 1 lives. And recognize that all of these people 2 are volunteers. Three-quarters of them are 3 volunteers, 24/7. I don't think there's a 4 person here that hasn't had a personal 5 experience with one of the firemen or an 6 emergency responder who hasn't in some 7 positive way affected our lives. 8 I in one situation had them arrive 9 for part of my family at 2:00 in the morning, 10 and something that was very, very traumatic -- 11 2:00 in the morning. Whether it was 12 life-threatening, lifesaving, who knows. But 13 they were there. 14 Fires, right next door to where I 15 live, 20 below zero, and they were there. 16 Son's house burned to the ground. Within 17 minutes, they were there. 18 I was the first car on the scene at 19 a car accident where the car was over on its 20 side and the motor was still going -- it was 21 over on its roof. And there was a couple in 22 there, and the woman was pregnant, eight 23 months pregnant. Within minutes -- and there 24 were fluids all over. And the young fellow 25 that was behind that wheel was upside down and

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(518) 371-8910 1 strapped in. And we that were there were 2 doing what we could to create some relief. 3 But it was apparent you couldn't open doors, 4 you couldn't get into that car. 5 Those people arrived, and within 6 minutes -- with fluids all over that could 7 have been gasoline, that could have been 8 explosive -- just responded and handled the 9 situation. 10 And the good news in that case, the 11 baby was actually born and survived, the 12 mother survived, the young fellow survived. 13 And he had a good -- chances were that he 14 could have choked to death, because he was 15 upside down and bleeding in his head and his 16 mouth. 17 So those are personal experiences. 18 You just don't forget them. And everyone 19 here, I'm sure, could tell story after story 20 about the heroism, the commitment, the will of 21 these people to do things where they have no 22 regard for their own safety, their own lives, 23 but just respond to other people who need 24 their help. 25 So I am honored and privileged that

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(518) 371-8910 1 we can pass a resolution recognizing the 2 merits of what all of these people do in our 3 lives. And while they may or may not be here, 4 this resolution will stand and will be 5 delivered to them as a testimony to the 6 respect that we in this chamber have for their 7 will, for their commitment, for their good 8 work, for being so unselfish, 24/7, in 9 responding to the need of people throughout 10 the state. 11 And if you would join me, as we are 12 being joined by the representatives of the 13 firemen and the emergency responders here. 14 Are there other speakers? There are. Then 15 I'm going to ask the other speakers to say a 16 few words, and then we'll go from there. 17 THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, 18 Senator. 19 Senator Balboni. 20 SENATOR BALBONI: Senator Bruno 21 and Madam President, I wanted to rise because 22 we all understand the importance of the 23 firefighting community. 24 But I want to share an experience 25 that I just had. And I'm sorry, but I am

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(518) 371-8910 1 unaware of how many members of the Senate are 2 members of volunteer fire departments. But I 3 am not, and so I had never really gotten a 4 chance to observe what fire departments and 5 firemen do. 6 And last fall, I went to the Fire 7 School. And I went with the Mineola Fire 8 Department, and they put me into a tower, a 9 fire going on in a tower of six floors. You 10 put the bunker gear on, turnout coats, the 11 helmet, the Scott air pack, about 60, 12 65 pounds, and you climb up six flights of 13 stairs. 14 And there were two staircases, one 15 the attack staircase and one the pressurized 16 staircase. And I went in with the captain to 17 the pressurized staircase, and we got in the 18 fire room before anybody else got there. 19 And what they'd done is they'd 20 taken two pallets of wood, and they put one in 21 both sides of the floor of the tower, and they 22 put a thing of gasoline underneath it. And so 23 that was all that was burning in this cement 24 room. 25 Well, the heat in there is

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(518) 371-8910 1 something I have never witnessed, experienced 2 before in my life. And I didn't have one 3 inch, not one inch of skin exposed. 4 And the firefighter who was next to 5 me, the fire chief, he's walking on hands and 6 knees, it's completely black. I've got a huge 7 flashlight on my arm; you cannot see anything 8 but a dull glow. And so I get up, just 9 because we've got to run down this hallway 10 now, and as soon as I run up, the hair on the 11 back of my neck singes through the coat. 12 And the captain grabs me and pulls 13 me down and says, "Get down, you can't do 14 that, you're going to burn." And to emphasize 15 it, he stands up after the fire is over. He's 16 got a flashlight on top of his helmet; the 17 flashlight has melted. 18 This is the kind of heat and the 19 confusion and the darkness and the 20 claustrophobia and the fear and the 21 adrenaline. And now you've got to go look for 22 bodies and you've got to try to pull people 23 out. It is an extraordinary experience. 24 I urge all of my colleagues, if you 25 have a chance, go to your local fire

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(518) 371-8910 1 department and see when they're going to do 2 this. I'm telling you, it is an amazing 3 experience. And to think that in places where 4 they have volunteer fire departments, they do 5 this for free. Unbelievable that they would 6 do this. 7 But that's the kind of protection 8 that they provide, it's the kind of experience 9 that they have. And every time they do 10 that -- you know, we talk so much about the 11 word "bravery." But when you think about 12 doing that to save your neighbor, there is no 13 better definition. 14 Thank you, Mr. President. 15 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 16 Seward, on the resolution. 17 SENATOR SEWARD: Thank you, 18 Mr. President. 19 I rise as the chair of our task 20 force that we have on volunteer emergency 21 services. And following up on what my 22 colleague -- our leader, Senator Bruno, and 23 Senator Balboni have said, I think it's very, 24 very appropriate that we pause this day to 25 honor the men and women who selflessly give of

