Gaveled in 3:25 PM · Albany, New York · 2009–10 session
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE 2 3 4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD 5 6 7 8 9 ALBANY, NEW YORK 10 January 26, 2009 11 3:25 p.m. 12 13 14 REGULAR SESSION 15 16 17 18 SENATOR ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS, Acting President 19 ANGELO J. APONTE, Secretary 20 21 22 23 24
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(518) 371-8910 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 3 The Senate will 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 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 10 The invocation today will be delivered by 11 Father Peter G. Young, of the Mother Theresa 12 Community in Albany, New York. 13 REVEREND YOUNG: Thank you, 14 Senator. 15 Let us pray. 16 In New York City at George 17 Washington's inauguration as President, he 18 placed his hand on the Bible on April the 19 30th, 1789, to serve with integrity his 20 nation. 21 May we pray too for our United 22 States Senator today being sworn in. May she 23 be blessed. 24 And may we especially pray today
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(518) 371-8910 1 for our Senators here in this chamber, so that 2 their leadership will be with their elected 3 office, with dedication in public service. 4 For all of those, we bless them in 5 Your name so that they carry out their most 6 important work for all of our citizens in this 7 great state. Amen. 8 Thank you, Senator. 9 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 10 Thank you, Father Young. 11 The reading of the Journal. 12 The Secretary will read. 13 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, 14 Friday, January 23, the Senate met pursuant to 15 adjournment. The Journal of Thursday, 16 January 22, was read and approved. On motion, 17 Senate adjourned. 18 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 19 Without objection, the Journal stands approved 20 as read. 21 Presentation of petitions. 22 Messages from the Assembly. 23 Messages from the Governor. 24 Reports of standing committees.
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(518) 371-8910 1 Reports of select committees. 2 Communications and reports from 3 state officers. 4 Motions and resolutions. 5 Senator Klein. 6 SENATOR KLEIN: Madam President, 7 I believe Senator Dilan has a privileged 8 resolution at the desk. I would ask that it 9 be read in its entirety and move for its 10 immediate adoption. 11 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 12 The Secretary will read the resolution in its 13 entirety. 14 THE SECRETARY: By Senator Dilan, 15 Legislative Resolution Number 207, mourning 16 the death of Boxing Hall of Famer and 17 Ambassador Jose Torres, distinguished citizen 18 and devoted member of his community. 19 "WHEREAS, It is the custom of this 20 Legislative Body to pay tribute to citizens of 21 the State of New York whose lifework and civic 22 endeavor serve to enhance the quality of life 23 in their communities and the great state of 24 New York; and
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(518) 371-8910 1 "WHEREAS, Jose 'Chegui' Torres, a 2 former light-heavyweight champion who became a 3 boxing official and a literary presence in the 4 sport as a biographer of Muhammad Ali and Mike 5 Tyson, died on Monday, January 19, 2009, in 6 Ponce, Puerto Rico, at age 72; and 7 "WHEREAS, Revered both in Spanish 8 Harlem and in Puerto Rico, Jose Torres was one 9 of New York's renaissance men: world champion 10 athlete, trendsetter, journalist and author; 11 and 12 "WHEREAS, Fighting professionally 13 from 1958 to 1969, Jose Torres had a record of 14 41-3-1. He captured the light-heavyweight 15 crown in March of 1965 when the referee 16 stopped his fight with Willie Pastrano after 17 the ninth round. After three title defenses, 18 he lost the championship to Dick Tiger of 19 Nigeria on a decision in December of 1966; and 20 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres was inducted 21 into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 22 1997. He was the chairman of the New York 23 State Athletic Commission from 1984 to 1988, 24 becoming the first former professional boxer
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(518) 371-8910 1 and the first Latino to head the agency, which 2 oversees boxing in the state; and 3 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres was the 4 author of Sting Like a Bee: The Muhammad Ali 5 Story (1971) and Fire and Fear: The Inside 6 Story of Mike Tyson (1989), and he wrote for 7 the New York Post and the New York newspaper 8 El Diario La Prensa. Jose Torres, a native of 9 the Ponce, Puerto Rico area and the son of a 10 businessman, learned to box in the Army and 11 captured the light-middleweight silver medal 12 at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He earned his 13 first boxing paycheck serving as a sparring 14 partner for Sugar Ray Robinson in 1957; and 15 "WHEREAS, Early in his pro career, 16 Jose Torres became friendly with young 17 writers, among them Pete Hamill, who was with 18 the New York Post. Pete Hamill helped Jose 19 Torres get a column in the paper, and Jose 20 wrote often on Latino community affairs; and 21 "WHEREAS, When Jose Torres was 22 introduced as the state athletic commissioner 23 in November of 1984 by Governor Mario Cuomo, 24 his guests included Cus D'Amato, his former
