1268
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 21, 2017
11 4:21 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR JOSEPH GRIFFO, Acting President
19 FRANCIS W. PATIENCE, Secretary
20
21
22
23
24
25
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1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
3 Senate will come to order.
4 I ask all present to please rise
5 and join with me as we recite the Pledge of
6 Allegiance to our Flag.
7 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
8 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Today's
10 invocation will be offered by the Reverend
11 Andrew Nuñez, senior pastor, Believers Mennonite
12 Garifuna Ministries in Brooklyn.
13 Reverend.
14 REVEREND NUÑEZ: Praise the Lord.
15 God is good.
16 I'm going to pray in English and
17 I'm going to recite also in Garifuna, our
18 native -- the same prayer.
19 I wanted to say that as we
20 struggle -- and you see the color among us, and
21 it's a symbol of our struggles, as the black,
22 and we also see the white, as a -- standing for
23 peace and justice. And yellow is -- also stands
24 for hope, for our future generations.
25 Let us pray.
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1 Eternal God, the creator of this
2 universe, we want to thank You for allowing us
3 to be here once again.
4 Thank You, God, for the house of
5 Senate, and we thank You for all the leaders
6 that You have blessed to serve You and to serve
7 the community. Bless them with Your knowledge.
8 Bless them with Your wisdom. We pray that they
9 will continue to work together in peace and
10 harmony for the community and for the state.
11 We wanted to bless the community
12 also, Father, that they will work together for
13 the goodness of our nation.
14 Eternal Father (in Garifuna).
15 Father, we want to thank You again
16 for the Garifuna nation for 220 years, that You
17 allow us to be in this country to do Your will.
18 We bless the leaders, especially Reverend Díaz,
19 to allow us to be here in the house of Senate.
20 (In Garifuna.)
21 Bless everyone in the name of the
22 Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In
23 Jesus' name, amen.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
25 reading of the Journal.
1271
1 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
2 March 20th, the Senate met pursuant to
3 adjournment. The Journal of Sunday, March 19th,
4 was read and approved. On motion, Senate
5 adjourned.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Without
7 objection, the Journal will stand approved as
8 read.
9 Presentation of petitions.
10 Messages from the Assembly.
11 The Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: On page 7, Senator
13 Phillips moves to discharge, from the Committee
14 on Rules, Assembly Bill Number 2382B and
15 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill
16 Number 3142A, Third Reading Calendar 60.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
18 substitution is so ordered.
19 Messages from the Governor.
20 Reports of standing committees.
21 Reports of select committees.
22 Communications and reports of state
23 officers.
24 Motions and resolutions.
25 Senator DeFrancisco.
1272
1 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Would you
2 please call on Senator Valesky for a motion.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
4 Valesky.
5 SENATOR VALESKY: Thank you,
6 Mr. President.
7 On behalf of Senator Avella, I move
8 that Senate Bill 4561 be discharged from its
9 respective committee and be recommitted with
10 instructions to strike the enacting clause.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: So
12 ordered.
13 Senator DeFrancisco.
14 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, I move
15 to adopt the Resolution Calendar, with the
16 exception of Resolution Number 1092.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: All in
18 favor of accepting the Resolution Calendar, with
19 the exception of Resolution 1092, signify by
20 saying aye.
21 (Response of "Aye.")
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
23 (No response.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
25 Resolution Calendar is adopted as presented.
1273
1 Senator DeFrancisco.
2 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, can we
3 call on Senator Ritchie for an introduction,
4 please.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
6 Ritchie.
7 May I have some order in the house,
8 please.
9 SENATOR RITCHIE: Thank you,
10 Mr. President.
11 I just wanted to take a moment to
12 welcome the home-school kids who are here from
13 the Thousand Islands region with Meredith George.
14 This is the fifth year some of them have been
15 here. They spent the day seeing how government
16 works, asking great questions, and we're
17 certainly glad to have them here today.
18 And hope you enjoyed your day at the
19 Capitol. And what a wonderful group of kids,
20 getting involved in state government and finding
21 out how things work. Thank you for coming to
22 visit me today. Thank you for your interest.
23 And I hope you have a great day at the Capitol.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: We
25 welcome our visitors from the North Country.
1274
1 Welcome to the chamber. We extend the courtesies
2 of the house to you.
3 Thank you, Senator Ritchie.
4 Senator DeFrancisco.
5 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Okay,
6 Mr. President, in order to move efficiently -- or
7 at least more efficiently than we have done
8 before today -- I'm going to call an immediate
9 meeting of the Rules Committee in 332. But
10 someone will be sitting in my place, and we can
11 start the resolution process and debate or have
12 discussion on the resolutions.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Very
14 good. There will be an immediate meeting of the
15 Rules Committee in Room 332. Members of the
16 Rules Committee should go to the Rules Committee
17 meeting. We will continue with resolutions
18 before the house.
19 Senator Boyle.
20 SENATOR BOYLE: We've adopted the
21 Resolution Calendar. Can we take up the
22 previously adopted Resolution Number 222, by
23 Senator Marchione.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
25 Secretary will read.
1275
1 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
2 Resolution Number 222, by Senator Marchione,
3 memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
4 proclaim March 21, 2017, Down Syndrome Awareness
5 Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with
6 the observance of World Down Syndrome Day.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: I'm going
8 to ask for some order in the house, please. I
9 know people are moving to meetings, but we have a
10 member that will begin speaking.
11 Senator Marchione.
12 SENATOR MARCHIONE: Thank you,
13 Mr. President.
14 I rise to speak on this resolution
15 that proclaims today, March 21st, as Down
16 Syndrome Awareness Day in New York State.
17 March 21st is recognized as World
18 Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day
19 officially observed by the United Nations since
20 2012. Advanced by the Down Syndrome
21 International, World Down Syndrome Day raises
22 awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means
23 to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down
24 syndrome play such a vital role in our lives and
25 in their communities.
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1 The 21st day of the third month,
2 today, March 21st, was selected as World Down
3 Syndrome Day to signify the uniqueness of the
4 triplication of the 21st chromosome which causes
5 Down syndrome.
6 The theme of World Down Syndrome Day
7 is "My voice, my community." It's about enabling
8 people with Down syndrome to speak up, be heard,
9 influence government policy, and be fully
10 included in the community.
11 There are an estimated 7 million
12 people with Down syndrome worldwide. One in
13 every 691 babies in the United States is
14 diagnosed with Down syndrome, and approximately
15 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome.
16 Medical breakthroughs are helping
17 individuals with Down syndrome live healthier
18 lives. Increased awareness of Down syndrome is a
19 vital part of that success.
20 And that's where the Lots of Socks
21 come into play. Yesterday my office delivered
22 Lots of Socks to all of you. I wore mine, and I
23 hope that each of you wore yours as well. Lots
24 of Socks are brightly colored socks in a really
25 fun way to start a serious conversation.
1277
1 I had a number of meetings, like
2 most of you did today. I visited a union
3 breakfast this morning, and immediately people
4 noticed my socks, and I got to talk about Down
5 syndrome. Then I had two other meetings in my
6 office, and the same thing occurred. That's
7 exactly what Lots of Socks are supposed to do for
8 each one of us.
9 I sent you information as well on
10 Down syndrome relative to the Aim High Resource
11 Center and its Random Act of Kindness campaign.
12 This wonderful campaign celebrates and honors
13 individuals living with Down syndrome and also
14 spreads a little love and kindness.
15 The campaign states that you should
16 choose an act of kindness -- it could be cookies
17 to a fire station or checking in on an elderly
18 neighbor. Mine, of course, was giving socks to
19 each one of you. Senator Ritchie today brought
20 in platters of goodies for all of us in our
21 conference.
22 You know, it was interesting because
23 when I became Senator, the first person to invite
24 me to their home for dinner was one of our
25 messengers who had Down syndrome. Acts of
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1 kindness are just something people with Down
2 syndrome just do without any ulterior agenda.