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(518) 371-8910 1 themselves day in and day out, night in and 2 night out, to protect property and people in 3 the State of New York. 4 Our volunteer firefighters, 5 ambulance workers, other emergency service 6 personnel provide such an invaluable service 7 to the residents of our state. 8 I know Senator Bruno outlined some 9 personal experiences he's had in emergency 10 situations he's observed, Senator Balboni 11 talking about a personal visit to a firehouse. 12 I think we collectively, as New Yorkers and as 13 Americans, we all saw on September 11, 2001, 14 when the World Trade Center was under attack, 15 that no question we witnessed that day the 16 immense dedication, commitment and sacrifice 17 that our first responders make every time the 18 pager goes off or that whistle blows. They 19 never know what they're getting into. 20 And we saw, of course, on 21 September 11, 2001, such a catastrophic event, 22 but yet our first responders were there and 23 far too many of them lost their lives. But in 24 so doing, that was, I think, one of the 25 largest evacuation efforts in history. And

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(518) 371-8910 1 many more thousands of lives could have been 2 lost that terrible day if it was not for the 3 bravery of our first responders. 4 And if there's any good that has 5 come out of that terrible day, I think it's 6 been a renewed appreciation for the 7 dedication, commitment and sometimes the real 8 sacrifice of our first responders. 9 So we pause today to pay homage to 10 the 110,000 paid and volunteer first 11 responders, our firefighters in particular, 12 throughout the state who are on call 24 hours 13 a day, seven days a week. 14 If you want to put it in dollars 15 and cents, it's very tough to quantify. We 16 estimate that volunteers save our state and 17 local communities no less than $2.9 billion. 18 That's just in salaries and benefits alone. 19 That's a tremendous contribution to this state 20 and local governments. 21 And I was so pleased in our budget 22 that we passed this year we included an income 23 tax credit for volunteers in that budget, 24 $200. It's not a huge amount of money, but it 25 is some recognition in a tangible way of the

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(518) 371-8910 1 outstanding service that we're recognizing 2 here today. 3 And I think we as a Senate are 4 going to continue to provide the necessary 5 tools that will continue to assist our 6 volunteers in carrying out their important 7 work. 8 So I think it's very appropriate 9 that we pause this day to honor these heroic 10 men and women that do so much to protect 11 people and protect property throughout the 12 communities in New York State. 13 Congratulations, and thank you for 14 all you do. 15 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Thank 16 you, Senator Seward. 17 Senator Rath. 18 SENATOR RATH: Thank you, 19 Mr. President. I would like to add my 20 congratulations to the volunteer firefighters 21 of New York State. 22 A little bit of sentimentality, if 23 you would allow me. My late husband's 24 grandfather and great-grandfather were both 25 battalion chiefs in the city of Buffalo. My

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(518) 371-8910 1 father-in-law, who was at one time county 2 executive, always had the coat, helmet and 3 boots and gloves in the trunk, and the fire 4 band was always on his radio. And he was at 5 every fire of any consequence at all in Erie 6 County for his many, many years of public 7 service, even before he was county executive. 8 Senator Bruno spoke very, very 9 eloquently of some circumstances in his 10 district when the emergency responders turned 11 out almost instantly for a very, very dramatic 12 and serious automobile accident, and how 13 quickly things were put to rights and the 14 people were saved, and a pregnant woman 15 managed to deliver a very healthy child as a 16 result of quick action. 17 I had a circumstance in my district 18 a few years ago. I represent Western 19 New York, as I said, and the city of Batavia, 20 town of Batavia had a very serious train 21 derailment out in farmland. Companies from 22 everywhere showed up and came and stayed. It 23 was a magnificent display of what people can 24 do when they were interoperable in responding 25 to a disaster.

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(518) 371-8910 1 So thank you for what you do today. 2 Thank you for what you've done in the past, 3 what you will do in the future. 4 And I would just like to note that 5 two nights ago, it was the 150th anniversary 6 of a very proud fire company in my district, 7 Hutchinson Hose. The history of 8 Williamsville, New York, is the history of 9 Hutchinson Hose Company. It was wonderful to 10 hear what they have done over the past 11 150 years and what we hope and plan and I know 12 they expect to do for the next 150. 13 Thank you all for your service to 14 the State of New York and the people of the 15 State of New York. 16 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 17 Alesi. 18 SENATOR ALESI: Thank you, 19 Mr. President. 20 Like many of us, I'm sure that we 21 all are related to or know or have personally 22 experienced what it's like to grow up in a 23 volunteer firefighter family, and I'm no 24 exception. I'm very fond of referring to 25 myself as a firefighter brat.

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(518) 371-8910 1 And for those of our guests that 2 are in the gallery, I had the pleasure of 3 joining many of them last year at their annual 4 convention, recognizing some of the heroes 5 that they themselves recognized at that 6 convention. 7 And growing up in a little village, 8 I was five doors down from the local fire 9 department, which also housed the ambulance 10 corps and the police department. And in those 11 days, they didn't have pagers or radios, they 12 just had a very loud, ugly-sounding whistle. 13 But it worked very well to get the local men 14 in our village to race down the street from 15 wherever they were, whatever they were doing. 16 Whether they worked in the dairy or whether 17 they worked in the bank or the laundry, 18 wherever they worked, they dropped everything, 19 with complete, 100 percent community support. 20 And I remember racing down the 21 street many times with my dad, waiting for my 22 uncle, who lived a few doors down from us, to 23 catch up too, and watching those, at that 24 time, heroes get on the trucks and drive to 25 wherever the fire was. And I never realized

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(518) 371-8910 1 as a young kid what it was that they were 2 providing in terms of a service to our 3 community. 4 And we look back now, and of course 5 we talk about how valuable that service is 6 because it's so hard to find volunteers. It's 7 very hard for people to leave their jobs. 8 It's very hard for them to just pick up and 9 run. It's very hard for them to take the time 10 for the training that's involved, because so 11 much more is involved. And yet they continue 12 to do it. 13 And our communities really need to 14 understand that if they weren't doing it, yes, 15 it would be costly to us in terms of dollars, 16 but it would be more costly to us in terms of 17 property lost and, even more important, lives 18 endangered. 19 I'm very proud to have been the 20 original sponsor of the tuition bill for our 21 volunteer firefighters, and to join my 22 colleagues here in the Senate in providing a 23 tax credit for them. It's just our way of 24 saying that we do recognize how valuable your 25 service is.