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(518) 371-8910 1 manager; Pete Hamill; Budd Schulberg, who 2 wrote the epilogue to the Ali biography; and 3 Norman Mailer; and 4 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres cited Cus 5 D'Amato as 'the man who created the fighter' 6 and Norman Mailer as 'the man who created my 7 intellectual capacity.' Jose vowed that as 8 chairman of the athletic commission, he would 9 promote educational opportunities for fighters 10 'at least so they can read their contracts'; 11 and 12 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres, a member of 13 the athletic commission before becoming its 14 chairman, had also been active in societal 15 affairs, working for Paul O'Dwyer when he was 16 the president of New York's City Council and 17 for Andrew Stein when he was the Manhattan 18 borough president; and 19 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres distinguished 20 himself in his profession by his sincere 21 dedication and substantial contribution to the 22 welfare of his community; and 23 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres' commitment 24 to excellence, and his spirit of humanity,
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(518) 371-8910 1 carried over into all fields of enterprise, 2 including charitable and civic endeavors; and 3 "WHEREAS, Jose Torres is survived 4 by his wife, Ramonita; now, therefore, be it 5 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative 6 Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the 7 death of Boxing Hall of Famer and Ambassador 8 Jose Torres, distinguished citizen and devoted 9 member of his community; and be it further 10 "RESOLVED, That copies of this 11 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted 12 to the family of Jose Torres." 13 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 14 Senator Dilan. 15 SENATOR DILAN: Yes, Madam 16 President. I rise to honor the memory of a 17 distinguished gentleman and human being. 18 Mr. "Chegui" Torres was an unsung 19 hero, but definitely he was a hero in the 20 Latino and Puerto Rican community. As the 21 resolution indicates, he definitely 22 distinguished himself in many professional 23 areas. 24 And I'd really like to publicly
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(518) 371-8910 1 offer my sympathies to his family, and my 2 condolences, and thank them for his many years 3 of service to us. 4 And I respectfully request that 5 this resolution be opened up to all members. 6 Thank you. 7 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 8 Thank you, Senator Dilan. 9 Senator Adams. 10 SENATOR ADAMS: Thank you, 11 Madam President. I too rise to show my 12 support for our great fighter Torres and to 13 really reflect on how he was a historical, 14 historical figure. 15 At the beginning of the year -- as 16 we talk about historical figures, at the 17 beginning of the year I did a little 18 unscientific survey where I brought an old 19 survey that was done many years ago with two 20 dolls, one of the dolls being black and one of 21 the dolls being white. And I went to a public 22 school, and I held the dolls up and I asked 23 the students in the classroom -- young 24 children, second- and third-graders -- which
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(518) 371-8910 1 one of the dolls were smart. Eighty percent 2 of the children said the white doll was 3 smarter than the black doll. 4 After the Obama race, I returned to 5 the school and I held up the dolls again, and 6 it turned to 60/40 where the students said the 7 black doll was smarter than the white doll. 8 So the concern is not so much who 9 is brighter or who's not, but it's to shatter 10 myths and misconceptions. 11 And as we stand here in this 12 chamber feeling the residue of the Obama 13 election, we once again see a first, by having 14 you stand and adorn our Senate environment. 15 So you now are, just as Obama, the first woman 16 and person of color to stand in that position 17 as the Temporary President and the President 18 of the Senate, and we commend you for that. 19 We are in a major point in our 20 lives as Americans that we start the process 21 of becoming modern-day Johnnie Appleseeds and 22 planting the seeds of prosperity and 23 opportunity everywhere from the tip of the 24 state to the bottom of the state.