3 I'm very proud to bring this
4 resolution here. You know, many of you know I
5 have a great-nephew who has Down syndrome. He's
6 just such a bright light in our family, as each
7 and every one of these people who have Down
8 syndrome are.
9 So thank you, Mr. President, for
10 allowing me to bring this resolution to the
11 floor, and to all of you today for participating
12 in it.
13 Thank you very much.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
15 you, Senator Marchione.
16 Senator Seward.
17 SENATOR SEWARD: Yes, thank you,
18 Mr. President.
19 I'm very pleased to rise in support
20 of this resolution, which recognizes here in the
21 State of New York Down Syndrome Awareness Day as
22 part of the international observance of World
23 Down Syndrome Day. It's an opportunity to raise
24 awareness of what Down syndrome is and what it
25 means to have Down syndrome, and how people with
1279
1 Down syndrome really play a vital role in our
2 lives and in our communities.
3 You know, I was very pleased once
4 again to be wearing my Lots of Socks. And it
5 sure is an opportunity to strike up a
6 conversation because of their bright colors and
7 the decorative nature of the socks.
8 And as I have conversations about
9 Down syndrome with those who have talked with me
10 about my socks and this topic, it gives me an
11 opportunity to speak about a facility in my
12 district, Pathfinder Village, which is located in
13 the small town of Edmeston in Otsego County. And
14 Pathfinder Village is a facility exclusively
15 serving the needs of those with Down syndrome,
16 both as a residence and as a school.
17 And Pathfinder Village is a vital
18 part of the community. It's a village setting
19 with some homes and other buildings. It's a
20 wonderful village. There's the Otsego Academy
21 and Pathfinder School, there's a village cafe and
22 bakery, a produce market on those days that
23 produce -- and that time of year when produce is
24 available. There's also Camp Pathfinder, which
25 provides a wonderful summertime experience for
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1 those with Down syndrome.
2 Pathfinder Village is an open-access
3 neighborhood. It's where those with Down
4 syndrome form lasting friendships and gain true
5 independence. It's a wonderful place.
6 And the slogan for the Pathfinder
7 Village is "That each life may find meaning." I
8 say it's a slogan, but "That each life may find
9 meaning" is really more than a slogan for
10 Pathfinder Village, it is exactly who they are
11 and what they do -- with a wonderful staff,
12 administration and, of course, residents who are
13 such an important and vital part of our
14 community.
15 So, Mr. President, I'm very proud to
16 be wearing my Lots of Socks today and also to be
17 supportive of this resolution as we do truly
18 spread awareness this day of Down syndrome.
19 Thank you.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
21 you, Senator Seward.
22 The resolution was previously
23 adopted on January 18th of this year.
24 Senator Boyle.
25 SENATOR BOYLE: Mr. President, can
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1 we take up Resolution 1092, by Senator Croci.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
5 Resolution Number 1092, by Senator Croci,
6 commemorating the 75th anniversary of the
7 Civil Air Patrol.
8 "WHEREAS, The State of New York
9 takes great pride in recognizing and honoring
10 those organizations selflessly dedicated to
11 protecting our country and improving the health
12 and well-being of communities throughout the
13 state and our nation; and
14 "WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is
15 justly proud to commemorate the 75th anniversary
16 of the Civil Air Patrol; and
17 "WHEREAS, The Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
18 was founded on December 1, 1941, one week before
19 the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to
20 supplement the United States military during
21 World War II; and
22 "WHEREAS, CAP was founded by
23 citizens committed to helping bolster the
24 nation's defense in our time of need by using
25 civilian aviation resources; CAP pilots flew more
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1 than 500,000 aviation hours performing a wide
2 variety of duties including coastal patrol for
3 submarine activity or ships and personnel in
4 distress, as well as forest and southern border
5 patrol; and
6 "WHEREAS, On May 26, 1948, Congress
7 passed a law designating CAP as the Air Force
8 Auxiliary, with three primary missions:
9 emergency missions, cadet programs, and aerospace
10 education; and
11 "WHEREAS, CAP has set itself apart
12 through its emergency mission work, such as
13 assisting rescuers and state agencies following
14 the September 11th terrorist attacks, supporting
15 hurricane relief efforts in 2005, 2008 and 2012,
16 responding to the Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010,
17 and aiding communities during other natural
18 disasters; and
19 "WHEREAS, CAP provides exceptional
20 educational opportunities for youth through its
21 Cadet Program, nearly 24,000 members strong,
22 providing access to top national summer flight
23 academies to learn to fly powered or glider
24 aircraft, as well as more than 30 national
25 programs encouraging leadership and careers in
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1 aviation; and
2 "WHEREAS, CAP's Aerospace Education
3 Program annually works with more than
4 1,800 educators and over 150,000 youths (cadets
5 and other students in classrooms across America)
6 to teach aviation concepts emphasizing aviation's
7 connection to history, math, science, government
8 and economics; and
9 "WHEREAS, 24 current New York State
10 legislators are captains in the Legislative
11 Squadron of the New York CAP; and
12 "WHEREAS, It is the sense of this
13 legislative body that when organizations of such
14 noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
15 attention, they should be celebrated and
16 recognized by all the citizens of this great
17 Empire State; now, therefore, be it
18 "RESOLVED, That this legislative
19 body pause in its deliberations to commemorate
20 the 75th anniversary of the Civil Air Patrol; and
21 be it further
22 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
23 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
24 the Civil Air Patrol."
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
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1 Croci.
2 SENATOR CROCI: Mr. President, on
3 the resolution.
4 We're very proud to be able to
5 sponsor this resolution today to honor the Civil
6 Air Patrol. I don't need to explain to our
7 members who the Civil Air Patrol are; they're in
8 our communities, and we know them well.
9 I will say that there are three
10 members of the Civil Air Patrol who are here
11 which I'd like to recognize, give some special
12 attention to. And that is, from the New York
13 Wing, Colonel Tom Carello, Lieutenant Colonel
14 John Jones, and Major Bob Elwood, who are in our
15 gallery today, along with Assemblywoman Lupardo,
16 who sponsors this resolution in her chamber.
17 I just had a personal anecdote I
18 want to share about the Civil Air Patrol. When
19 we talk about your response to disasters, as a
20 few of the members are familiar with, during
21 Superstorm Sandy, on the south shore of
22 Long Island, the first pictures that we got of
23 our barrier island and the devastation and the
24 breaches that had occurred didn't come from NOAA,
25 didn't come from law enforcement, didn't come
1285
1 from the United States Coast Guard, it came from
2 the Civil Air Patrol.
3 These are individuals who have the
4 ability to get up into small, privately owned
5 aircraft, fly with visual flight rules, VFR, so
6 that they're able to get up quickly and get the
7 information that we need in times when it's very
8 difficult to obtain it. It helped us be better
9 prepared to respond to some of the devastation.
10 I believe it helped protect further lives and
11 damage to property.
12 In addition to all the great
13 education programs that they do, Mr. President, I
14 just want to commend them on their
15 75th anniversary, but also to thank them and all
16 of the families and all of the volunteers who are
17 associated with the Civil Air Patrol who make
18 this organization work, a great institution in
19 the State of New York and a great American
20 institution.
21 Mr. President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
23 you, Senator Croci.
24 Senator Murphy.
25 SENATOR MURPHY: Thank you,
1286
1 Mr. President.
2 I would rise just to congratulate
3 you and thank you for all you do for everybody,
4 from taking care of our youth and training them
5 to become productive citizens in society, to
6 taking care of the people that need to be rescued
7 sometimes. You guys do it all.
8 It has been a privilege to be able
9 to work with you within my district. And right
10 down the Hudson River, you guys do a heck of a
11 job for us. And I just rise to congratulate you
12 on your 75th-year anniversary.
13 Congratulations.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
15 question is on the resolution. All in favor
16 signify by saying aye.