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(518) 371-8910 1 And we also recognize that when 2 you're out there, your families and the places 3 where you work are supporting your efforts, 4 and we appreciate that support as well. 5 And we also know, and we're 6 reminded every now and then, sadly so, that 7 when you're out there doing this and asking 8 absolutely nothing in return, that you're 9 putting your lives on the line. And we are 10 now and then reminded of that in the saddest 11 of ways. 12 You are all heroes, every one of 13 you. And when your day is a day when that 14 whistle blows or the radio goes off or the 15 pager sounds, you and your family are there 16 for us. And we need to remember that for you 17 on a daily basis, not just today. 18 Mr. President, I'm honored to be a 19 child of a volunteer firefighter family, and 20 I'm honored to be in the presence of these 21 people today. 22 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 23 Krueger. 24 SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER: Thank you. 25 So we have more in common than we

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(518) 371-8910 1 all thought. I am very honored to be the wife 2 of an auxiliary firefighter of the FDNY. My 3 husband has been a volunteer with the FDNY for 4 30 years. And Engine Company 44, just having 5 had its 125th anniversary, is basically my 6 family's second home. 7 And on September 11th, when I was 8 trying to figure out where I would go, I knew 9 where my husband would be. He would have gone 10 to the firehouse and gone with his company 11 down to Lower Manhattan, which is exactly 12 where he was and what he did. 13 And he is a brat, I suppose, also; 14 his father was the chief medical officer for 15 the FDNY, and he is now an honorary chief. 16 And he is a true believer in what the 17 gentlemen and women standing behind me, who I 18 can't see right now, are throughout the State 19 of New York. They respond, they save lives. 20 And as is often said by firefighters, when 21 other people are running out of the buildings, 22 they are running in. 23 And so I see that every day in my 24 own community from the firefighters that I 25 know, both professionals and auxiliaries and

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(518) 371-8910 1 volunteers in the Fire Department of New York 2 City. 3 And I have to tell you that I'm not 4 sure we could imagine a society where we 5 didn't have people who had such a strong sense 6 of community and interdependence and the 7 recognition that the definition of our society 8 and the greatness of our country is our 9 willingness to risk for each other. 10 So congratulations, and thank you 11 for the work you do. 12 Thank you, Mr. President. 13 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 14 Little. 15 SENATOR LITTLE: Thank you. 16 I too would like to add my 17 congratulations and my thanks to our dedicated 18 volunteers in our fire services and emergency 19 services. 20 And we're joined today by one of 21 our most dedicated volunteers from the 22 Lake George area, Bob McKinney, former chief, 23 certainly a person who has spent a great deal 24 of his life advocating for volunteer firemen 25 and emergency services.

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(518) 371-8910 1 In my area we have had several 2 instances recently where volunteer firemen 3 went above and beyond and did things other 4 than the normal fighting the fire. When we 5 had the Northway washed out and several roads 6 washed out in a rainstorm, it was the 7 volunteer firemen who redirected traffic and 8 looked at the closed-off roads. 9 When the dam burst in Fort Ann, it 10 was the volunteer firemen that went door to 11 door telling people that the dam had burst and 12 they needed to evacuate their homes. 13 We had a power outage recently this 14 winter, with temperatures below zero. It was 15 the volunteer firemen, over a three-day 16 period, who went from home to home hooking up 17 generators, firing up the furnaces to warm up 18 those homes. 19 And then most recently -- I was 20 with Bob the following day -- we had a big 21 fire in Lake George where five businesses were 22 burned down. 23 So these men and women truly go 24 above and beyond the call of duty and serve 25 our communities. And as chairman of the Local

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(518) 371-8910 1 Government Committee, I don't know what the 2 many, many towns, villages and communities in 3 New York State would do without your services. 4 So thank you and your colleagues very, very 5 much. 6 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 7 Winner. 8 SENATOR WINNER: Thank you, 9 Mr. President. 10 I too would like to rise to honor 11 the emergency first responders and the 12 volunteer firefighters that are here today. 13 It is really a tribute to the State of 14 New York that we have such tremendous 15 volunteer efforts. 16 You know, as a representative of 17 the 53rd Senate District, which is a rural 18 area, I certainly recognize the valuable 19 contributions that you make. And also as 20 Chairman of the Legislative Commission on 21 Rural Resources, we're constantly reminded in 22 that function of all of the tremendous 23 contributions that volunteer firefighters and 24 first responders and emergency medical 25 technicians provide for the state.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Senator Seward indicated the 2 financial impact, which is certainly only one 3 aspect of it, but a very, very important 4 aspect. But the overall responsibility that 5 you have to protect these communities is 6 absolutely very, very inspiring. 7 And certainly in many of these 8 rural areas the whole community's social 9 fabric is built around the operations of the 10 volunteer fire operations. And certainly in 11 rural areas such as I represent, nothing can 12 be more important than making sure that those 13 assets and resources are there. 14 You know, there was a troubling 15 report that came out recently from the 16 Association of Towns indicating that there is 17 a tremendous decline in the ranks of volunteer 18 firefighters and volunteer emergency medical 19 technicians. And certainly the reason for 20 that is -- there are a number of reasons. 21 But, you know, the amount of pressure and 22 training requirements and overall time 23 constraints is very, very difficult these 24 days. 25 And I know that it's important for

