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1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 May 4, 2022
11 3:32 p.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR SHELLEY B. MAYER, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., 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 MAYER: The Senate
3 will come to order.
4 I ask everyone present to please
5 rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited
7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Today
9 Rabbi Michael Mishkin, of Temple Beth Israel in
10 Port Washington, will deliver the invocation.
11 Rabbi.
12 RABBI MISHKIN: The first word in
13 the Jewish prayer book is "Thankful." Modeh Ani:
14 "Thankful am I."
15 As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
16 taught: "Gratefulness makes the soul great."
17 May we see our lives, and the world
18 around us, through the lens of gratitude.
19 May we be grateful for this new
20 day -- and may we fill it with love and laughter,
21 generosity and good deeds.
22 May we be grateful for the honor and
23 responsibility of being leaders, for being
24 entrusted by so many to use our hearts and minds
25 to improve the lives of our constituents.
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1 May we be grateful for being
2 citizens of this extraordinary country and this
3 great state.
4 May we be grateful for the State of
5 Israel, which has been a great blessing to the
6 Jewish people, the United States and the world.
7 And may we be grateful for the
8 friendships, alliances, and cooperation between
9 the United States and Israel and between the
10 State of New York and Israel.
11 This past Monday was the 162nd
12 birthday of Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern
13 Zionism, which is the belief that the Jewish
14 people have the right to live in their homeland
15 in dignity and have the right to self-rule.
16 When Herzl first had this dream,
17 most people in the world believed it was
18 impossible. But he lived by a mantra: Im
19 tirtzu, eyn zo aggadah -- "if you will it, it is
20 no dream."
21 God, please bless us, our families,
22 and all people of goodwill with health,
23 happiness, love and peace.
24 God, please bless us, each one of
25 us, that we are able to tap into that spirit of
3040
1 Im tirtzu, eyn zo aggadah: If you will it, it is
2 no dream.
3 May we will it -- and work at it --
4 to share our gifts and blessings with others.
5 May we will it -- and work at it --
6 to transcend our political differences and focus
7 on the values and principles which unite us.
8 May we will it -- and work at it --
9 to create laws which respect the dignity of all
10 of our residents.
11 And let us say: Amen.
12 (Response of "Amen.")
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Reading of
14 the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Tuesday,
16 May 3, 2022, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Monday, May 2, 2022,
18 was read and approved. On motion, the Senate
19 adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 The Secretary will read.
25 THE SECRETARY: Senator
3041
1 Reichlin-Melnick moves to discharge, from the
2 Committee on Investigations and Government
3 Operations, Assembly Bill Number 9694 and
4 substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 8545,
5 Third Reading Calendar 740.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: So
7 ordered.
8 Messages from the Governor.
9 Reports of standing committees.
10 Reports of select committees.
11 Communications and reports from
12 state officers.
13 Motions and resolutions.
14 Senator Kennedy.
15 SENATOR KENNEDY: Good afternoon,
16 Madam President. Great to see you once again.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Good
18 afternoon.
19 SENATOR KENNEDY: Amendments,
20 Madam President, are going to be offered to the
21 following Third Reading Calendar bills:
22 Senator Krueger, page number 32,
23 Calendar Number 564, Senate Print 6226D;
24 Senator Rivera, page number 34,
25 Calendar Number 596, Senate Print 6534B;
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1 Senator Gianaris, page number 46,
2 Calendar Number 801, Senate Print 1231;
3 Senator Persaud, page number 50,
4 Calendar Number 847, Senate Print 63A;
5 And Senator Hoylman, page number 22,
6 Calendar Number 254, Senate Print 774A.
7 I move that these bills retain their
8 place on the order of third reading.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
10 amendments are received, and the bills will
11 retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
12 Senator Kennedy.
13 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
14 Madam President.
15 I wish to call up Bill Print 6443A,
16 by Senator Mayer, recalled from the Assembly,
17 which is now at the desk.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Secretary will read.
20 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
21 470, Senate Print 6443A, by Senator Mayer, an act
22 to amend the Criminal Procedure Law and the
23 Family Court Act.
24 SENATOR KENNEDY: Madam President,
25 I now move to reconsider the vote by which this
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1 bill was passed.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3 roll.
4 (The Secretary called the roll.)
5 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
7 is restored to its place on the Third Reading
8 Calendar.
9 SENATOR KENNEDY: Madam President,
10 I now offer the following amendments.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
12 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
13 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
14 Senator Kennedy.
15 SENATOR KENNEDY: Madam President,
16 please take up -- I'm sorry.
17 Madam President, please call on
18 Senator Lanza.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 Lanza.
21 SENATOR LANZA: Madam President, on
22 behalf of Senator Palumbo, on page 42 I offer the
23 following amendments to Calendar Number 737,
24 Senate Print Number 7687A, and ask that said bill
25 shall retain its place on Third Reading Calendar.
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1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 amendments are received, and the bill will retain
3 its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
4 SENATOR LANZA: Additionally,
5 Madam President, on behalf of Senator Jordan, I
6 move to amend Senate Bill Number 2089C by
7 striking out the amendments made on May 3rd and
8 restoring it to its previous print number, 2089B.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: So
10 ordered.
11 Senator Kennedy.
12 SENATOR KENNEDY: Yes,
13 Madam President, thank you.
14 Please take up previously adopted
15 Resolution 2062, by Senator Kaplan, read that
16 resolution in title only, and recognize
17 Senator Kaplan on the resolution.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Secretary will read.
20 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
21 2062, by Senator Kaplan, congratulating the State
22 of Israel upon the occasion of the 74th
23 anniversary of its independence, and reaffirming
24 the bonds of friendship and cooperation between
25 the State of New York and Israel.
3045
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
2 Kaplan on the resolution.
3 SENATOR KAPLAN: Thank you,
4 Madam President.
5 I rise today to speak out strongly
6 in support of this resolution, which
7 congratulates the State of Israel on the
8 74th anniversary of its independence and
9 reaffirms the bonds of friendship and cooperation
10 between the State of New York and Israel.
11 Strong support for Israel is an
12 issue that is deeply personal to me, and that is
13 why I'm proud not only to be author of this
14 resolution today, but also to be hosting a
15 celebration in honor of Israel's Independence Day
16 here in the State Capitol.
17 As many of you know, I came to this
18 country as a refugee when I was 13 years old. My
19 parents weren't able to come with me. And by the
20 time they were able to flee Iran, nations around
21 the world had turned their backs on Jewish
22 refugees like us.