17 (Response of "Aye.")
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
19 (No response.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
21 resolution is adopted.
22 The previous resolution on Down
23 Syndrome Awareness Day, and this resolution
24 commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Civil
25 Air Patrol, are both open for cosponsorship at
1287
1 the sponsors' request. Should you choose to be a
2 cosponsor, please notify the desk.
3 Thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
5 DeFrancisco.
6 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, could we
7 take up previously adopted Resolution 973, by
8 Senator Díaz, read it in its entirety, and call
9 on Senator Díaz.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
13 Resolution Number 973, by Senator Díaz,
14 memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to declare
15 March 11, 2017, to April 12, 2017, as
16 Garifuna-American Heritage Month in the State of
17 New York.
18 "WHEREAS, It is the sense of this
19 legislative body to recognize and pay just
20 tribute to the cultural heritage of the ethnic
21 groups which comprise and contribute to the
22 richness and diversity of the community of the
23 State of New York; and
24 "WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern,
25 and in keeping with its time-honored traditions,
1288
1 it is the intent of this legislative body to
2 applaud and commemorate events which foster
3 ethnic pride and exemplify the cultural diversity
4 that represents and strengthens the spirit of the
5 people and the State of New York; and
6 "WHEREAS, This legislative body is
7 justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M.
8 Cuomo to declare March 11, 2017, to April 12,
9 2017, as Garifuna-American Heritage Month in the
10 State of New York; and
11 "WHEREAS, Garifuna-American Heritage
12 Month celebrates the great contributions of
13 Garifuna-Americans to the fabric of New York
14 City, and pays tribute to the common culture and
15 bonds of friendship that united the United States
16 and the Garifuna countries of Belize, Guatemala,
17 Honduras, Nicaragua, and St. Vincent and the
18 Grenadines; and
19 "WHEREAS, Garifuna-American Heritage
20 Month affirms the culture, identity and
21 self-esteem of a people; it celebrates a rich
22 heritage and illuminates Garifuna history and
23 tradition, as well as the spirit of an
24 indomitable people; and
25 "WHEREAS, In 1665, two Spanish ships
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1 wrecked off the coast of St. Vincent; and
2 "WHEREAS, The West African slaves
3 that escaped to the island eventually
4 intermarried with the Caribs and the Arawaks
5 indigenous native people; and
6 "WHEREAS, The new race of people,
7 known as the Garifuna, grew strong and prosperous
8 on the island; and
9 "WHEREAS, In 1795, the Garifuna
10 began the Second Carib War against the British;
11 battles raged throughout St. Vincent over the
12 next year, with both sides enduring heavy losses;
13 and
14 "WHEREAS, On June 10, 1796, the
15 final battle commenced with the Garifuna and
16 British, resulting in the Garifuna's surrender;
17 and
18 "WHEREAS, The surviving Black Caribs
19 were forcibly transferred to the neighboring
20 island of Balliceaux; and
21 "WHEREAS, On March 11, 1797, the
22 defeated Garifuna were loaded onto a convoy of
23 eight vessels and transported to Roatan,
24 Honduras, which arrived on April 12th of that
25 year; and
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1 "WHEREAS, This year we commemorate
2 the 220th anniversary of the forcible deportation
3 of the Garifuna people by the British from
4 St. Vincent and the Grenadines and their
5 settlement in Central America; and
6 "WHEREAS, The Garifuna began to
7 migrate to the United States during the 1930s;
8 today, New York City is home to the largest
9 Garifuna community outside of Central America;
10 and
11 "WHEREAS, Garifuna-American Heritage
12 Month provides an opportunity to recognize the
13 significance of their contributions to the
14 quality and character of life, and, through many
15 events and activities throughout the month, for
16 all people to gain a greater appreciation of
17 Garifuna history and traditions, and of the role
18 Garifuna-Americans have played, and will continue
19 to play, in our society; and
20 "WHEREAS, Today, New Yorkers of
21 Garifuna heritage such as Rosemary Ordonez
22 Jenkins, Sulma Arzu-Brown, Aquina Valentin Mirtha
23 Colon, James Lovell, Rosita Alvarez, Paula
24 Castillo, Edson Arzu, Sara Nunez Mejia, Marcia
25 Gomez, Evelyn Arauz Chamorro, and Jose Francisco
1291
1 Avila continue to recognize and honor the legacy
2 of their ancestors; now, therefore, be it
3 "RESOLVED, That this legislative
4 body pause in its deliberations to memorialize
5 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to declare March 11,
6 2017, to April 12, 2017, as Garifuna-American
7 Heritage Month in the State of New York; and be
8 it further
9 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
10 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
11 the Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the
12 State of New York."
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
14 Díaz.
15 SENATOR DÍAZ: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 Today, at a time where immigrants
18 are being mistreated, a time where we beat our
19 chests proclaiming that we are defending of
20 immigrants, we have a bunch -- two buses that
21 came this morning from the Bronx. Early in the
22 morning, ladies and gentlemen, they took the
23 buses in the Bronx, the Garifuna.
24 They came here proud of their
25 heritage. They came here proud of their
1292
1 ancestors. They came here to show us that they
2 are Garifunas, that they live in New York City,
3 and that they're here to stay.
4 I'm a little bit sad because they
5 have sat there patiently, close to a hundred
6 immigrants have been sitting there patiently, for
7 more than an hour and a half. And things have
8 happened here today that I had to thank my friend
9 Senator Gianaris to intervene. Ladies and
10 gentlemen, if this chamber prides itself in
11 protecting immigrants and making them feel good,
12 we should have more consideration, more respect
13 for our immigrants.
14 (Applause from gallery.)
15 SENATOR DÍAZ: Today, ladies and
16 gentlemen, it is a very, very special day. Today
17 I am honored to be the sponsor of this great
18 resolution and to be the sponsor of the seventh
19 annual celebration of Garifuna Heritage Month
20 here in the New York State Senate.
21 Today I'm honored to have the
22 opportunity and privilege granted to me by the
23 distinguished leaders of the Senate -- the
24 Honorable Senator John Flanagan, the Honorable
25 Senator Jeff Klein, the Honorable Senator Andrea
1293
1 Stewart-Cousins, the Secretary of the Senate
2 Mr. Frank Patience -- and all the members of this
3 body that have allowed me to introduce this
4 resolution.
5 I'm also honored and privileged to
6 have many members of the Senate joining me as
7 cosponsors of such an important resolution.
8 But, Mr. President and members of
9 the Senate, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to
10 welcome the delegation from the Garifuna
11 community who are sitting patiently in the
12 gallery. Look at those, how beautiful they look.
13 (Applause from the gallery.)
14 SENATOR DÍAZ: Waiting patiently.
15 Don't look at me that way,
16 Mr. President.
17 (Laughter.)
18 SENATOR DÍAZ: This delegation,
19 presided over by Mr. Jose Francisco Avila,
20 president of the Garifuna Coalition USA, who has
21 joined us in the Senate chamber today, along with
22 Sara Nuñez Mejia, Marcia Gomez, members of the
23 Garifuna Heritage Association, the Reverend
24 Andrew Nuñez, senior pastor of the Believers
25 Mennonite Garifuna Ministry, who gave the
1294
1 invocation.
2 And also I'm proud to say that we
3 have been joined by Miss Paula Bermudez, Miss
4 Heritage Honduras Queen. She is the queen, the
5 queen of the Honduras Heritage Month.
6 Welcome to Albany, my dear friends.
7 Ladies and gentlemen, it is also
8 important for you to know that the Garifuna
9 community has been an integral part of New York
10 City and especially of Bronx County for almost
11 90 years. The Garifuna have been coming to the
12 United States of America in search of a better
13 life since 1930. Their vitality, their talent,
14 and their commitment constitute tremendous
15 resources for our state and our city.