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(518) 371-8910 1 us not only to maintain your ranks but to come 2 up with ways and solutions that we can to 3 increase them, because of the tremendous 4 contribution that you make to the communities. 5 And while the effort that we 6 undertook this year with regard to the $200 7 income tax credit was an important effort, 8 there is more that needs to be done and more 9 incentives that need to be offered, whether it 10 be real property tax relief, whether it be 11 access to public health insurance plans or 12 other types of measures that will provide for 13 incentives to improve your ranks. 14 Those are things I think that we 15 need to look at in this Legislature, and I am 16 the sponsor of one of those members. But, you 17 know, we need to get together on a bipartisan 18 basis to make sure that those efforts are a 19 reality so that we can improve your ranks and 20 improve the services that you'll be able to 21 provide to our communities. 22 So I congratulate you on this 23 resolution today, thank Senator Bruno for 24 advancing it, and look forward to working with 25 your organizations to try to improve your

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(518) 371-8910 1 ranks, improve the ability to provide for 2 services and training to you to make you do 3 your jobs -- help you do your jobs better, 4 and, overall, thank you for everything that 5 you do. 6 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Thank 7 you, Senator Winner. 8 Senator LaValle. 9 SENATOR LaVALLE: Thank you, 10 Mr. President. 11 I am so pleased to join Senator 12 Bruno and my other colleagues to really say a 13 thank you, thank you to the volunteer service, 14 the EMS personnel for their special dedication 15 and their strong desire to help save life and 16 property at their own expense. 17 Volunteerism is just a wonderful 18 thing in this country, and sometimes we don't 19 appreciate it. Senator Seward talked about 20 and I was going to mention the billions of 21 dollars each year that are saved to the 22 citizens of our state. 23 But what they do is so appreciated 24 in their communities. And everyone is telling 25 stories, and I would like to just remind

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(518) 371-8910 1 everyone of the Pine Barrens fires that not 2 only called into play every volunteer 3 department on Long Island, but many, many of 4 the departments throughout the entire state 5 and in other parts of the country came and 6 assisted in a fire that lasted for days upon 7 days. Not one life was lost, and it was just 8 absolutely incredible the property and the 9 houses that were saved. You could see the 10 fire line coming right up to a condo 11 development, and they were able to save an 12 entire development. 13 The fire was so intense -- Senator 14 Balboni talked about the intensity of a fire. 15 For those who have been out to Eastern Long 16 Island and the Sunrise Highway, or 27, to have 17 a fire arc over four lanes of highway is just 18 an incredible thing. 19 So just from my district, I say 20 thank you and thank you for the service that 21 you give. And I am so hopeful that we will be 22 able to meet the demands through more young 23 people joining the junior volunteer fire 24 service and having generation upon generation. 25 So many members got up -- Senator

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(518) 371-8910 1 Rath talked about the Rath family having at 2 least three generations of service. As I 3 travel to the departments, I find so many 4 members having father, son, grandson having 5 participated in a department. 6 So we say, as a body, thank you 7 very much. 8 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 9 Bonacic. 10 SENATOR BONACIC: Thank you. 11 I'm humbled by our heroes visiting 12 us today. Every Senator could get up and tell 13 of an experience in their district where our 14 heroes showed courage in saving property and 15 lives. 16 Three weeks ago we had a 17 19-year-old woman firefighter save 18 approximately 50 lives in Sullivan County, 19 alerting people at the Villa Roma, which was a 20 resort where many people were staying, to get 21 them out. And I could talk of twenty more 22 stories. 23 But what I want to use this 24 opportunity for is to talk to my colleagues 25 about the problems these heroes are facing --

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(518) 371-8910 1 recruitment, retention -- and what we can do 2 to help them in this area and prepare the next 3 generation. 4 We do things in turtle steps. We 5 help with property tax exemption. We did a 6 voluntary tax credit in a bipartisan way. And 7 all these things are good. But these are a 8 group of individuals that have to raise a 9 family, have to hold a job, and maybe two 10 spouses in the family are working. And when 11 they come home, if the whistle goes off, they 12 leave for their second job, where there is 13 absolutely no financial compensation. These 14 are acts of love, unconditional commitment and 15 sacrifice to neighbors and strangers. And 16 they ask nothing in return. 17 But some of the things we can do. 18 We can boost the revolving loan fund, help 19 them with zero percent financing when they 20 have to buy fire trucks or build firehouses. 21 We can help them with affordable health 22 insurance, which they need desperately and 23 which they've been working on for the past 24 12 months with the Governor's office, so 25 there's adequate health insurance for their

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(518) 371-8910 1 families. These kinds of incentives will help 2 bring younger people into the ranks of 3 firematics. 4 So I thank our heroes, and I am 5 sure that every Senator in these chambers 6 identifies and appreciates everything that you 7 do. You are simply the best. And we hope you 8 keep on doing it for the rest of your lives, 9 and the next generation. 10 Thank you very much. 11 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 12 Larkin. 13 SENATOR LARKIN: Thank you, 14 Mr. President. 15 You know, to the men up in the 16 balcony, Senator Bruno said it all, really. 17 But you know, when you start to think about 18 how much you educate us -- many of us here 19 have already spoken, have said things about 20 the firematics and what they do. But you 21 know, the education you provide for us. 22 My first term in politics was as 23 town supervisor. And the chief came to me and 24 said, "Let me sit down and talk to you. Here 25 are our problems. They're your problems,