23 As one nation after another denied
24 their entry, Israel was the only place that would
25 allow them to seek refuge. And they opened their
3046
1 arms to my parents, giving them a safe place to
2 call home until they were finally able to reunite
3 with me and my siblings in this country.
4 Their story is not unique. Israel
5 has been a beacon for Jewish people around the
6 with world since its inception. And as Israel
7 faces new challenges and as antisemitism and
8 global instability once again threatens the
9 safety of Jewish people worldwide, it has never
10 been more important for us all to stand up and
11 speak out in the strongest of terms in support of
12 Israel.
13 As I mentioned, today we are
14 celebrating Israel's Independence Day here in the
15 Capitol, and there are some very special guests
16 with us here in the chamber that I would like and
17 I'm honored to recognize.
18 We have with us Ambassador Asaf
19 Zamir, the Consul General of Israel in New York;
20 Rabbi Mishkin, who led our wonderful invocation
21 today; members of the Consul General's team;
22 representatives from AJC Global, AJC New York,
23 AJC Long Island, and AJC Westchester.
24 To our honored guests, thank you so
25 much for making the trip to celebrate with us.
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1 To my colleagues here, thank you for
2 your support for this resolution. Supporting
3 Israel isn't a partisan issue. At a time when
4 the stakes really couldn't be higher, it is a
5 common purpose around which we can all unite.
6 Thank you, Madam President.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
8 Senator Kaplan.
9 Senator Krueger on the resolution.
10 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you very
11 much.
12 I also rise to thank Senator Kaplan
13 for bringing this resolution welcoming our
14 guests, welcoming the new ambassador, who I have
15 not had a chance to meet yet.
16 But I just wanted to tell a quick
17 story. So my father mostly lived in Israel most
18 of my life. We gave up counting the number of
19 trips when we got to 450. But there was a moment
20 in time where my mother got very ill and ended up
21 in a coma, and I knew I had to find my father,
22 who was somewhere in Israel. But it was
23 pre-cellphones, so I was thinking, How will I
24 find him?
25 So I call Israel. I figure he stays
3048
1 in two hotels, if he's in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
2 So I called the King David. The operator says,
3 "He's not here, but I'll find him. If he's
4 somewhere in this country, I'll find him and I'll
5 put him on the next plane home."
6 And that's exactly what she did.
7 And happily, my mother survived and
8 was better. But I'll never forget when people
9 talk about the closeness between Israel and the
10 United States, or in my family and that country,
11 the concept that it's really a small town. You
12 just pick up the phone and call an operator, and
13 they find you someone, they find you who you need
14 at that moment.
15 So of the endless stories I could
16 tell about my family's relationship with Israel,
17 that's the one I guess I will always remember.
18 So thank you very much.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
20 Senator Krueger.
21 To our guests, I welcome you all on
22 behalf of the New York State Senate. We extend
23 to you the privileges and courtesies of this
24 house.
25 Please rise and be recognized.
3049
1 (Standing ovation.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Kennedy.
4 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
5 Madam President.
6 Please take up previously adopted
7 Resolution 2377, by Senator May. Read that
8 resolution in title only, and recognize
9 Senator May on this resolution.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
11 Secretary will read.
12 THE SECRETARY: Senate Resolution
13 2377, by Senator May, memorializing Governor
14 Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 4, 2022, as
15 Volunteer Firefighters Appreciation Day in the
16 State of New York.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
18 May on the resolution.
19 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
20 Madam President.
21 And before I give my remarks on the
22 resolution, I'd like to introduce and recognize a
23 special guest today, Mr. John D'Alessandro,
24 Secretary of the Firefighters Association of the
25 State of New York.
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1 We want to extend our gratitude to
2 you and, through you, to all of our volunteer
3 firefighters across this state.
4 And also our congratulations on the
5 150th anniversary of the Firefighters
6 Association. I will treasure this challenge coin
7 that you presented to me, and we honor you for
8 150 years of important service.
9 In the spirit of my colleague
10 Senator Gounardes, I'm also a bit of a history
11 nerd, so I'll say a few things about firefighting
12 in the United States, which dates back to the
13 earliest years of colonization here.
14 The early firefighters just were
15 community members who would respond to
16 neighborhood fires with buckets. But the first
17 dedicated volunteer fire brigade was established
18 by Ben Franklin in Philadelphia in 1736.
19 Other colonies soon organized such
20 companies, and among those who served as
21 volunteer firefighters were George Washington,
22 Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, Samuel Adams,
23 and Paul Revere.
24 These volunteer companies were often
25 paid by insurance companies in return for
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1 protecting their clients.
2 In 1818, the first known female
3 firefighter, Molly Williams, rose to prominence
4 in New York when she took her place with the men
5 on the drag ropes and pulled the pumper to the
6 fire through the deep snow.
7 Volunteer firefighters in particular
8 exemplify the character of Americans at their
9 best, with a generosity of spirit and dedication
10 to helping a neighbor in the time of need.
11 One of my favorite experiences since
12 becoming a Senator was an evening I spent in the
13 Town of DeRuyter at a ceremony where the
14 volunteer fire department recognized its members
15 for their service. I was able to honor a
16 gentleman who had served in that capacity for
17 50 years. And I also got to sit and talk with
18 the Ladies Auxiliary and learn about the critical
19 work they do to assist people displaced by fires.
20 The best part of that evening was
21 the induction of a couple of young men into the
22 fire department. The joy and gratitude in the
23 room was palpable. It is critically important
24 and incredibly hard to recruit new people to make
25 the commitment to this kind of selfless service.
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1 Volunteer fire companies are a
2 critical lifeline in rural areas, and the number
3 of volunteer firefighters is declining at very
4 disturbing rates. It's dropped, since 1990, by
5 25 percent. And though the state has made gains
6 in recruitment through a Recruit New York
7 program, lengthy training requirements for new
8 recruits pose significant hurdles.
9 In addition to the lifesaving
10 efforts our firefighters provide, we should also
11 remind ourselves that the services they
12 provide -- often at great personal cost to
13 them -- comes at an enormous economic benefit to
14 our state. The Firefighters Association
15 commissioned a study in 2015 that found savings
16 of $5.2 billion a year in salaries and benefits
17 alone, because otherwise we'd have to hire an
18 additional 32,000 paid firefighters across the
19 state.
20 I am proud and honored to sponsor
21 this resolution to show our appreciation to our
22 New York volunteer firefighters, and in
23 conjunction with International Firefighters Day.
24 Today I call on our state to take a moment to
25 thoughtfully consider and appreciate the service
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1 of our volunteer firefighters in New York and
2 commit ourselves to policies that adequately
3 demonstrate that commitment.