16 But, Mr. President and ladies and
17 gentlemen, you should know that it took a tragic
18 event, a fire that took the lives of 87 people,
19 for the government institutions to start paying
20 attention to this great community. On March 25,
21 1990, a social club in the Bronx called Happy
22 Land was set on fire, causing the death of
23 many people and inflicting tremendous pain and
24 suffering to the rest of the Garifuna community
25 throughout the State of New York and throughout
1295
1 the world.
2 In order to recognize and celebrate
3 the contributions of the Garifuna community, it
4 is important, ladies and gentlemen, for you to
5 know that this past Friday, together with
6 Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda, Assemblymember
7 Marcos Crespo, Assemblymember Victor Pichardo,
8 and Assemblymember Michael Blake, we conducted a
9 banquet this past Friday called Abrazo Garifuna
10 that was attended by more than 700 people.
11 Today, as the State Senator
12 representing the 32nd Senatorial District in
13 Bronx County, it is an honor and a privilege for
14 me to have this huge delegation of Garifuna for
15 the seventh consecutive year joining us in the
16 Senate gallery waiting, praying to my Lord that
17 next year we don't have to make them wait that
18 long.
19 (Laughter; applause from gallery.)
20 SENATOR DÍAZ: Mr. President, I
21 also would like to take this opportunity to thank
22 Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda, Marcos Crespo,
23 Victor Pichardo, and Michael Blake, who have
24 joined me in organizing this Garifuna Day in
25 Albany, New York.
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1 To you, my colleagues of the Senate,
2 and all you staff, I would also like you to know
3 that together with Senator Marty Golden, we have
4 arranged to have a Garifuna Night celebration in
5 The Well. Therefore, I'm inviting all of you to
6 join us in this unique special occasion at a
7 reception at 5 p.m. following session in The
8 Well, for a very, very, very special Garifuna
9 celebration where you will be witnessing a night
10 of Garifuna culture and Garifuna dance.
11 In closing, I would like to say, to
12 the Garifuna delegation, thank you for accepting
13 my invitation. "Buiti Achúluruni. Seremein
14 Bini-noun búnguío."
15 (Applause from gallery.)
16 SENATOR DÍAZ: Thank you. Thank
17 you, Thank you, Mr. President.
18 And by the way, ladies and
19 gentlemen, the majority of those members there
20 are not from my district. They're from the --
21 majority are from Gustavo Rivera's district.
22 Gustavo is here today, and they are -- they are
23 our friends and colleagues.
24 Thank you for being with us again,
25 and I love you. {In Garifuna.} Thank you. I
1297
1 love you. {In Garifuna.} I love you. You
2 waited. You waited. You patiently waited, and I
3 appreciate it.
4 Thank you very much. God bless you
5 all. This is Senator Rubén Díaz, and this is
6 what you should know. Thank you very much.
7 (Laughter, enthusiastic applause.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
9 resolution was previously adopted -- Senator
10 Rivera.
11 Can I have some order, please.
12 SENATOR RIVERA: Thank you,
13 Mr. President.
14 You will all be very disappointed
15 that I will not be quite as colorful, but then
16 again I don't think anybody can be.
17 But I do thank Senator Díaz for
18 bringing this resolution, as he does every year
19 for the last seven years, as he said.
20 As he said, most of the folks that
21 are here come from my district, from the 33rd
22 Senatorial District in northwest Bronx. It is an
23 incredible diverse district that I love. And
24 part of what I love about it is precisely that
25 diversity, the fact that even though I am from
1298
1 Puerto Rico, born and raised, that I have folks
2 in my district, whether they be from the
3 Dominican Republic, from Mexico, from parts of
4 Western Africa, and then I have this thriving
5 community of Garifuna in my district.
6 I did not know what the Garifuna
7 community was before I started to meet this
8 gentleman right over here, Jose Francisco Avila,
9 who told me about who they were as a people but
10 then did something better, actually showed me who
11 these folks were. So I had an opportunity to
12 build with them in my district, I've had an
13 opportunity to visit them in their house of
14 worship and in their businesses.
15 And as always, I look forward to the
16 work that we will do together to continue to
17 build the Bronx, because it is a great borough.
18 And one of the things again that I love about it
19 is the fact that it is so diverse.
20 So I thank these folks for coming up
21 here, as I always do. I thank you for coming up
22 to Albany. It is -- sometimes some folks up here
23 forget why we come up here and why, when we have
24 folks coming from our districts, you get to
25 remind us that the things that we do up here have
1299
1 an impact on every single community out there
2 across the state.
3 So you not only come to remind us of
4 the great culture and heritage that you have as a
5 people, how important you are to the Bronx, but
6 also how each of the communities that you live in
7 is impacted by some of the decisions that we
8 make, whether it's on taxation, on education, on
9 health.
10 It's always good to see you up here
11 during this day, but please come back often to
12 make sure that you continue to remind us of the
13 work that we need to do to make our communities
14 better.
15 So, Mr. President, I thank you for
16 giving me the opportunity to speak on this on
17 their behalf. And unfortunately, I do not have a
18 phrase written down, but I will -- not in
19 Garifuna, but in Spanish, I will say bienvenidos,
20 muchas gracias por estan con nosostros, y que
21 viva la communidad Garifuna.
22 Thank you, Mr. President.
23 (Cheers, applause from gallery.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: We extend
25 a warm welcome to the Garifuna community here
1300
1 today. We congratulate all of you as you
2 celebrate Garifuna-American Heritage Month.
3 Thank you for being here, all of you. Let us
4 give them a round of applause.
5 (Standing ovation.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: As I
7 noted, the resolution was previously adopted on
8 March 15th of 2017. The sponsor has requested
9 that the resolution be open for cosponsorship.
10 Should you choose to be a cosponsor, please
11 notify the desk.
12 Senator DeFrancisco.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Thank you.
14 Could you take up previously adopted Resolution
15 Number 766, read the title only, and call on
16 Senator Akshar.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
18 Secretary will read.
19 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
20 Resolution Number 766, by Senator Akshar,
21 recognizing March 21, 2017 as National
22 Agriculture Day.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
24 Akshar.
25 SENATOR AKSHAR: Mr. President,
1301
1 thank you. On the resolution, thank you for your
2 indulgence.
3 I've made a mental note to myself to
4 never go after Senator Díaz or Senator Rivera
5 ever again.
6 (Laughter.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
8 Akshar, one minute, please.
9 Can we have some order in the house,
10 please. I know people are exiting now, but we
11 want to continue the business of the house.
12 Thank you very much.
13 Senator Akshar.
14 SENATOR AKSHAR: Mr. President,
15 thank you.
16 I'm proud to sponsor this piece of
17 legislation alongside Senator Helming and Senator
18 Ritchie, the chair of the Agriculture Committee.
19 I want to thank Senator Ritchie, albeit she's not
20 in her seat, but for being an unrelenting
21 champion for all things agriculture.
22 As you know, farming and agriculture
23 are huge economic drivers for the people of the
24 State of New York. New York State is one of the
25 top leading agriculture producers in the nation;
1302
1 23 percent of our state's land, or 7 million
2 acres, support 36,000 farms that produce the food
3 that we feed our families with on a daily basis.
4 It's a $5 billion industry, supports tens of
5 thousands of jobs.
6 And at this time I wonder, quite
7 frankly, why we have to fight so hard to restore
8 funding in the budget every year to support
9 agriculture. This year we're fighting to restore
10 $12 million. Over the last five or six years,
11 we've fought diligently, this house, to restore
12 over $55 million.
13 And by way of this resolution, we
14 are paying notice to those who contribute so much
15 of their time and energy to ensure that our
16 families, friends and, most importantly, our
17 children have access to fresh and healthy food.
18 And unfortunately, the average age
19 of the farmer now is 57 years old. And that may
20 not seem like much to some of you, but if you're
21 Senators Bailey, Carlucci, Ortt or myself, it's
22 getting up there. Right?
23 (Laughter.)