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(518) 371-8910 1 Supervisor." And then he said, "How much have 2 we advanced in coordinating our senior 3 citizens?" We had a big senior citizen 4 population. 5 And then we got together between 6 the fire department, Office of the Aging, and 7 the post office, and the fire department put a 8 little red sticker in every mailbox of a 9 senior. And they would have people 10 volunteering in our town, seven fire units, to 11 go around and watch the mail. If it seemed to 12 be piling up, someone would make some 13 arrangements with the chief of police so we 14 could get in and make sure that somebody in 15 there didn't die, was crippled and couldn't 16 get out. We saved at least three or four 17 lives in the two years that I was there. 18 But the thing that was important 19 was this put an additional burden on the fire 20 members. They didn't care, because, number 21 one, they were taking care of their fellow 22 citizens. 23 And, you know, sometimes we talk 24 about how much it costs to run a department. 25 You all know that you have multiple areas in

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(518) 371-8910 1 your districts. How much does it cost? We 2 couldn't pay you. There is no way we could 3 compensate you for what you do. A lot of 4 people just say, Well, they do -- they put out 5 fires. 6 They take care of people. They 7 assist people. They work with the young 8 people. They teach young people about the 9 problems of starting a fire, how to be 10 productive as young people, how to come in and 11 be a joint venture, get our juniors, 15 years 12 of age, into the corps. 13 And you're always doing something 14 that promotes the public safety and health. 15 How would you like to put around here a new 16 insurance policy with no firemen? Everybody 17 would be moving to the town that still had 18 them. 19 You are a godsend. You're special. 20 You're special because you made a commitment, 21 and that commitment is to the public safety of 22 the units that you have protecting the lives 23 and property of people. You're the heroes of 24 not just today, but of yesterday and tomorrow. 25 And with your blessing and help, we'll be able

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(518) 371-8910 1 to recruit new people to carry on the 2 dedication that you have shown for so many, 3 many years. 4 Thank you, and God bless you all. 5 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 6 Meier. 7 SENATOR MEIER: Thank you, 8 Mr. President. 9 There's a book that many of us were 10 required to read in high school and in college 11 called "Democracy in America," written by a 12 Frenchman named Alexis de Tocqueville in 1836. 13 The most famous line in the book is "America 14 is great because America is good." 15 And what did he mean by that? In 16 1836 we weren't a big industrial power, we 17 weren't a big military power. What he was 18 talking about, he observed that in America, 19 unlike the old countries in Europe that he was 20 used to, Americans didn't sit around waiting 21 for a prince or a ruler to tell them to do 22 things, that Americans volunteered to help 23 each other out, to meet needs in their 24 communities. 25 And today, in 2006, nobody

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(518) 371-8910 1 exemplifies that better than the men and women 2 of the volunteer fire service. And I'm proud 3 that in the gallery tonight are two leaders of 4 the fire service in my community, two friends 5 of mine, Dave Jacobowitz and Brian McQueen. 6 And just as a public official and 7 as a resident of a community that's serviced 8 by a volunteer fire department, you get an 9 opportunity to observe what they do, not just 10 the calls to the fire scenes or to the 11 accident scenes. 12 In 1998, an enormous ice storm hit 13 the northern part of my Senate district, and 14 parts of my Senate district were deprived of 15 electricity for several weeks. Think about 16 that: several weeks at a time. The volunteer 17 fire departments in those small North Country 18 communities became the literal lifeblood of 19 those communities. It became the command 20 post, it became the place from which people 21 were dispatched to help those who were elderly 22 and sick and alone. 23 And I'm mindful of something else 24 when you think about the character of these 25 gentlemen and the kind of spirit that this

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(518) 371-8910 1 brotherhood engenders. On February 27th, in 2 the town of New Hartford in my Senate 3 district, a young police officer named Joseph 4 Corr was shot and killed in the course of 5 trying to apprehend a robber. 6 Now, you would think that a young 7 man with a wife and a baby at home would think 8 that he was doing enough for his community by 9 going out every day in his professional life 10 and putting his life on the line as a police 11 officer. But that wasn't Joe Corr, and that 12 wasn't so many other people like him. Joe 13 Corr was also a volunteer firefighter. Can 14 you imagine it? This young man felt that his 15 service to his community required even more of 16 it. 17 And this is the kind of character, 18 this is the kind of dedication, this is the 19 kind of integrity that you find in the men and 20 women who join the volunteer fire service. 21 And, Senator Bonacic, I think you 22 hit the nail on the head. This is an 23 opportunity, this resolution today, not just 24 to say thank you but to talk to you and to 25 recommit ourselves to our responsibility to

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(518) 371-8910 1 you, to see to it that resources are dedicated 2 that equip you, that train you, that provide 3 you the tools to do better recruitment and 4 retention. America is great because it's 5 good, and you exemplify the best of the reason 6 why we're good. 7 Congratulations, and God bless. 8 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 9 Morahan. 10 SENATOR MORAHAN: Thank you, 11 Mr. President. I too rise in support of this 12 resolution. 13 It is very difficult, having heard 14 all of my colleagues speak to this resolution, 15 to come up with something new or something 16 different. Therefore, I will not try to do 17 that. 18 I stand to honor our firefighters, 19 our volunteers across this great state and to 20 recognize, as Senator Meier says, they 21 represent the good of this country. They 22 represent, going back to the earliest times in 23 our history, of people in the community 24 fending for themselves, coming together as a 25 community to look after and protect each of us