4 As the chair of the Aging Committee,
5 I should also say the firefighters association
6 operates the only skilled nursing home in the
7 country exclusively for volunteer firefighters.
8 It's located in Hudson, New York. And they also
9 have a Museum of Firefighting on the same
10 property, which houses the country's premier
11 collection of fire apparatus and artifacts.
12 So to John and all the members of
13 FASNY, I thank you again for all you do and for
14 coming here today. I know I speak for everyone
15 here when I say we want you to know how deeply we
16 appreciate you and your fellow firefighters, and
17 we are ready and eager to work with you to
18 increase our support for volunteer firefighters.
19 Thank you.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator May.
22 Senator Brooks on the resolution.
23 SENATOR BROOKS: Thank you,
24 Madam President.
25 And thank you, Senator May, for
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1 introducing this resolution.
2 You know, New York State is blessed
3 with over 80,000 men and women in this state who
4 volunteer to serve as volunteer firefighters. It
5 goes without saying that there's real risk in
6 serving as a firefighter, and across the way we
7 have a monument that demonstrates that risk.
8 Those who serve as volunteer firemen
9 and firefighters are very special people who
10 assume that risk. They're key parts of the
11 community. They are people helping their
12 neighbors in time of need during a fire service.
13 I've been in the fire service now
14 for 53 years. That -- the service has changed
15 dramatically. We don't use horses -- no, we
16 didn't use horses in my day.
17 (Laughter.)
18 SENATOR BROOKS: But really the
19 changes in firefighting tactics, the changes in
20 equipment are very dramatic. But one of the
21 things too that we've allowed is many changes in
22 building codes and the materials we use in
23 structures now. And we have to be mindful of
24 what's happening, because in some cases we're
25 increasing the risk to firefighters because of
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1 the carcinogens in these materials.
2 But today, today it's time that you
3 think about your neighbors who a few years ago,
4 before we all rode inside of the cabs, when you
5 rode on the back step of the truck at 3 o'clock
6 in the morning in an ice storm, burying your head
7 into the hose bed to take the pain shots that
8 were coming off the way, or the calls that you
9 get to get a cat out of a tree, or the times that
10 you make a save and bring somebody out of a fire.
11 We are very, very fortunate in this
12 state with the men and women that we have that
13 volunteer. And we in this state have done a good
14 job, too, providing some assistance and benefits
15 to those members. And this year we've passed
16 several bills associated with the fire service
17 which recognize what they do and what they
18 provide to all of us every day.
19 So I thank the Senator for this
20 resolution that we recognize what we do. I
21 salute my friend across the aisle who also
22 sometimes rides on the back of a truck. But
23 it's -- you know, the people involved, it's a
24 great brotherhood. There's a lot of horseplay
25 and that because of the nature of the work that
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1 we do. It's a good time. There are sad times
2 too.
3 And certainly on 9/11 we saw what
4 the fire service is exposed to. We saw the fire
5 service come together, paid and volunteers. On
6 that day I was up in a meeting in Connecticut,
7 and I was -- our department was called down. I
8 went down. I will tell you that at one point I
9 was the only chief's car going over the
10 Throgs Neck Bridge, because there was nobody else
11 out. And all I saw was the smoke coming up from
12 the Towers.
13 What the volunteer firefighters do,
14 what the paid firefighters do, the professional
15 firefighters do, is risky business. We as a
16 state are blessed by the men and women who step
17 forward to volunteer.
18 Madam Chairman -- Madam President,
19 rather, I vote aye on this resolution.
20 Thank you.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
22 Senator Brooks.
23 Senator Addabbo on the resolution.
24 SENATOR ADDABBO: Thank you,
25 Madam President.
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1 And I want to thank Senator May for
2 the resolution, and I want to echo her sentiments
3 with the association. Welcome, and
4 congratulations on the anniversary. And thank
5 you.
6 You know, every day we are thankful
7 for -- five boroughs in New York City, we are
8 certainly thankful each and every day for the
9 efforts of our FDNY and our EMS and other first
10 responders. But in certain unique geographic
11 situations throughout the five boroughs, we have
12 volunteer fire department and ambulance corps. I
13 have five of them. And in -- as Senator Brooks
14 mentioned, during 9/11 they were there. And
15 during certainly local tragedies and catastrophic
16 events like Flight 587 in 2001, Hurricane Ida,
17 most recently, and Hurricane Sandy, they were
18 there. Actually, they were there first. They
19 were the first responders.
20 And so we are thankful for them, for
21 their volunteerism. They go from ordinary people
22 to extraordinary people as they step across the
23 line to protect our residents -- again, many as
24 first responders.
25 So again, I'd like thank personally
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1 Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department, Rockaway
2 Point Volunteer Fire Department, Roxbury Fire
3 Department, Broad Channel Volunteer Fire
4 Department & Ambulance, and West Hamilton Beach
5 Volunteer Fire Department for their extraordinary
6 work in our city and in my district.
7 Thank you very much,
8 Madam President.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
10 Senator Addabbo.
11 Senator Martucci on the resolution.
12 SENATOR MARTUCCI: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 I want to begin by thanking the
15 sponsor for bringing this resolution to the floor
16 and, most importantly, say a big gigantic thank
17 you to the volunteer fire service members that I
18 get to represent in the 42nd District and those
19 members of the volunteer fire service who protect
20 New Yorkers all across our great state.
21 Members of the fire service make a
22 tremendous sacrifice. It begins Day One with
23 extensive training that they have to undergo and
24 continues throughout their entire service, which
25 oftentimes lasts decades and stretches in
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1 families from generation to generation, spending
2 tremendous times away from their family and
3 putting themselves directly in harm's way to
4 protect our communities and protect our families.
5 Really, Madam President, this
6 represents some of the greatest and most noble
7 public service that anyone can provide to their
8 community. We owe the greatest respect and a
9 tremendous debt of gratitude to the men and women
10 of the fire service who protect us and keep us
11 all safe.
12 And for that reason, I say a
13 tremendous thank you to each and every one of
14 them and proudly support the resolution.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
16 Senator Martucci.
17 Senator Borrello on the resolution.
18 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 I rise to first thank the sponsor
21 and also associate myself with the comments of my
22 colleagues, particularly Senator Brooks -- thank
23 you very much for your decades of service -- and
24 all those who answer the call, Senator Boyle as
25 well.
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1 You know, in rural areas like mine,
2 we live and die, literally, by volunteer fire
3 departments. They are the folks who provide the
4 rescue operations, who fight the fires. And they
5 are an amazing community and brotherhood. I went
6 to a fire banquet this past weekend and gave out
7 awards to active members, still active members --
8 40, 50, 60 years of active service answering the
9 call. God bless all those that do this.