24 SENATOR AKSHAR: So clearly we have
25 to do something a little bit differently. And --
1303
1 Senator DeFrancisco, you're smiling.
2 (Inaudible; laughter.)
3 SENATOR AKSHAR: I think it's
4 critically important that everyone in this house
5 recognizes that and recognizes how important
6 agriculture is to the people of this great state,
7 and that we do everything in our power to ensure
8 that we are investing in the next generation of
9 the workforce with everything to do with
10 agriculture.
11 Mr. President, thank you for your
12 indulgence.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
14 you, Senator Akshar.
15 Senator Helming on the resolution.
16 SENATOR HELMING: Thank you,
17 Mr. President.
18 Mr. President, I rise in support of
19 this resolution commemorating today, March 21st,
20 as National Agriculture Day. When most people
21 think about industry in New York State,
22 agriculture probably isn't one of the first
23 things that comes to mind, but the reality is
24 agriculture is one of our state's top industries
25 and it plays a critically important role in our
1304
1 state's economy, particularly in the upstate
2 communities, where farmers continue to be
3 significant employers and job creators.
4 However, like many other industries,
5 agriculture and farmers face many challenges --
6 increased regulatory burdens, pressure to sell
7 land for development, rising labor costs, falling
8 commodity pricing, and much more.
9 Despite these challenges,
10 agriculture remains the backbone of our upstate
11 economy, and farmers to provide food for our
12 families. Statistics show the number of families
13 fed per farmer per year has increased from about
14 25 in the 1960s to more than 144 today.
15 In the 54th Senate District, which I
16 represent, Wayne County's apple production is
17 number one in the state and is ranked number five
18 in the nation. Ontario, Seneca and Cayuga
19 counties are home to many award-winning wineries,
20 breweries and dairy farms. And in the towns of
21 Lansing and Webster, working farms are embraced
22 as an integral part of these rapidly growing
23 communities.
24 As the Senate chair of the Joint
25 Rural Resources Commission, I thank my fellow
1305
1 legislators for their support of agriculture and
2 respectfully ask that you continue to support our
3 farmers by advocating for laws that help farmers
4 and their families stay on their land; expanding
5 funding for farmland conservation; helping
6 farmers with the needed resources to protect our
7 freshwater bodies; bolstering the economic future
8 for agriculture by providing assistance for new
9 farmers, especially new veterans in farming; and
10 helping to educate Americans and fellow New
11 Yorkers about why it is important to support
12 local food and protect farms.
13 Once again, Mr. President, I rise in
14 support of this resolution and I thank our
15 farmers for being good stewards of the
16 environment and producing the food, fuel, and
17 fiber for our local communities and our world.
18 Thank you.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
20 you, Senator Helming.
21 The resolution was previously
22 adopted on February 28th of this year, 2017.
23 And Senator Akshar would like to
24 open the resolution for cosponsorship. Should
25 you choose to become a cosponsor, please notify
1306
1 the desk.
2 Senator DeFrancisco.
3 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, can we
4 now take up previously adopted Resolution 961, by
5 Senator Stavisky, read it in its entirety, and
6 call on Senator Stavisky to speak, please.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
8 Secretary will read.
9 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
10 Resolution Number 961, by Senator Stavisky,
11 mourning the death of Helen M. Marshall, first
12 black borough president of Queens, champion of
13 public libraries, and devoted wife, mother and
14 grandmother.
15 "WHEREAS, It is the custom of this
16 legislative body to mourn publicly the death of
17 cherished citizens of the State of New York who
18 distinguished themselves in their profession and
19 in service to their community; and
20 "WHEREAS, With feelings of deepest
21 regret, this legislative body records the passing
22 of Helen M. Marshall, who died on Saturday,
23 March 4, 2017, at the age of 87, noting the loss
24 of a citizen whose purposeful life and endeavors
25 contributed so much to the quality of life in her
1307
1 community; and
2 "WHEREAS, Helen M. Marshall was born
3 in Harlem, New York, on September 30, 1929, to
4 Guyanese immigrants; after earning her bachelor's
5 degree in education, she served as an early
6 childhood teacher for eight years; and
7 "WHEREAS, A larger-than-life figure
8 in the civic life of Queens, Helen M. Marshall
9 fought to improve schools, addressed numerous
10 quality-of-life issues, and was instrumental in
11 securing a fair share of New York City resources
12 for the borough of Queens; and
13 "WHEREAS, Helen M. Marshall began
14 her distinguished public service career as an
15 advocate for her East Elmhurst neighborhood,
16 where she diligently worked to provide job
17 training programs and stimulate the local
18 economy; and
19 "WHEREAS, In 1982, Helen M. Marshall
20 won the first of five terms to the New York State
21 Assembly; in this capacity, she served as a
22 tireless advocate for the needs of children,
23 families and the elderly in her district; and
24 "WHEREAS, Well-liked and respected
25 by many, Helen M. Marshall was then elected to
1308
1 the City Council, a position she held for 10
2 years; and
3 "WHEREAS, In 2001, Helen M. Marshall
4 was the first African-American, and the second
5 woman, to be elected to the esteemed position of
6 Queens Borough President, a title she would hold
7 for three consecutive terms until her retirement
8 in 2013; and
9 "WHEREAS, Known as a big-hearted
10 fighter, Helen M. Marshall entered office with a
11 detailed list of priorities, which staff members
12 affectionately called the Marshall Plan for
13 Queens; and
14 "WHEREAS, Helen M. Marshall
15 championed Queens tourism and new development
16 across the borough, supporting the expansion of
17 the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at
18 Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the plan to
19 redevelop the Willets Point industrial area; and
20 "WHEREAS, A passionate supporter of
21 Queens culture, Helen M. Marshall thoroughly
22 enjoyed the local art scene, praised famous
23 residents and their accomplishments, honored war
24 heroes, and cheered for the Mets; in 2016, a
25 cultural center built at Queens Borough Hall was
1309
1 dedicated in Helen's name; and
2 "WHEREAS, Helen M. Marshall created
3 the Queens General Assembly, which promoted
4 cross-cultural exchanges among ethnic groups; she
5 truly believed that people should visit Queens
6 and see the world; and
7 "WHEREAS, Known for her firm trust
8 in the power of knowledge, Helen M. Marshall
9 promoted reading as the catalyst for our
10 students' future academic success, their
11 preparation for America's jobs of the future, and
12 their ability to compete in a global economy, by
13 procuring significant funds for numerous library
14 projects in Queens; in her role as the first
15 director of the Langston Hughes Library, she was
16 the recipient of the 2005 Daniel W. Casey Library
17 Advocacy Award; and
18 "WHEREAS, Always available to lend a
19 helping hand, Helen M. Marshall relished talking
20 to her constituents, and appreciated their
21 feedback; during the aftermath of Superstorm
22 Sandy in October of 2012, she helped people
23 evacuate to safety; and
24 "WHEREAS, When she was not working
25 or helping others, Helen M. Marshall enjoyed
1310
1 spending summers with her family in Sag Harbor,
2 New York; after her much deserved retirement, she
3 moved to California; and
4 "WHEREAS, Helen M. Marshall is
5 survived by her son, Donald Marshall, Jr.;
6 daughter, Agnes Marie Marshall; two
7 grandchildren, Chandler and Chose; and a sister,
8 Joan Suger; and
9 "WHEREAS, A woman of great
10 compassion and sensitivity, Helen M. Marshall's
11 legacy extends far beyond her accomplishments as
12 a successful public servant; her sincere concern
13 for others, her integrity, unconditional
14 friendship, and selfless motivation to give of
15 herself will long stand as a beacon for those who
16 would aspire to serve in their community; now,
17 therefore, be it
18 "RESOLVED, That this legislative
19 body pause in its deliberations to pay tribute
20 to the memory of Helen M. Marshall, to celebrate
21 her life, and honor her accomplishments; and be
22 it further
23 "RESOLVED, That a copy of this
24 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to
25 the family of Helen M. Marshall."