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(518) 371-8910 1 and each of their friends and neighbors. 2 Yes, we owe a host of things and 3 benefits and incentives to these men and women 4 on the front line of our defense right here at 5 home, and there is just no way we could ever 6 compensate them for what they do. And 7 furthermore, they're not in it for 8 compensation. They're not in it for benefits. 9 The meager things that we do for 10 our volunteers in providing equipment, 11 providing incentives is merely a very humble 12 way of saying thank you, recognizing you not 13 for what you do but for who you are, for you 14 who will stand up and rise to the occasion, 15 selflessly, to defend the property and protect 16 the lives of your neighbors and friends. 17 Volunteerism really is the backbone 18 of this nation. It is what built this 19 country. It is what made us strong, which 20 made us the country we are. And our volunteer 21 firefighters and EMTs and many of our other 22 volunteer services, auxiliary police, 23 exemplify just that, that these are people, 24 notwithstanding of their own needs, who will 25 respond in the middle of the night, in the

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(518) 371-8910 1 middle of the winter, anytime they're needed 2 for their neighbors. 3 And we must recognize too the 4 families that stand behind all of these 5 wonderful volunteers, those who worry and fret 6 while you're out answering the call, those 7 hoping and praying that you come back safe and 8 stay out of harm's way. 9 But you rush into fiery situations, 10 you rush into areas of danger without worrying 11 about your own lives, so to speak. But you 12 have our heartfelt thanks and the thanks of 13 all New Yorkers for what you do. And for all 14 volunteer firemen and volunteers across this 15 country, we say thank you today. 16 And we do have legislative programs 17 here because many of our young volunteers 18 can't afford to live in the suburban and rural 19 counties where they're so needed, and it's 20 that that worries us. What can we do? The 21 high cost of living in suburbia drives our 22 young people out. The next generation of 23 firefighters must move on and leave us 24 unprotected. I think we need to encourage 25 volunteers, young people to come in, but we

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(518) 371-8910 1 have to allow them to live in the community. 2 You can't respond to a fire if you live 3 50 miles away. 4 So those things that we try to do 5 with tax credits that we've passed in some 6 counties, and we have statewide legislation 7 that will give property tax relief to help 8 costs of housing and to build, as we try to do 9 in Rockland and some parts of Orange County, 10 affordable housing for young volunteers and 11 their families so they can stay in the 12 community. 13 We salute you. We honor you. And 14 we thank you. 15 Thank you, Mr. President. 16 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 17 Oppenheimer. 18 SENATOR OPPENHEIMER: Well, as 19 the ex-mayor of a community that was a hundred 20 percent volunteer firefighters, Mamaroneck -- 21 actually, the only all-volunteer community 22 underneath the Cross-Westchester Expressway. 23 And so I can tell hundreds of stories, 24 including when my own house was on fire and 25 how wonderful the response was and the many

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(518) 371-8910 1 things that we did together. 2 Some exciting things, like a -- I 3 forget the name of it. It's a camera, and you 4 can go into a totally smoke-filled, blackened 5 basement, and the camera will show you in 6 white where the bodies are, where furniture -- 7 where everything is. Because when they enter 8 this kind of a setting, they can't see if it's 9 dark and smoke-filled. 10 But with this particular -- they'll 11 know the name of the camera; I can't think of 12 it -- they're able to see and take out the 13 bodies and very often be able to get them out 14 before they get too much smoke in their lungs 15 and expire. 16 And we did dive equipment together, 17 because my village is on the water, Long 18 Island Sound. There are just so many 19 wonderful stories that I could tell, but the 20 time is getting late. 21 I was just trying to focus in on 22 what things we might do and what could be done 23 at the local level that would be more 24 beneficial in, you know, perhaps enticing 25 volunteers to come in.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Now, in my community we have 2 families that have been at this for three and 3 four generations, so we're in pretty good 4 shape in my community. But one thing that we 5 did, and I was doing it already 30 years 6 ago -- and this might be a possible small 7 answer -- is if we had two people who were 8 sort of equally qualified for Department of 9 Public Works or for recreation or for one of 10 our many positions in our government -- we 11 were a village of 20,000 people -- if they had 12 equal qualifications, we always would take the 13 volunteer fireman, because he was right in 14 town. He was able to work right where he 15 would do his volunteer activities. 16 So, I mean, it's a small 17 recommendation but something that perhaps 18 could be considered by your communities. It 19 certainly has been very beneficial for my 20 community. And we have a very, very high 21 insurance rating because of the quality of our 22 department. And I have always been so 23 thankful that they are there, because they 24 saved my house and they saved my village a 25 bunch of money. But, more important, they're

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(518) 371-8910 1 just really good people who are interested in 2 their communities and in helping people. 3 And I could never thank you enough 4 and still can't. 5 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 6 Stachowski. 7 SENATOR STACHOWSKI: Mr. 8 President, I too rise to comment, briefly, 9 because I think I might be last, if I'm not 10 mistaken. Or maybe there's one or two more. 11 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: A few 12 more. 13 SENATOR STACHOWSKI: I just would 14 like to also thank the volunteer firemen for 15 all they do, and just give you a couple of 16 examples of how they do a little bit extra 17 when you ask them. 18 In my community we had a situation 19 where nobody was patrolling some of the 20 waterfront area in the Lake Erie shore, 21 Hamburg area, way back in the '80s. And 22 volunteer firemen came and asked for a boat, 23 and so we got them a boat to do the 24 patrolling. And it was run strictly by the 25 volunteers.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Then we got to find out that there 2 were a bunch of volunteer companies that were 3 all doing similar things. And they all had 4 different equipment, but they wanted to be 5 helpful. So we started this thing called the 6 Alert Team, which has been in existence since 7 the middle '80s. It's an organization made up 8 of not only volunteer firemen but also paid 9 police, paid fire. It's one of the few 10 organizations that combines all kinds of 11 jurisdictions. 12 And it works wonderfully. It's 13 obviously still successful, it's still in 14 existence. And it all started with a sincere 15 effort by volunteer firemen, as if they didn't 16 have enough to do with just the fire and EMT 17 situations and the other things that come 18 across their everyday life as volunteer 19 firemen. 20 Then we had a regulation put out by 21 the federal government where everybody had to 22 have some kind of hazardous material plan. 23 And for all these little towns, it would have 24 been prohibitively expensive to have their own 25 hazmat team. So in my area we got together