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(518) 371-8910 1 And I believe that not only has the 2 wave of Obamamania taken over the country to 3 breathe change into our lungs so that we can 4 have the energy, the capacity to blow the 5 state in the direction that it ought to go 6 into, but that change also has found its way 7 into the State Senate. 8 You are doing a great job. We're 9 happy to see you here. And little children 10 all over the country will see that they too 11 can aspire to be not only a great senator but 12 to stand in front of this great conference and 13 do great things for this state and this 14 country. 15 Thank you. 16 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 17 Thank you, Senator Adams. 18 Senator Serrano. 19 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you, 20 Madam President. 21 And it is also an honor to see you 22 there in the chair. Congratulations. 23 I want to speak on the resolution 24 and thank Senator Dilan for bringing this
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(518) 371-8910 1 resolution to this floor. 2 As a fan of boxing, I have always 3 been aware of the great career of Jose Torres. 4 But I think what's even more fascinating about 5 this amazing person was his career outside of 6 the ring. 7 In a time when we see many athletes 8 having a very hard time coming to grips with 9 the fact that their athletic career may be 10 over and having little to do after that, Jose 11 Torres showed that his exploits in the ring 12 were only part of the tremendous wealth of 13 knowledge and opportunity that he presented 14 not only to the Latino community, to the 15 Puerto Rican community, but to all 16 communities. 17 We lost a great person. We lost a 18 great man. Someone who inspired us through 19 his exploits in the ring as well as the things 20 he wrote in his books and memoirs. He was an 21 advisor to a tremendous champion such as Mike 22 Tyson and well-respected throughout the sport. 23 I think that as we look to role 24 models and we look to people to try to
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(518) 371-8910 1 emulate, here's a perfect example of brawn and 2 brains. And I am very proud of all that he 3 accomplished. We will miss him dearly. 4 And I once again thank Senator 5 Dilan. 6 Thank you. 7 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 8 Thank you, Senator Serrano. 9 Senator Perkins. 10 SENATOR PERKINS: Thank you, 11 Madam Chair -- Madam President. 12 I want to take a moment to first 13 thank Senator Dilan for putting forward this 14 resolution, and to also thank the family of 15 Jose Torres and to express my condolences to 16 them. 17 I had a personal friendship with 18 Jose "Chegui" Torres. I obviously came to 19 know him, as most of us did, by virtue of his 20 extraordinary boxing skills, which made him a 21 world champion; in fact, the first world-class 22 champion from the Latino Puerto Rican 23 community. 24 He came up out of East Harlem, El
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(518) 371-8910 1 Barrio, a place where some of us have maybe a 2 little bit of extra pride about being 3 associated with him. He was especially proud 4 of his roots and often returned to his roots, 5 recognizing, as a champion, the significance 6 that his return would have on the young people 7 from that neighborhood as an inspiration. 8 He was funny. He was generous. He 9 wasn't just a boxer, a world-class boxer, he 10 was a world-class individual who was active in 11 the political arena and in the community arena 12 as well. 13 And so I just wanted to remember 14 him with the fondness of memories. He was a 15 great New Yorker. And I think that Dave 16 Dinkins, when he became the first black mayor 17 of the City of New York, would be the first to 18 pay tribute to the role that Jose "Chegui" 19 Torres played in his election to that very 20 important position. 21 So we have been honored by his 22 presence, have been inspired by his model of 23 being a champion not just in the ring but also 24 in the community. And we all should remember
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(518) 371-8910 1 him that way. 2 Thank you. 3 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 4 Thank you, Senator Perkins. 5 Senator Espada. 6 SENATOR ESPADA: Thank you, 7 Madam President. 8 And I too share in the joy and 9 sense of pride of having responded to you in 10 giving me permission to rise here today in 11 this historic moment. We thank you. 12 And we also thank Senator Dilan and 13 Senator Serrano and Senator Perkins and others 14 who will get up and acknowledge the 15 contributions of Jose "Chegui" Torres. 16 I do so in a very personal way, as 17 does Senator Perkins. I was a friend of Jose 18 "Chegui" Torres. He was some twenty years my 19 elder. And so as I was pursuing a career in 20 boxing at St. Mary's Gym in the South Bronx, 21 he happened to come in. And everything stops 22 when a champ is a champ is a champ forever. 23 And so he came in, and we all stopped what we 24 were doing. And he talked to us not about
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(518) 371-8910 1 boxing but about life. 2 And so there started a friendship 3 that led me to seek his counsel to go, instead 4 of a boxing career, to go to Syracuse 5 University, later to Fordham. And we always 6 corresponded. 7 I grew up on Caldwell Avenue in the 8 South Bronx. His presence was absolutely felt 9 there, as the foremost nonprofit provider of 10 healthcare services and housing services was 11 born on that street. He was the titular head, 12 the spirit of that organization. He paraded 13 in Puerto Rican day parades. And he was very 14 much a part of the fabric of the Puerto Rican 15 Latino experience in the sixties when a lot of 16 us were just getting here and learning the 17 English language. 18 He never shed his heavy accent, God 19 bless him. He never shed his roots in Ponce 20 [in Spanish]. 21 And so we remember him today much 22 like Senator Serrano said, not just as a boxer 23 but as a person who leaves so much behind, so 24 much that he did in the literary community