10 Three generations all at once in the
11 fire service in their hometown. God bless all of
12 those that do that.
13 I also want to tell a story that was
14 personally impacted by myself. Many years ago in
15 the small community of Sunset Bay where I live,
16 the Sunset Bay Volunteer Fire Company -- we had a
17 flood in Sunset Bay, as we often do, and we had
18 to evacuate the bay. But the firefighters stayed
19 behind.
20 And thank God that they did, because
21 we had a house fire in the middle of a flood. It
22 was a windy night, and the fire was going to
23 spread to many other houses. And the handful of
24 firefighters that were there, they actually just
25 waded through the icy cold waters of Cattaraugus
3061
1 Creek as it flooded the bay, and fought the fire.
2 With downed electric wires, they fought that fire
3 and they protected the homes that would have
4 been probably dozens of homes that went up,
5 because they're all very close together. Thank
6 God for those that answered the call.
7 Thank you, Madam President.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you.
9 Thank you very much.
10 Senator Gaughran on the resolution.
11 SENATOR GAUGHRAN: Thank you,
12 Madam President.
13 Thank you, Senator May, for this
14 resolution that's so important.
15 And thank you to the tens and
16 thousands of volunteer firefighters who protect
17 us every single day. It's been mentioned we have
18 two in our chamber, Senator Boyle and Senator
19 Brooks. And I can't tell you how many times I
20 call Senator Brooks on legislation and issues
21 that we are dealing with as colleagues, and he
22 either quickly tells me or texts me, "I got to
23 get back to you, I'm on a call."
24 And that's the kind of dedication
25 that we see all over this state.
3062
1 And, you know, it's important to
2 recognize these folks are volunteers. They have
3 families, children, jobs, full-time obligations.
4 And they're willing to answer the call of service
5 at a minute's notice. And sometimes we have seen
6 and we've honored folks here, they have paid the
7 ultimate sacrifice.
8 And I think it's also interesting to
9 note that about 95 percent of these volunteer
10 organizations protect communities with less than
11 25,000 people. And about 50 percent, communities
12 of less than 2500 people. They are brave,
13 tested, trained and fearless.
14 So it is my honor today to cosponsor
15 this resolution and to say thank you to our
16 volunteer firefighters from all across this
17 great state.
18 I vote in the affirmative,
19 Madam President.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator Gaughran.
22 Senator Boyle on the resolution.
23 SENATOR BOYLE: Thank you,
24 Madam President. On the resolution.
25 I'd like to first thank Senator May
3063
1 for your sponsorship and thank FASNY for the
2 wonderful advocacy you have done for our
3 volunteer firefighters for many years. Thank the
4 men and women of volunteer fire services
5 throughout the state who answer the call, put
6 their lives on the line day and night to protect
7 our families, our friends, and our communities.
8 I'd like to also thank my colleague
9 Senator Brooks, over 50 years of service. I
10 can't imagine the countless thousands of hours
11 you've done in volunteerism. Also Senator
12 Oberacker, on our side of the aisle, is a
13 longtime volunteer firefighter. I'm celebrating
14 my 25th year as a volunteer firefighter.
15 Ironically, I'm with the Great River Fire
16 Department, which is in Senator Weik's district.
17 Don't ask me how I managed that.
18 But I think it speaks to one of the
19 issues that we're facing as volunteer fire
20 service. Senator Brooks, Senator Oberacker and
21 myself, we're not spring chickens. We have a
22 hard time with recruitment. Younger New Yorkers
23 are not joining the volunteer fire services, and
24 we need to do a better job. Anything we can do
25 as Senators and Assemblypeople to get the word
3064
1 out that we need volunteers -- it is a great
2 calling. You need to do it. It's an adrenaline
3 rush. It's a camaraderie. But you're doing
4 important work to save people.
5 I will end with this one story.
6 Over the course of the decades, our technology
7 has changed. We used to get the calls on
8 beepers; now we get them on our cellphones. So
9 two times -- as any volunteer firefighter knows,
10 you'll get a call at 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock in the
11 morning, wake up out of a dead sleep, start
12 getting dressed -- I've got to get going. That's
13 happened to me twice, and I got up, started
14 getting dressed, heading out the door and I
15 realized: I'm in Albany. I'm not going to
16 answer this call.
17 (Laughter.)
18 SENATOR BOYLE: So we need more
19 help.
20 Madam President, I vote yes.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
22 Senator Boyle.
23 Senator Serino on the resolution.
24 SENATOR SERINO: Thank you,
25 Madam President.
3065
1 And thank you, Senator May, for
2 bringing this forward.
3 You know, I just spent the weekend
4 going to the Recruit New York weekend, just like
5 you spoke about, Senator Boyle. And it's amazing
6 because we have a lot of the older firefighters
7 that are there and trying to recruit. Some of
8 the younger ones can sometimes be a real
9 challenge, and we spoke about that.
10 But we also spoke about some of the
11 amazing things that they do. And it's really
12 remarkable. And just the words "thank you" just
13 don't seem nearly enough to express our gratitude
14 for them.
15 You know, when you think about
16 who's the first people that respond to any kind
17 of an incident, it's usually our firefighters are
18 the ones that are showing up -- with our
19 ambulances, too.
20 So I just want to say thank you from
21 the bottom of my heart to all of our
22 firefighters, volunteer and paid. They -- like I
23 said, thank you is not nearly enough.
24 So thank you.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
3066
1 Senator Serino.
2 To Mr. D'Alessandro, here on behalf
3 of all the volunteer firefighters of New York, we
4 welcome you to our house. We extend to you the
5 privileges and courtesies of the Senate.
6 Please rise and be recognized.
7 (Lengthy standing ovation.)
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
9 resolution was previously adopted on May 3rd.
10 Senator Kennedy.
11 SENATOR KENNEDY: Yes, thank you,
12 Madam President.
13 At the request of the sponsors,
14 these resolutions are open for cosponsorship.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Both of
16 these resolutions are open for cosponsorship.
17 Should you choose not to be a cosponsor of either
18 of the resolutions, please notify the desk.
19 Senator Kennedy.
20 SENATOR KENNEDY: Please take up
21 the reading of the calendar.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
23 Secretary will read.
24 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
25 213, Senate Print 664, by Senator Sanders, an act
3067
1 to amend the Banking Law.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
3 last section.
4 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
5 act shall take effect immediately.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 276, Senate Print 5139, by Senator Rivera, an act
16 to amend the Public Health Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
25 the results.
3068
1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 391, Senate Print 859A, by Senator Gounardes, an
6 act to amend the Labor Law.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
8 last section.