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(518) 371-8910 1 with the volunteer firemen and we started what 2 was then called, and still is, the South Towns 3 Hazmat Team. 4 And now all these volunteer firemen 5 that take all these courses regularly had 6 various members that volunteered to join this 7 hazmat team, and they all took all the 8 hazardous materials courses that keep changing 9 and evolving. And they continue to do that. 10 And they've been called out on numerous 11 occasions. And that thing's been in existence 12 for twenty-some years also. 13 So those are just ways where it's 14 interesting -- because everybody says, you 15 know, volunteer firemen, they fight fires. 16 But they do all kinds of things to help our 17 communities. In these two efforts, they saved 18 all the communities money, they obviously have 19 saved lives, and it was regionalism before it 20 was a popular phrase. And it was kind of 21 interesting, because here the volunteer 22 firemen were actually the resource used to 23 save all these different levels of government 24 money. 25 And so that I agree with my members

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(518) 371-8910 1 on the other side, colleagues, that said we 2 should always be looking for ways we can help 3 them make their job easier and make it easier 4 for them to recruit members and keep members 5 and continue to be in existence so that they 6 can help our communities, not only in the ways 7 we all think of them, but in other ways, like 8 the two I just mentioned. 9 And for that, I'll always be 10 thankful, and I thank them every day for all 11 the good work they do in our various 12 districts. 13 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 14 Young. 15 SENATOR YOUNG: Thank you, 16 Mr. President. 17 I want to join my colleagues in 18 raising my voice in congratulating and 19 thanking, giving our deepest gratitude to the 20 volunteers from across New York State. 21 And as I look up in the gallery, I 22 see so many familiar faces. And I wish to 23 personally thank each and every one of you for 24 your advocacy, for your communication. I 25 can't think of more effective representatives

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(518) 371-8910 1 who come to Albany and tell us what is needed. 2 I especially want to point out that 3 a constituent from my area, Tom Mooney, is 4 here from Allegany County -- there's Tom -- 5 and also Pete Casey, who is known across 6 Western New York -- there's Pete -- because 7 you do such an excellent job. 8 I was at two fire dinners over this 9 past weekend, Dunkirk and Fredonia. And it's 10 amazing to me, when you talk to people from 11 those fire districts, the service that they 12 have given, because it's very common to talk 13 with volunteers who have devoted 20 years, 14 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, and sometimes 15 more than 60 years to being volunteers. It's 16 really incredible when you think about it. 17 A lot of members have talked about 18 the fact that they can come up with story 19 after story in their districts about acts of 20 valor, everyday valor that our volunteers 21 give. And I can do that too. But I also can 22 speak to the fact that my family was 23 personally helped by volunteer firefighters. 24 A memory that's seared into my mind 25 is the fact that when I was 14 years old,

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(518) 371-8910 1 arsonists burned down my family's livelihood, 2 our barns. It was August, the barns were full 3 of hay. The firefighters here know what that 4 means. And the firefighters were there 5 immediately, and every single company in the 6 entire county responded. 7 My father lost his business that 8 night, but the firefighters battled that blaze 9 for three solid days. And we were afraid that 10 our house would burn to the ground also; it 11 was a 150-year-old structure. But because of 12 the efforts of the firefighters, they saved 13 our house and they also saved lives. 14 And that's really what it's all 15 about. Because I know FASNY did a study a 16 couple of years ago, they did estimate I think 17 it was about $8.5 billion would be the cost if 18 New York State provided all the volunteer 19 services across the state. And that's true. 20 And so you can quantify the services from that 21 financial aspect. 22 But you cannot put a price tag on 23 the value of what you mean to the communities. 24 Because when you go out and you save a father 25 of four who's had a heart attack by getting

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(518) 371-8910 1 him to the hospital in time, when you go out 2 and rescue the van that actually hit a tree, 3 and those family members, when you go out and 4 save a business from burning to the ground or 5 you go out and save people from a house fire, 6 you cannot put a value on that. 7 And so what you do, the lives that 8 you touch day in and day out throughout this 9 state, grows exponentially. So I want to echo 10 the viewpoints of my colleagues, just extend 11 our deepest admiration and our gratitude to 12 those you represent from New York State. We 13 just thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. 14 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 15 Nozzolio. 16 SENATOR NOZZOLIO: Thank you, 17 Mr. President. On the resolution. 18 I rise to lend my name and voice in 19 support of this resolution in a small way to 20 honor the great sacrifices and contributions 21 of our brave men and women who have answered 22 the call time and time again, when that call 23 arose, as members of volunteer fire 24 departments across our state. 25 Each weekend I spend time with

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(518) 371-8910 1 volunteer firemen from various corners of my 2 district. Last week I was in Red Creek, the 3 week before in Romulus. Whether it's West 4 Webster or Victor or Fairville, each and every 5 one of the firefighters provide me a unique 6 perspective. 7 And my own home is covered by 8 volunteers and protected by volunteers for the 9 Canoga Fire Department. Just down the road, 10 the town of Fayette, the Fayette Fire 11 Department, my father-in-law was chief there 12 for over 35 years. 13 And it's that fabric of great 14 volunteerism the spirit that makes America 15 what it is today. And if any good could have 16 been derived from the horrific occurrences 17 that the great attack against us on 18 September 11, 2001 -- if there was any good 19 that could have come from that attack, I think 20 it's a growing recognition that the true 21 heroes in the United States of America today 22 are not the actors and celebrities, are not 23 the athletes, are not those who are held up by 24 the media as media icons. It's those who lay 25 their lives on the line.