1311
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
2 Stavisky.
3 SENATOR STAVISKY: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 Last Sunday, hundreds of her closest
6 friends -- including several people here in the
7 chamber -- gathered at the Helen Marshall
8 Cultural Center, a large atrium dedicated just a
9 few months ago, to celebrate her life.
10 I knew Helen from her days at the
11 Manpower Center on Northern Boulevard, and she
12 and her husband were friends of my husband and my
13 son and myself.
14 Helen Marshall was really the voice
15 for so many people in Queens County, particularly
16 children. She had a soft spot for young people.
17 Helen was also the voice for libraries. She
18 realized that libraries are more than just a
19 place where you take a book out for a month and
20 read it -- that libraries were the cultural
21 center, the epicenter of what was going on,
22 particularly in East Elmhurst, where she was one
23 of the founders of the Langston Hughes Library, a
24 wonderful, wonderful institution.
25 She also believed in parks. Parks
1312
1 were for people. And she was responsible for
2 many, many park developments.
3 When she was borough president, she
4 created the General Assembly, where people from
5 each community board from all over Queens came
6 together in a cultural exchange program. She
7 believed that people needed a voice. She broke
8 the barriers that separated people, the walls
9 that are created to divide people, because she
10 believed in diversity, that Queens County in
11 particular is a remarkably diverse community,
12 where 130 languages are spoken in our schools.
13 She brought people together, and that is such an
14 important quality.
15 She was passionate, she was an
16 advocate for everything that people cared
17 about -- whether, as I said, schools or
18 libraries. She treated everybody with respect.
19 Somebody would pull her aside at a meeting, she
20 would pull them into her office and sit and
21 listen to what they had to say for hours on end.
22 She was interested in everything that was going
23 on, particularly in people's lives.
24 She was a kind and generous person,
25 a warm person. Nobody ever said anything against
1313
1 Helen because she was so widely respected. I
2 consider her a friend.
3 And the demonstration by the people
4 of Queens at that memorial service on Sunday, at
5 the funeral on Saturday, and at the visitation on
6 Friday, I think that demonstrates the respect and
7 the love that the people of Queens had for Helen
8 Marshall, who was really a groundbreaker.
9 When she left the Assembly to go to
10 the City Council, she created the Committee on
11 Higher Education, became the first chair. She
12 was the first African-American borough president
13 of Queens. And she continues -- people continue
14 in her tradition.
15 And I thank the president, the
16 temporary president -- the presiding officer,
17 Senator Griffo, for his patience. Thank you.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
19 you, Senator Stavisky.
20 Senator Comrie.
21 SENATOR COMRIE: Thank you,
22 Mr. President. On the resolution.
23 When I was a young pup first
24 starting out, working for my predecessor in the
25 City Council, I met Helen Marshall and was able
1314
1 to impress upon her my eagerness to be in
2 government, my eagerness to want to be helpful to
3 certain things. Unbeknownst to my knowledge,
4 Helen was working in the Assembly at the time, so
5 she remembered my name, she would call me up and
6 say, "Now, we don't have a lot of staff in the
7 Assembly, so I need a little help on a couple of
8 projects." The next thing you knew, I'm doing
9 casework and research and, you know, doing all
10 kinds of work for Helen Marshall, because I was
11 just so excited somebody knew my name at that
12 point.
13 And she would call me and, you know,
14 embrace me as a person and just be so warm and
15 friendly, I was happy to do any kind of work for
16 her. Finally, one day she called me when my
17 boss, Archie Spigner, was in the office, and he
18 reminded me that I worked for him and not for
19 her.
20 (Laughter.)
21 SENATOR COMRIE: Helen was a person
22 that truly embraced people, but she was a
23 fearless fighter. She took on issues and
24 subjects -- she created the opportunity to open
25 up districts in Queens when we needed to have
1315
1 more minority districts back in the '80s. It was
2 her and Assemblyman Gantt and a couple of other
3 people that went down to the federal courthouse
4 and pushed to make sure that there were more
5 districts in Queens, which created the
6 opportunity for this Senate seat which is in
7 existence now, for three Council seats that
8 opened up in southeast Queens. It was due to the
9 work of Helen Marshall.
10 Helen was always a lady, always
11 exuded class and always exuded a spirit of
12 knowledge and a spirit of wanting to learn, a
13 spirit of making sure that she would open up the
14 most diverse borough in the country to embrace
15 all types. Her making sure that we had
16 opportunities to engage with each other, making
17 sure that there was an opportunity for a forum
18 for cultures that didn't know each other to come
19 and exercise and show off and explain to people
20 their culture and background, was a novel idea
21 that quickly took fire all over this country.
22 Helen Marshall gave of herself
23 tirelessly to the borough of Queens, to the city
24 in general. She would always be -- she was
25 always a person that loved to walk well, look
1316
1 sharp. She would get to a meeting and stay at
2 the meeting until the end of a meeting, engaging
3 anyone that came upon her.
4 I was honored to know her. I was
5 honored to call her a mentor and a friend. I was
6 honored that she always made sure to embrace me
7 in whatever capacity I had been up to. She was
8 one of the first people to make sure that when I
9 finally got to the City Council and represented
10 the community there, that she let people know
11 that she mentored me and that I was one of her
12 sons.
13 I want to thank her family for
14 allowing her to be with us. I want to thank the
15 community for embracing her. She was the first
16 African-American borough president. She was
17 first in many things that she did in her life,
18 but she never celebrated it, she never tried to
19 make much of it, she always tried to bring others
20 along. She will be missed.
21 Thank you, Mr. President.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
23 you, Senator Comrie.
24 Senator Peralta.
25 SENATOR PERALTA: Thank you,
1317
1 Mr. President. I rise on the resolution to talk
2 and speak about Helen Marshall.
3 My colleagues pointed out that she
4 was an Assemblywoman, that she was a
5 Councilperson, and she was a Borough President.
6 When she was in the City Council, she was the
7 first to work with Guillermo Linares to create
8 the Black and Latino Caucus at the City Council.
9 When she was at Borough Hall, she was someone who
10 worked diligently to improve the lives of all her
11 constituents, mainly children.
12 She was a big advocate of pushing
13 and creating new schools and creating new
14 libraries. And in fact, in East Elmhurst she was
15 the main advocate for the Langston Hughes
16 Library, and she was the person who made that a
17 reality.
18 On Saturday, the day before the big
19 viewing or memorial on Sunday, there was a
20 private mass. There was a private mass where her
21 family was there, and many members of the
22 community showed up. And I was not surprised. I
23 expected many people to show up, and they did.
24 Because as many people knew her as an
25 Assemblyperson or a Councilperson or just Madam
1318
1 Borough President, the people in the community
2 knew her as Helen, as Ms. Marshall.
3 And she would walk around the
4 community and try to be helpful in whatever
5 matter. Even as the borough president, she would
6 walk up and down the neighborhoods and ask people
7 how she could be helpful. Helen Marshall was
8 truly a great public servant, and for that she
9 needs to be and should be remembered.
10 I remember Helen Marshall as one of
11 my constituents, someone who fought hard to
12 improve the quality of life of the community that
13 she grew up in, that her family grew up in. And
14 it was so touching to see so many people from the
15 community at that mass, at that service, along
16 with her family, that remembered the life of
17 Helen Marshall.
18 She was truly one of a kind, and
19 we're not going to see the likes of Helen
20 Marshall for a long time.
21 So thank you, Mr. President, for
22 allowing me this opportunity to address you on
23 this resolution.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: As noted,
25 the resolution was previously adopted on
1319
1 March 15th of 2017.
2 Senator Larkin.
3 SENATOR LARKIN: Thank you,
4 Mr. President.
5 I would be remiss if I didn't go
6 back a few years, as Senator Peralta said. A lot
7 of us, at least a few of us here, served with her
8 in the Assembly. She was a lady who could walk
9 across the street and convince you that that ice
10 cream was brand-new, not last week. She was the
11 type of a person that when you said "I need your
12 help," she did.