9 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
10 act shall take effect on the 180th day after it
11 shall have become a law.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
13 roll.
14 (The Secretary called the roll.)
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Jackson to explain his vote.
17 SENATOR JACKSON: Thank you,
18 Madam President.
19 And my colleagues, I rise to support
20 this bill, S859A, by Senator Gounardes, requiring
21 student loan payment information to be
22 distributed to entry-level employees and
23 postgraduate interns upon hire.
24 Education costs are skyrocketing and
25 becoming out of reach for more and more people.
3069
1 And as a result, many people take on tremendous
2 and crippling student loans that take years and
3 even decades to repay. Today, student loan debt
4 is at a staggering $1.75 trillion. Just think
5 about that for a second.
6 What's worse is that many students
7 do not know about repayment options simply
8 because they are not informed.
9 And this bill addresses this
10 problem. When students or postgraduate interns
11 get their first entry-level job, every employer
12 must inform them of their repayment options. The
13 Department of Labor will provide employers with
14 information consisting of consolidation and
15 alternative federal student loan repayment plans,
16 income-based repayment plans, the Student Lending
17 Resource Center on the Department of Financial
18 Services' website, and the Public Service Loan
19 Forgiveness Program.
20 We cannot continue to go down this
21 road of shackling our students with crushing debt
22 that follows them for years. And we must do all
23 we can to help them. And I'm proud to cosponsor
24 this bill, and I thank Senator Gounardes for
25 introducing this piece of legislation.
3070
1 I vote aye, Madam President.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Jackson to be recorded in the affirmative.
4 Announce the results.
5 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
6 Calendar 391, those Senators voting in the
7 negative are Senators Borrello, Gallivan,
8 Helming, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rath, Ritchie,
9 Serino and Tedisco. Also Senator Jordan.
10 Ayes, 51. Nays, 11.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
12 is passed.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 402, Senate Print 4449, by Senator Stavisky, an
15 act to amend the Education Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
19 act shall take effect on the first of July.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
24 the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
3071
1 Calendar Number 402, voting in the negative:
2 Senator Tedisco.
3 Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 451, Senate Print 7278B, by Senator Krueger, an
8 act to amend the Real Property Law.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
10 last section.
11 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
12 act shall take effect immediately.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
14 roll.
15 (The Secretary called the roll.)
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
17 the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
20 is passed.
21 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
22 512, Senate Print 7914, by Senator Liu, an act to
23 amend the Education Law.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
25 last section.
3072
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
2 act shall take effect on the 90th day after it
3 shall have become a law.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
5 roll.
6 (The Secretary called the roll.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Savino to explain her vote.
9 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 I want to rise in support of this
12 bill and thank Senator Liu for bringing this
13 important bill forward.
14 You know, I became aware of just how
15 problematic this issue is recently because I have
16 a 20-year-old nephew who was enrolled at the
17 New York Institute of Technology right in the
18 middle of the pandemic hitting. He realized that
19 he wasn't going to be able to continue with the
20 studies that he was enrolled in because of the
21 pandemic, but he was not aware that there was a
22 policy in place where he was supposed to
23 disenroll.
24 Well, he recently was notified that
25 he's being sued in Richmond County Civil Court
3073
1 when he was served, and he's being sued for the
2 entire payment of his tuition. Twenty years old,
3 and he has to appear in civil court.
4 So you think about how many students
5 across the state are similarly situated because
6 of the pandemic.
7 I also went to the New York
8 Institute of Technology's policies. I looked
9 them up. "Ambiguous" is an understatement. So
10 how would a 20-year-old be able to figure it out
11 when his 50-plus aunt could barely discern the
12 policies of that institution?
13 So I fully support this bill,
14 Senator Liu. Hopefully we'll get it passed and
15 maybe we can do something for the probably
16 thousands of students that are being affected.
17 And finally, I will tell you the
18 State of New York, SUNY and CUNY do this on a
19 regular basis. In fact, the Attorney General of
20 the State of New York regularly sues students for
21 failure to drop out of classes under their policy
22 and sues them for their entire tuition. Forget
23 about student loan debt -- they just go after
24 them for their whole tuition.
25 So thank you, Senator Liu, for
3074
1 bringing this bill. And I hope that the other
2 house will pass it and we'll do something about
3 students who are being saddled with debt that
4 they'll never be able to repay.
5 Thank you, Madam President.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Savino to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Announce the results.
9 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
11 is passed.
12 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
13 628, Senate Print 5136B, by Senator Thomas, an
14 act to amend the General Business Law and the
15 Civil Practice Law and Rules.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 6. This
19 act shall take effect on the 60th day after it
20 shall have become a law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
25 Thomas to explain his vote.
3075
1 SENATOR THOMAS: Thank you,
2 Madam President.
3 This bill is for all those parents,
4 grandparents and even uncles and aunts who
5 cosigned on a private student loan so that their
6 loved ones can go to school.
7 Best-case scenario, the student
8 graduates, gets a job and pays back that loan.
9 For many, that is simply not the case.
10 Soaring college costs and pressure
11 to compete in the job market that we have right
12 now are big reasons why some graduates default.
13 For others, life happens, and they have to drop
14 out of school.
15 No one goes to school thinking they
16 will not be able to repay those loans. These
17 parents and grandparents are increasingly feeling
18 the burden of these debts that they took out for
19 their children and grandchildren.
20 Back in 2019, New York led the way
21 by creating the Student Loan Borrower Bill of
22 Rights, and today we give those co-borrowers --
23 those parents, those grandparents and those
24 siblings -- some rights, cosigner rights.
25 And this legislation creates
3076
1 protections specifically for those co-borrowers
2 who want to get off the loan. Now they can,
3 after a minimum amount of payments by the student
4 borrower.
5 This is a great start to protecting
6 our student loan borrowers, and I vote aye on
7 this bill.
8 Thank you, Madam President.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
10 Thomas to be recorded in the affirmative.
11 Announce the results.
12 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
13 Calendar 628, those Senators voting in the
14 negative are Senators Akshar, Borrello, Boyle,
15 Helming, Martucci, O'Mara, Ortt, Rath and Stec.
16 Ayes, 53. Nays, 9.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
18 is passed.
19 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
20 641, Senate Print 1769, by Senator Skoufis, an
21 act to amend the General Municipal Law.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
23 last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
3077
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
5 Borrello to explain his vote.
6 SENATOR BORRELLO: Thank you,
7 Madam President.
8 I vote in support of this
9 legislation. You know, again, I spent 10 years
10 in county government, six years as the chairman
11 of the Planning and Economic Development
12 Committee in Chautauqua County before becoming
13 county executive, which put me on the IDA board.