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(518) 371-8910 1 And the true heroes of our state 2 and nation are those who answer the call each 3 and every day to do, on behalf of their 4 neighbors who need support, when the brave 5 consequences of their actions could result in 6 injury or even worse. The firefighters are 7 the true American heroes in our nation. If 8 9/11 brought us anything, it was that 9 recognition. 10 So I rise and thank the Fire 11 Association, thank my good friend who has been 12 stalwart in helping educate the Legislature as 13 long-time legislative director -- I know he 14 was here earlier -- Bill Schlegel, from West 15 Webster, but who acts on behalf of all the 16 firemen across this state in educating the 17 legislators about items that we should pursue 18 in making this state a better place for the 19 volunteer services. 20 Mr. President, I humbly support 21 this resolution and humbly thank the true 22 heroes of our state, our firefighters. 23 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Thank 24 you. 25 Senator Marchi.

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(518) 371-8910 1 SENATOR MARCHI: Mr. President, 2 I -- as so many of you have participated 3 before your membership here in the Senate of 4 this state, circumstances which commended 5 themselves to you in prior living. And many 6 of us -- there are people here who have four 7 years of World War II and numerous experiences 8 since then. 9 And I meet so many people here with 10 personal experience with witnessing and 11 responding to what these noble people have 12 made manifest to all of us. And here I am 13 now, some 55 years later, here, coming back -- 14 I don't think I'll be back many more after 15 this year. But the spirit is well and alive. 16 People do care. 17 And here are representatives of the 18 people who discuss a number of issues on both 19 sides, the many sides that beset our society. 20 And they're getting up with great rectitude 21 and admirable love of people. I think what 22 we're all trying to say is that we do love our 23 neighbor. We go back to the Old Testament, 24 love of God and love of neighbor as ourselves. 25 And this is manifest in this body.

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(518) 371-8910 1 Which means that there's a note of nobility, 2 of what I observed here after so many years, 3 the outpouring of splendid statements that 4 have gone down on the record. And they will 5 endure, and people will respond again. It 6 nourishes that spirit of love of neighbor and 7 the love of God that we all experience. 8 So it is a very fitting 9 circumstance to be here. And I want to 10 confess my profound appreciation to all of 11 you, men and women from all over the state, 12 giving testimony, living testimony that we 13 should keep the object of love. It's not 14 enough to bring relief, it's not enough to do 15 those things that are necessary, but it's the 16 proof positive that it's generated by a 17 personal feeling of love of our neighbor. 18 And when I complete my service this 19 year, I doubt if I'll be back up here again. 20 But it's good to know that it's a spirit that 21 will endure. It's not going to be abandoned. 22 And there are people on both sides of the 23 aisle -- there isn't an individual here who 24 would take exception to the manifestation of 25 what we should go through, when the only

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(518) 371-8910 1 reason you get involved -- and you people 2 really give testimony to that feeling, because 3 you prompted yourself to take notice and to do 4 something positive about it. And we, in 5 noticing it, generate our own spirit. 6 And we need it. We need it. 7 Because if we're not, we're just another class 8 of animals. But we're not. We're created in 9 a divine image. And as long as there are 10 people willing to give testimony and risk 11 their lives, as you folks have been doing, 12 then there's indeed reason for all of us to 13 exult over the liveliness. 14 You know, and I'm sure that if I 15 had the ability to be here a hundred years 16 from now, that spirit would endure if we're a 17 society that deserves to live. Otherwise, 18 what is it all worth? 19 So I feel very blessed by just 20 sitting here and listening to all of you and 21 the way you express yourselves. And you do it 22 in such a wholesome way, in a God-given love 23 of our fellow beings on this earth. And that 24 means that there will be people in our society 25 that will respond when the need is great.

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(518) 371-8910 1 So God bless this group. I feel -- 2 I feel rejuvenated. And I'll be 85 shortly. 3 And I really feel exhilarated over this 4 example that I was pleased to be a part of. 5 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: Senator 6 Bruno. 7 SENATOR BRUNO: Mr. President, I 8 am very, very pleased that the Firemen's 9 Association representatives here and their 10 leadership could join us. 11 And I want to thank all of my 12 colleagues for their comments and 13 observations. 14 We have a resolution there that 15 preceded the attendance of the members, who 16 were in the other chamber. I would ask at 17 this time that the title be read again while 18 they're here. 19 And I would also offer to open the 20 resolution to anyone that's in the chamber. 21 Anyone that would rather not be on it, if you 22 would approach the desk. 23 After reading the title, I would 24 move for its immediate adoption. 25 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: The

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(518) 371-8910 1 Secretary will read. 2 THE SECRETARY: By Senator Bruno, 3 Legislative Resolution Number 5115, 4 commemorating May 8, 2006, as Volunteer 5 Firefighter and EMS Day, in recognition of the 6 sacrifices and contributions these outstanding 7 individuals make to protect and to care for 8 the residents of the State of New York. 9 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: On the 10 resolution, all those in favor signify by 11 saying aye. 12 (Response of "Aye.") 13 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: 14 Opposed, nay. 15 (No response.) 16 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: The 17 resolution is adopted. 18 (Applause.) 19 SENATOR BRUNO: Mr. President, is 20 there any further business at the desk? 21 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: There 22 is none. 23 SENATOR BRUNO: There being no 24 further business to come before the Senate, I 25 would move that we stand adjourned until

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(518) 371-8910 1 tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9th, at 3:00 p.m. 2 ACTING PRESIDENT ROBACH: On 3 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until 4 Tuesday, May 9th, at 3:00 p.m. 5 (Whereupon, at 4:50 p.m., the 6 Senate adjourned.) 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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