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(518) 371-8910 1 with the literary champions of his age. 2 We will miss him, but he is 3 celebrated coast to coast in Puerto Rico, 4 coast to coast in the United States. And we 5 thank you, Senator Dilan, for remembering him 6 today. 7 Thank you. 8 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 9 Thank you, Senator Espada. 10 Are there any other Senators who 11 wish to speak? 12 Senator Diaz. 13 SENATOR DIAZ: Thank you, 14 Madam President. 15 I join my colleague Senator Adams 16 in congratulating you. And I will join also 17 my colleague Martin Dilan on his resolution. 18 But, you know, I don't know 19 anything about boxing. Nothing at all. So I 20 cannot stand here and tell you how great a 21 fighter was Chegui Torres. I know that he won 22 his title against Willie Pastrano and he lost 23 a few years later against Tiger. 24 But the only thing that I know
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(518) 371-8910 1 about him besides certain, some columns that 2 he wrote about me, is that he did something 3 for us Puerto Ricans to make us feel proud. 4 And when any Puerto Rican -- being a Puerto 5 Rican, when any Puerto Rican put our country, 6 our homeland in the place that Chegui Torres 7 did, it's something that we appreciate and 8 that we feel proud of. 9 And yes, we lost someone that gave 10 to Puerto Rico and to us Puerto Ricans a 11 moment of glory, a moment of pride. And 12 Chegui Torres was a star in our community. He 13 not only was a fighter, he was somebody that 14 was a person that fought for the poor, for the 15 needy, and he was always there. 16 He was not a champion, a boxer that 17 when he retired he went on his own. He kept 18 in the community, especially in New York, 19 fighting and criticizing even people like me 20 when he was against, you know, what I always 21 believed in. 22 But Chegui Torres was somebody that 23 we Puerto Ricans feel proud to have. And 24 today I'm very proud that this Senate is
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(518) 371-8910 1 honoring him through the resolution of my 2 colleague Martin Malave Dilan from Brooklyn. 3 So this Bronxite and this Bayamonist from 4 Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Martin, thank you for 5 this resolution. I join, as a Puerto Rican, 6 join you and our colleagues here in honoring 7 and remembering this. 8 And you, Madam Chairlady, you look 9 so beautiful there. 10 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 11 Thank you, Senator Diaz. 12 SENATOR DIAZ: You look so 13 elegant. 14 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 15 Thank you. 16 SENATOR DIAZ: You look so 17 dignified there. You are -- you always be 18 like that, but today, there, you know, looking 19 at you up there, being the first Afro-American 20 woman in that place. Then the next one will 21 be us, the first Puerto Rican over there. 22 Soon. 23 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 24 Soon. Soon.
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(518) 371-8910 1 SENATOR DIAZ: Thank you, 2 Madam President. 3 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 4 Thank you, Senator Diaz. 5 Does anyone else wish to speak on 6 the resolution? 7 (No response.) 8 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 9 The question is on the resolution. All those 10 in favor please signify by saying aye. 11 (Response of "Aye.") 12 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 13 Opposed, nay. 14 (No response.) 15 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 16 The resolution is adopted. 17 At the request of the sponsor, the 18 resolution is open for multisponsorship to the 19 entire house. Any member wishing not to be a 20 multisponsor of the resolution should so 21 inform the desk. 22 And also I want to thank my 23 colleagues for their kindness during this 24 moment.
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(518) 371-8910 1 And I also wanted to say that I 2 wanted to thank Majority Leader Smith. 3 Because it is certainly an opportunity, and 4 I'm sure most of my colleagues will have as 5 well. 6 But it is a privilege. And if it 7 is dignified, it is because it reflects all of 8 you. 9 Senator Klein. 10 SENATOR KLEIN: Thank you, 11 Madam President. 12 I too would like to join the chorus 13 of all of my colleagues in congratulating you 14 as the first African-American woman to preside 15 over this legislative chamber. 16 January, as everyone knows, has 17 been certainly a very historical month. The 18 election of Barack Obama as the first 19 African-American president, and now you. 20 And I do agree with my colleague 21 Reverend Diaz; you look awfully good up there, 22 Madam President. 23 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 24 Thank you very much.
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(518) 371-8910 1 SENATOR KLEIN: I'd like to now, 2 Madam President, just talk briefly about some 3 housekeeping, the upcoming schedule for 4 February and March. 5 As most of you know, there's a 6 four-day week beginning, of course, next week, 7 February. Monday, session will begin at 8 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, 3:00 p.m., and Wednesday 9 will be at 3:00 p.m. And Thursday will be at 10 11:00 a.m. 11 Just in the future, if Wednesday is 12 the last day that we're in session -- in other 13 words, going Monday through Wednesday -- we 14 will adjourn at 11:00 a.m. 15 We're doing this to accommodate the 16 busy committee schedules that are going to 17 take place in the weeks and months ahead. 18 So, Madam President, is there any 19 further business at the desk? 20 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 21 Senator Klein, the desk is clear. 22 SENATOR KLEIN: At this time, 23 Madam President, there being no further 24 business, I move we adjourn until Tuesday,
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(518) 371-8910 1 January 27th, at 11:00 a.m. 2 ACTING PRESIDENT STEWART-COUSINS: 3 There being no further business to come before 4 the Senate, on motion, the Senate stands 5 adjourned until Tuesday, January 27th, at 6 11:00 a.m. 7 (Whereupon, at 3:46 p.m., the 8 Senate adjourned.) 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
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(518) 371-8910