14 And I will tell you that Chautauqua
15 County is a model for IDAs throughout the state
16 because of the fact that the only elected
17 official on that IDA board was the chairman of
18 the Planning and Economic Development Committee
19 from the County Legislature.
20 That board is made up largely of
21 what it should be -- business owners and other
22 local stakeholders that can do a great job in
23 evaluating and determining if a project should
24 move forward and if it should be funded. Those
25 are the folks who have skin in the game because
3078
1 they are community leaders. It also has
2 representatives from local unions, people that
3 are on foundation boards, people that communicate
4 with the people in the community and understand
5 what it's like.
6 Adding more elected officials is not
7 a good idea. And as much as I like the idea of
8 local control, I think in this case it is much
9 better for the state to speak on this and not
10 allow the other local elected officials to apply
11 pressure to be appointed to those boards. I can
12 tell you from personal experience that they are
13 not good at keeping information confidential.
14 Because again, success has a thousand fathers,
15 and failure is an orphan, and everyone wants to
16 spike that football to help get reelected.
17 That's why these boards should be
18 populated with people that truly have the best
19 interests of the community at heart.
20 Thank you, Madam President.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
22 Borrello to be recorded in the affirmative.
23 Announce the results.
24 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
25 Calendar 641, those Senators voting in the
3079
1 negative are Senators Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt,
2 Rath and Ryan.
3 Ayes, 57. Nays, 5.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
5 is passed.
6 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
7 740, Assembly Print Number 9694, by
8 Assemblymember Zebrowski, an act to amend the
9 Public Officers Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 759, Senate Print 502, by Senator Breslin, an act
24 to amend the Insurance Law and the Vehicle and
25 Traffic Law.
3080
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
2 last section.
3 THE SECRETARY: Section 9. This
4 act shall take effect on the 70th day after it
5 shall have become a law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
7 roll.
8 (The Secretary called the roll.)
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
10 the results.
11 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
13 is passed.
14 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
15 786, Senate Print 5346, by Senator Stec, an act
16 to amend the General Municipal Law.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
18 last section.
19 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
20 act shall take effect immediately.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
22 roll.
23 (The Secretary called the roll.)
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
25 the results.
3081
1 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
3 is passed.
4 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
5 832, Senate Print 3682, by Senator Felder, an act
6 to direct the Commissioner of Education to
7 examine, evaluate and make recommendations on the
8 provision of services by public school guidance
9 counselors.
10 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
12 is laid aside.
13 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
14 840, Senate Print 3264, by Senator Comrie, an act
15 to amend the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
17 last section.
18 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
19 act shall take effect immediately.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
21 roll.
22 (The Secretary called the roll.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
24 the results.
25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
3082
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
2 is passed.
3 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
4 849, Senate Print 552A, by Senator Mayer, an act
5 to amend the Education Law.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
7 last section.
8 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
9 act shall take effect on the first of July.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
11 roll.
12 (The Secretary called the roll.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
14 the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
17 is passed.
18 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
19 871, Senate Print 7862, by Senator Bailey, an act
20 to amend the State Finance Law.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
22 last section.
23 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
24 act shall take effect immediately.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
3083
1 roll.
2 (The Secretary called the roll.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
4 Bailey to explain his vote.
5 SENATOR BAILEY: Thank you,
6 Madam President.
7 You know, each of us on this floor,
8 we go to schools in our districts and we
9 encourage the children there to continue their
10 education because it is a path to success. And
11 we recognize the differences between going to
12 college or going to law school or going to a
13 doctoral program. But we encourage lots of kids
14 that we come into contact with to go on to
15 college, including my own children.
16 But what happens sometimes when we
17 encourage individuals to seek higher education,
18 they take out student loans. And when they take
19 out student loans sometimes it's because of
20 economic reasons -- well, it's not sometimes,
21 it's because of economic reasons, because they
22 cannot afford to pay the total cost of
23 attendance.
24 And in some situations -- like
25 myself, Madam President -- you are in an economic
3084
1 position where on paper you are -- quote,
2 unquote, you have too much money to be able to
3 receive grants, but quite frankly you're not able
4 to take advantage of other programs to be able
5 to, you know, give you a better shot at a
6 lower-cost education. So you take these loans
7 out.
8 And sometimes, depending on, you
9 know, your economic circumstances -- your parents
10 are working one, two, maybe even three jobs to
11 put food on the table and to send you to college
12 because it is the dream that we espouse for our
13 children.
14 So -- and I think about when we
15 borrow this money, and I think about what happens
16 now. You can be charged 22 percent interest on
17 defaulting on a loan. So I want to talk about
18 defaulting on a student loan. Simply, defaulting
19 on a loan doesn't mean that you're irresponsible,
20 it doesn't mean that you're a bad person, it just
21 means that you are a regular person who may have
22 fallen upon some hard times and missed a payment
23 from time to time, and you may have defaulted on
24 it.
25 Twenty-two percent. If any of us
3085
1 were advising our children or our friends or
2 family on a car loan, we would call that
3 usurious. We would say, run don't walk away from
4 that car dealership, don't sign those documents,
5 do not buy that car -- because you'll be paying
6 for that 2022 car in 2042.
7 Why do we do it if we recognize the
8 value of education is priceless? Madam
9 President, you are the Education chair, and a
10 damn good one at that. You understand the value
11 of education. And I think we do in this chamber
12 as well. And I'm grateful to Madam Leader for --
13 Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for putting this
14 bill on the agenda, because it speaks to what we
15 should be trying to do in making college more
16 affordable.
17 College isn't the one truth path.
18 It's not the best path for everybody. But if you
19 choose to attend, it should not be back-breaking.
20 It should not be something that puts you in a
21 position of debt for generations to come.
22 It's gotten to the point,
23 Madam President, where you have people who have
24 defaulted on loans and they may not encourage
25 their children to take out loans, thus possibly
3086
1 stopping another generation of education from
2 fulfilling itself.
3 I'm grateful to Attorney General
4 Letitia James for supporting this piece of
5 legislation, and I'm grateful to my colleagues
6 for supporting this piece of legislation. And
7 I'm grateful that eventually, hopefully, we'll
8 begin that real cancellation of student debt
9 nationwide.
10 I'll be voting in the affirmative,
11 Madam President.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
13 Bailey to be recorded in the affirmative.
14 Announce the results.
15 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
16 Calendar 871, those Senators voting in the
17 negative are Senators Borrello, Griffo, Jordan,
18 Oberacker, Ortt and Rath.
19 Ayes, 56. Nays, 6.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
21 is passed.