13 And when she left here to go back to
14 the city and go to be Queens borough president --
15 correct me? -- she never forgot us. And when she
16 would come to the Capitol, she would visit those
17 people from both sides of the aisle, because she
18 was a lady of honor and distinction.
19 I'm very proud to have served with
20 her, and God save her.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
22 you, Senator Larkin.
23 As indicated, the resolution was
24 previously adopted on March 15th of 2017.
25 At Senator Stavisky's request, the
1320
1 resolution is open for cosponsorship. If you
2 would like to be a cosponsor, please let the desk
3 know.
4 Senator DeFrancisco.
5 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, we
6 previously adopted a resolution by Senator
7 Marchione, Number 222. Senator Marchione asked
8 that if this could be opened up for those who may
9 want to cosponsor it.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
11 you, Senator DeFrancisco. That was already noted
12 and the request was made to the membership.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Thank you. I
14 was in the Rules Committee meeting --
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Correct.
16 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: -- or else I
17 wouldn't have wasted the time here.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: You're a
19 hardworking man.
20 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Could we take
21 up Resolution 1062, by Senator Serrano, read the
22 title only, and call on Senator Serrano to speak.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
24 Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Legislative
1321
1 Resolution Number 1062, by Senator Serrano,
2 mourning the death of Miriam Colon, a pioneering
3 actress, founder of Puerto Rican Traveling
4 Theater, distinguished citizen, and devoted
5 member of the community.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
7 Serrano.
8 SENATOR SERRANO: Thank you,
9 Mr. President.
10 I rise to pay tribute to the life
11 and legacy of someone who was a giant in the
12 world of the arts, an actress who was a pioneer
13 during the golden age of Hollywood, and that is
14 none other than Miriam Colon.
15 She was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico,
16 in 1936, and she began her acting career in
17 Puerto Rico. But when she came to New York at
18 the age of 17, she furthered her studies at the
19 world-renowned Actors Studio, where as you know,
20 so many of the method actors got their start.
21 She immediately had roles in
22 television and in theater, on stage. She
23 appeared alongside Al Pacino as his mother in the
24 movie Scarface. She had many a very busy career
25 on-screen but also had time to form the
1322
1 Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, which was
2 groundbreaking in its productions that it
3 brought, its diverse cast, and really did
4 solidify her as a pioneer in the world of the
5 arts and culture.
6 She was always a very vocal advocate
7 for the arts and for funding of the cultural
8 sector. She knew that the arts were a vehicle to
9 transform communities, to transform lives, and
10 she worked all of her 80 years to promote the
11 arts in New York and throughout the country.
12 In 1993, she received an Obie Award
13 for Lifetime Achievement in Off-Broadway Theater.
14 In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded her the
15 National Medal of Arts.
16 She is survived by her husband, Fred
17 Valle, who she married in 1987, and stepchildren
18 and grandchildren. She was a giant, she will be
19 remembered as a giant in the world of the arts.
20 But as a Puerto Rican, it is a particular pride
21 that she brought such legendary professionalism
22 to her craft and really set the stage and trend
23 for many actors who came after her.
24 So we pay tribute to Miriam Colon,
25 and I thank her and her family for the great work
1323
1 that they've done, and I ask all of my colleagues
2 here to support this resolution.
3 Thank you.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
5 you, Senator Serrano.
6 The resolution was previously
7 adopted today, and Senator Serrano has requested
8 that the resolution be open for cosponsorship.
9 If you would like to be a cosponsor, please
10 notify the desk.
11 Senator DeFrancisco, that concludes
12 the resolutions.
13 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Yes, could we
14 return to reports of standing committees. And
15 it's my understanding you have a report of the
16 Rules Committee at the desk.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Returning
18 to reports of standing committees, there is a
19 report of the Rules Committee before the desk.
20 The Secretary will read.
21 THE SECRETARY: Senator Flanagan,
22 from the Committee on Rules, reports the
23 following bills:
24 Senate Print 368, by Senator Little,
25 an act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law;
1324
1 Senate 562, by Senator Young, an act
2 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law;
3 Senate 592A, by Senator Peralta, an
4 act to amend the Public Health Law;
5 Senate 943, by Senator Funke, an act
6 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law;
7 Senate 1240, by Senator Valesky, an
8 act to amend the Public Authorities Law;
9 Senate 1333, by Senator Comrie, an
10 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law;
11 Senate 1430, by Senator Ritchie, an
12 act to amend the General Municipal Law;
13 Senate 2905, by Senator Ritchie, an
14 act to amend the Tax Law;
15 Senate 3835, by Senator Ritchie, an
16 act to amend the Tax Law;
17 Senate 4535, by Senator Helming, an
18 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law;
19 Senate 4660, by Senator Ritchie, an
20 act authorizing;
21 Senate 4721, by Senator Ritchie, an
22 act to amend the Tax Law;
23 And Senate 4900, by Senator Ritchie,
24 an act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
25 All bills reported direct to third
1325
1 reading.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
3 DeFrancisco.
4 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I move to
5 accept the Rules Committee report.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: All in
7 favor of accepting the Committee on Rules report
8 signify by saying aye.
9 (Response of "Aye.")
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Opposed?
11 (No response.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
13 report is accepted and before the house.
14 Senator DeFrancisco.
15 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: And I'd just
16 like to mention that on everyone's desk is Senate
17 Supplemental Calendar Number 22A, which has each
18 of those bills, or I think each of those bills,
19 on the supplemental report. And we will take
20 that up after the active list that we're going to
21 call right now.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: That
23 report is available on your pads, on the pads on
24 the desks.
25 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Now can we
1326
1 please take up the noncontroversial reading of
2 the active calendar.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
4 Secretary will read the active-list calendar for
5 Tuesday, March 21st.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number 60,
7 substituted earlier by Member of the Assembly
8 Hooper, Assembly Print 2382B, an act to amend the
9 Real Property Tax Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
18 Phillips to explain her vote.
19 SENATOR PHILLIPS: Thank you,
20 Mr. President. I rise today to explain my vote.
21 I want to thank my colleagues on
22 both sides of the aisle for voting in favor of
23 this legislation again.
24 While there are those, including
25 myself, that are disappointed that the tax
1327
1 abatement has not been made permanent, our
2 seniors deserve this tax break now. This bill is
3 good government and will help nearly 44,000
4 eligible Nassau County seniors to continue to
5 receive some of the tax relief that they need and
6 deserve.
7 I vote in the affirmative and ask
8 all of my colleagues to join me in urging the
9 Governor to sign this legislation as quickly as
10 possible. Thank you.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Thank
12 you, Senator Phillips.
13 Senator Phillips will be recorded in
14 the affirmative.
15 Announce the results.
16 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
18 is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 111, by Senator Funke, Senate Print 940, an act
21 to amend the General Municipal Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
1328
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
5 Senator Díaz recorded in the negative.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
7 is passed.
8 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
9 177, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 2479, an
10 act to authorize.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
12 last section.
13 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
14 act shall take effect immediately.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
16 roll.
17 (The Secretary called the roll.)
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
20 is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 179, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 4021, an
23 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
25 last section.
1329
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect immediately.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
4 roll.
5 (The Secretary called the roll.)
6 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
8 is passed.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 278, by Senator Valesky, Senate Print 1078, an
11 act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
13 last section.
14 THE SECRETARY: Section 9. This
15 act shall take effect on the 180th day.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
17 roll.
18 (The Secretary called the roll.)
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
20 Senator Díaz recorded in the negative.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
22 is passed.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 327, by Senator Griffo, Senate Print 4265, an act
25 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
1330
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
4 act shall take effect immediately.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
6 roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
9 Senator Díaz recorded in the negative.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 349, by Senator Serrano, Senate Print 3053, an
14 act to amend the Parks, Recreation and Historic
15 Preservation Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
25 is passed.