22 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
23 872, Senate Print 7916B, by Senator Stavisky, an
24 act to amend the Education Law.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
3087
1 last section.
2 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
3 act shall take effect June 1, 2023.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
5 roll.
6 (The Secretary called the roll.)
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
8 Lanza, why do you rise?
9 SENATOR LANZA: Madam President, to
10 explain my vote.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Lanza to explain his vote.
13 SENATOR LANZA: I rise in support
14 of this legislation. In fact, I've supported
15 each of the measures put before the house today
16 regarding the cost of college education.
17 I think the biggest crime that is
18 occurring in this nation is the cost of college
19 education. I think many of these measures -- I'm
20 all for attacking it from every direction, from
21 the top, from the bottom, from the side. We want
22 to attack those who loan the money, those who
23 pass the egregious interest rates on to the
24 students.
25 But I think we are missing the mark.
3088
1 The problem is the cost of college education. I
2 hear a lot of people around the country talk
3 about price gouging, the oil companies are price
4 gouging, big business is price gouging. Nowhere
5 is there price gouging like the type of price
6 gouging we see at college universities.
7 I'm on that same piece of paper, my
8 name's on that same piece of paper next to
9 Senator Bailey. You know, I don't like talking
10 about my own personal situations or my family,
11 but right now my third child, he's a senior in
12 high school, he's on his way to college.
13 You know, I don't care what you get,
14 Madam President, in school. I don't care if you
15 have a 30 average, a 50 average, a 100 average.
16 That doesn't speak to who you are or what you
17 are. However, to these college institutions,
18 that's what they say they care about. Well,
19 here's my son -- and again, this is not -- I'm
20 not bragging, I'm just saying this to me is the
21 problem. He's graduating with a 99 average, he's
22 top whatever percent on the SAT, plays on two
23 varsity sports, baseball and basketball. He
24 volunteers in his community. He's done
25 everything they say they care about. His parents
3089
1 both are public servants. Everything they say
2 they care about. They don't.
3 Because as a result of his record,
4 he's made some of the most prestigious schools in
5 this country. And they said, Congratulations,
6 A.J., we welcome you as a this student or as a
7 that student. Oh, and by the way, it's 80,000 a
8 year, and you can figure out how to go get it.
9 And so they're saying:
10 Congratulations, A.J., we think you're stupid.
11 We think you're going to go out and borrow
12 $350,000 for the privilege of sitting next to
13 someone who is going there for free.
14 It's not a privilege. It's
15 ridiculous, it's illusory, and it's a problem in
16 this country.
17 And the student loan debt that we
18 see that Senator Bailey is trying to address and
19 others are trying to address is just a symptom of
20 the problem. I don't have the answer, but I know
21 colleges that are charging middle class -- and
22 anyone -- 80,000 a year, 90,000 a year -- they're
23 out of their minds.
24 And it's wrong, and it's a problem
25 that just builds upon itself each and every year
3090
1 in this country. And sooner or later I think
2 we've got to take it to them and really do
3 something about it.
4 Madam President, I vote in the
5 affirmative.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
7 Lanza to be recorded in the affirmative.
8 Senator Jackson to explain his vote.
9 SENATOR JACKSON: Madam President,
10 is this Stavisky's bill, 7916?
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Yes, it
12 is.
13 SENATOR JACKSON: Okay, sure.
14 Well, thank you.
15 I rise in order to support this
16 bill. The Tuition Assistance Program helps so
17 many students attend colleges and universities.
18 This year our Majority restored the TAP
19 eligibility to incarcerated students, and I'm
20 proud to have sponsored that bill.
21 But we are not ensuring educational
22 access to all New Yorkers seeking higher
23 education learning. We are all well aware that
24 the burden of rising costs, as my colleague
25 talked about -- and I know it from my daughter,
3091
1 who's 35. When she was in college, it cost us
2 over $220,000 -- 100,000 out of our pocket,
3 $100,000 in loans. And with interest rates that
4 we have to pay. So I definitely know personally.
5 But this is something that all
6 New Yorkers are aware that the burden of rising
7 costs and tuition, room and board, books,
8 technology, food and other expenses on New York
9 families has become increasingly difficult to
10 uphold. And there is a need to expand the
11 Tuition Assistance Program to reach more families
12 who need assistance to pay for college. Raising
13 the threshold from $80,000 to $110,000 in
14 household income reduces the burden of rising
15 costs on thousands across our state.
16 And as I've stated passionately many
17 times before, education is the key to uplift all
18 families. The great equalizer. And if we want
19 CUNY and SUNY to survive as the chief vehicle for
20 upward economic mobility in our state, we must
21 increase the Tuition Assistance Program award to
22 cover the full cost of our public colleges.
23 Part of our legislative
24 responsibility is to ensure all New Yorkers have
25 access to top-quality and affordable public
3092
1 higher education, and this legislation improves
2 that access for all.
3 I vote aye, Madam President.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
5 Jackson to be recorded in the affirmative.
6 Announce the results.
7 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
9 is passed.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 899, Senate Print 6503, by Senator Kaplan, an act
12 to amend the Estates, Powers and Trusts Law.
13 SENATOR KENNEDY: Lay that bill
14 aside for the day, please.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
16 is laid aside for the day.
17 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
18 904, Senate Print 8647, by Senator Mannion, an
19 act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
21 last section.
22 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
23 act shall take effect immediately.
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
25 roll.
3093
1 (The Secretary called the roll.)
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
3 the results.
4 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
6 is passed.
7 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
8 913, Senate Print 7497, by Senator Ritchie, an
9 act to amend the Highway Law.
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
11 last section.
12 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
13 act shall take effect immediately.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
15 roll.
16 (The Secretary called the roll.)
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
18 the results.
19 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
20 Calendar Number 913, voting in the negative:
21 Senator Brisport.
22 Ayes, 61. Nays, 1.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
3094
1 916, Senate Print 8282, by Senator Jackson, an
2 act to amend Chapter 695 of the Laws of 1994.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
4 last section.
5 THE SECRETARY: Section 2. This
6 act shall take effect immediately.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
8 roll.
9 (The Secretary called the roll.)
10 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
11 Jackson to explain his vote.
12 SENATOR JACKSON: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 I rise to speak in support of my
15 bill, S8282. And this makes permanent the
16 procedure to obtain injunctive relief or a
17 temporary restraining order for improper
18 practices in cases where irreparable harm may
19 occur. This law has been extended every two
20 years for nearly 20 years in a row, and it's past
21 time to remove the temporary status of the law.