1331
1 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
2 363, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 1619, an
3 act to amend the Education Law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
5 last section.
6 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
7 act shall take effect immediately.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
9 roll.
10 (The Secretary called the roll.)
11 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
12 Krueger to explain her vote.
13 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
14 Mr. President. I rise to explain my vote no on
15 this bill.
16 I do understand it is specific to
17 just one section of eastern Suffolk County. But
18 I read carefully the concerns of the School
19 Boards Association and the recommendations for
20 modification of this bill so that you would not
21 find yourself in a situation where school
22 district lines might be redrawn based on
23 25 people in a school district signing a petition
24 saying the school district lines should be
25 redrawn.
1332
1 Clearly there need to be ways for
2 communities to merge their districts, change
3 their lines, deal with the complicated local
4 issues. But I actually think that the risks to
5 anybody finding 25 signatures and reversing acts
6 or making changes on a yearly or biannual basis
7 is too great a risk for these school districts,
8 and so would urge my colleague to rethink at
9 least one of the options for change in this bill.
10 And I vote no.
11 Thank you, Mr. President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
13 Krueger to be recorded in the negative.
14 Senator LaValle to explain his vote.
15 SENATOR LaVALLE: Thank you,
16 Mr. President.
17 Boundary disputes between districts
18 go back to days when fire trails were created and
19 arbitrarily districts said, This is the boundary
20 on District A and for District B.
21 I read the memo that Senator Krueger
22 talked about, and what we do is we use the same
23 voting process that we do in so many cases under
24 the Education Law for petitions. And the memo
25 really didn't talk about giving an alternate
1333
1 proposal. I think what they were bogged down on
2 is that we actually go through a process and look
3 for a study and a way to make an evaluation.
4 So I ask my colleagues to support
5 the bill because we're putting forth a process,
6 we're using Education Law processes that have
7 already been there. And I vote in the
8 affirmative.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
10 LaValle will be recorded in the affirmative.
11 Announce the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 60. Nays, 2.
13 Senators DeFrancisco and Krueger recorded in the
14 negative.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
16 is passed.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 370, by Senator LaValle, Senate Print 2750, an
19 act to amend the Education Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect immediately.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
25 roll.
1334
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Announce
3 the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
5 Calendar 370, those recorded in the negative are
6 Senators Addabbo, Alcantara, Avella, Bailey,
7 Breslin, Brooks, Carlucci, Comrie, Díaz, Dilan,
8 Gianaris, Hamilton, Hoylman, Kaminsky, Kennedy,
9 Krueger, Latimer, Montgomery, Parker, Persaud,
10 Rivera, Serrano, Squadron, Stavisky and
11 Stewart-Cousins. Also Senator Peralta.
12 Ayes, 36. Nays, 26.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
14 is passed.
15 Senator DeFrancisco, that concludes
16 the noncontroversial reading of today's
17 active-list calendar.
18 May I have some order in the house.
19 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Could we now
20 take up the noncontroversial reading of Senate
21 Supplemental Calendar 22A.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
23 Secretary will begin the noncontroversial reading
24 of Senate Supplemental Calendar 22A.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
1335
1 439, by Senator Little, Senate Print 368, an act
2 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
3 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Lay the bill
4 aside for the day, please.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
6 is laid aside for the day.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 440, by Senator Young, Senate Print 562, an act
9 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
19 is passed.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 441, by Senator Peralta, Senate Print 592A, an
22 act to amend the Public Health Law.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
24 is high and therefore ineligible for
25 consideration today.
1336
1 The Secretary will continue.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 442, by Senator Funke, Senate Print 943, an act
4 to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
14 is passed.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 443, by Senator Valesky, Senate Print 1240, an
17 act to amend the Public Authorities Law.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
19 last section.
20 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
21 act shall take effect January 1, 2018.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
23 roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
1337
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
4 Calendar Number 444, Senator Comrie moves to
5 discharge, from the Committee on Agriculture,
6 Assembly Bill Number 4051 and substitute it for
7 the identical Senate Bill 1333, Third Reading
8 Calendar 444.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The
10 substitution is so ordered.
11 The Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 444, by Member of the Assembly Magee, Assembly
14 Print Number 4051, an act to amend the
15 Agriculture and Markets Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
24 Comrie to explain his vote.
25 SENATOR COMRIE: Thank you,
1338
1 Mr. President.
2 I just wanted to note New York is
3 world-famous for our agricultural products, and
4 our farmers deserve more recognition for that
5 fact. This legislation will enable New York
6 State government to provide awards to New York
7 farmers and manufacturers who use locally sourced
8 ingredients as well as to businesses, retailers,
9 and restaurants who utilize these products and
10 promote them in New York and beyond.
11 I want to thank and congratulate my
12 colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I
13 especially want to thank Senator Ritchie, who has
14 been a great chair of the committee, promoting
15 and informing myself and the committee members
16 and this entire state about the need to focus on
17 agricultural issues upstate and to make sure that
18 we understand that there's a lot of opportunity
19 that we have not sourced and that there are a lot
20 of other things that we can be doing.
21 So I just want to thank Senator
22 Ritchie for continuing to bring these things to
23 bear. As has been said earlier, this Senate,
24 under her leadership, has restored a lot of money
25 to agriculture upstate and the opportunities
1339
1 there are vast. And this bill hopefully is one
2 of the package today that will continue to make
3 sure that this state focuses on the needs of the
4 upstate community.
5 Thank you, Senator Ritchie.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Senator
7 Comrie to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Announce the results.
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 445, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 1430, an
14 act to amend the General Municipal Law.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
16 last section.
17 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
18 act shall take effect on the 90th day.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
20 roll.
21 (The Secretary called the roll.)
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
1340
1 446, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 2905, an
2 act to amend the Tax Law.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
11 Senator Alcantara recorded in the negative.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 447, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 3835, an
16 act to amend the Tax Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 7. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
1341
1 is passed.
2 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3 448, by Senator Helming, Senate Print 4535, an
4 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
6 last section.
7 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
8 act shall take effect immediately.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
10 roll.
11 (The Secretary called the roll.)
12 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
14 is passed.
15 Senator DeFrancisco.
16 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: I'm pleased
17 to announce that that's Senator Helming's first
18 bill as a New York State Senator.
19 (Applause.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO:
21 Congratulations, Senator Helming.
22 The Secretary will continue.
23 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
24 449, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 4660, an
25 act authorizing.
1342
1 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 10. This
4 act shall take effect immediately.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
6 roll.
7 (The Secretary called the roll.)
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
10 is passed.
11 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
12 450, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 4721, an
13 act to amend the Tax Law.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
15 last section.
16 THE SECRETARY: Section 5. This
17 act shall take effect January 1, 2018.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
19 roll.
20 (The Secretary called the roll.)
21 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
23 is passed.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 451, by Senator Ritchie, Senate Print 4900, an
1343
1 act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
5 act shall take effect immediately.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: The bill
11 is passed.
12 Senator DeFrancisco, that concludes
13 the noncontroversial reading of today's Senate
14 Supplemental Calendar 22A.
15 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Before I ask
16 you if there's any further business, there will
17 be a Codes Committee meeting immediately
18 following session in Room 124 of the Capitol.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There
20 will be a Codes Committee meeting immediately
21 following session in Room 124 of the Capitol.
22 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: Is there any
23 further business at the desk?
24 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: There is
25 no further business before the desk.
1344
1 SENATOR DeFRANCISCO: In that case,
2 I move to adjourn until Wednesday, March 22nd, at
3 3:00 p.m.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT GRIFFO: On
5 motion, the Senate will stand adjourned until
6 Wednesday, March 22nd, at 3:00 p.m.
7 The Senate is adjourned.
8 (Whereupon, at 5:44 p.m., the Senate
9 adjourned.)
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