22 The Taylor Law, which governs
23 public-sector labor relations in New York,
24 prohibits a number of unfair tactics used by
25 management. These are known under the law as
3095
1 improper practices. When an IP, improper
2 practice, is committed, the harmed party has the
3 right to complain to the Public Employment
4 Relations Board, commonly known as PERB.
5 However, in many cases the PERB
6 process takes far too long to complete, and the
7 current law does not preserve the status quo
8 during this process. Aggrieved parties may
9 suffer irreparable injury if an improper practice
10 is allowed to continue unchecked. Justice
11 delayed is justice denied.
12 For these reasons, I ask my
13 colleagues to support this legislation. I
14 proudly vote aye, Madam President.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
16 Jackson to be recorded in the affirmative.
17 Announce the results.
18 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
20 is passed.
21 Senator Kennedy, that completes the
22 reading of today's calendar.
23 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
24 Madam President.
25 Please go to the reading of the
3096
1 controversial calendar.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3 Secretary will ring the bell.
4 The Secretary will read.
5 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
6 832, Senate Print 3682, by Senator Felder, an act
7 to direct the Commissioner of Education to
8 examine, evaluate and make recommendations on the
9 provision of services by public school guidance
10 counselors.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Lanza, why do you rise?
13 SENATOR LANZA: Madam President, I
14 believe there's an amendment at the desk.
15 I waive the reading of that
16 amendment and ask that you recognize Senator
17 Jordan to be heard.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
19 Senator Lanza.
20 Upon review of the amendment, in
21 accordance with Rule 6, Section 4B, I rule it
22 nongermane and out of order at this time.
23 SENATOR LANZA: Accordingly,
24 Madam President, I appeal the ruling of the chair
25 and ask that you recognize Senator Jordan.
3097
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The appeal
2 has been made and recognized, and Senator Jordan
3 may be heard.
4 SENATOR JORDAN: Madam President, I
5 rise to appeal the ruling of the chair.
6 The proposed amendment is germane to
7 the bill at hand because, just as the legislation
8 offered, the amendment seeks to better understand
9 and ultimately address a major need in our school
10 systems relating to the guidance, support and
11 emotional development of our students.
12 May is Mental Health Awareness
13 Month. Therefore, it is both a good time and an
14 important time to acknowledge the mental health
15 crisis gripping our young people and the immense
16 need for mental health services in our schools.
17 Last fall the American Academy of
18 Pediatrics, along with the American Academy of
19 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the
20 Children's Hospital Association, declared a
21 national emergency in child and adolescent mental
22 health, citing both a decades-long rise in
23 childhood mental health concerns but also the
24 tolls of the pandemic.
25 The Center for Disease Control and
3098
1 Prevention researchers quantified that toll in
2 several reports. They found, between March and
3 October 2020, emergency department visits for
4 mental health emergencies rose by 24 percent for
5 children ages five to 11 years, and 31 percent
6 for children ages 12 to 17 years.
7 In addition, emergency department
8 visits for suspected suicide attempts increased
9 nearly 51 percent among girls age 12 to 17 in
10 early 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.
11 Despite the obvious need, access to
12 care remains limited. Only 20 percent of
13 children with mental, behavioral or emotional
14 disorders receive specialized care.
15 The amendment I'm advancing on
16 behalf of our conference would seek to address
17 this crisis, expand access by establishing a
18 mental health services coordinator program, and
19 reimburse school districts for the hiring of
20 mental health service professionals.
21 For these reasons, Madam President,
22 I strongly urge you to reconsider your ruling and
23 I strongly suggest that my colleagues across the
24 aisle support this amendment.
25 Thank you, Madam President.
3099
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
2 Senator Jordan.
3 I want to remind the house that the
4 vote is on the procedures of the house and the
5 ruling of the chair.
6 Those in favor of overruling the
7 chair signify by saying aye.
8 SENATOR LANZA: Request a show of
9 hands.
10 SENATOR KENNEDY: Without
11 objection, Madam President, please waive the
12 showing of hands and record each member of the
13 Minority in the affirmative.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Without
15 objection, so ordered.
16 Announce the results.
17 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 20.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The ruling
19 of the chair stands, and the bill-in-chief is
20 before the house.
21 Are there any other Senators wishing
22 to be heard?
23 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
24 closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
25 Read the last section.
3100
1 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
2 act shall take effect immediately.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
4 roll.
5 (The Secretary called the roll.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
7 the results.
8 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
10 is passed.
11 Senator Gianaris -- I'm sorry.
12 Gianaris? That is not you.
13 (Laughter.)
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: I
15 apologize. Senator Kennedy, that completes --
16 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
17 Madam President. I am a much better looking
18 option.
19 (Laughter; applause.)
20 SENATOR KENNEDY: That being said,
21 Madam President, there is a report of the
22 Finance Committee at the desk.
23 Please take up that report and
24 recognize Senator Krueger on the report.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3101
1 Secretary will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: Senator Krueger,
3 from the Committee on Finance, reports the
4 following nomination:
5 As Commissioner of the Department of
6 Economic Development, and as President and CEO of
7 the Empire State Development Corporation:
8 Hope Knight.
9 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you,
10 Madam President.
11 I'd just like to second the new
12 Senator Gianaris's position about his role here.
13 (Laughter.)
14 SENATOR KRUEGER: But I would
15 really like to bring to the floor the nomination
16 that has moved through the Committee on Finance
17 for Hope Knight to be confirmed as the
18 commissioner of the Department of Economic
19 Development and as president and CEO of the
20 Empire State Development Corporation.
21 I think most of us have had multiple
22 chances to meet Ms. Knight and to hear how she
23 has a different vision for how she is running
24 that agency than previously. And many of us were
25 extraordinarily pleased with the new approach to
3102
1 transparency and working with the Legislature and
2 answering questions.
3 So I'm very happy to be nominating
4 her, and I believe a few of my colleagues would
5 like to speak on her nomination.
6 Thank you.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
8 Senator Krueger.
9 Senator Comrie on the nomination.
10 SENATOR COMRIE: Thank you,
11 Madam President.
12 Good afternoon, everyone.
13 It gives me great pleasure to
14 commend and recommend the nomination of
15 Hope Knight, to serve as president and CEO of the
16 Empire State Development Corporation and the
17 commissioner of the Department of Economic
18 Development, to my Senate colleagues today.
19 I don't know why I've got a frog in
20 my throat, but I'm trying to let it go.
21 Hope Knight has a great resume --
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
23 Comrie, there's another Senator who wishes to
24 speak. Would you like me to come back to you?
25 SENATOR COMRIE: No, I'll work it
3103
1 through. Thank you.
2 Hope Knight has a distinguished
3 record of public service, and I have no doubt
4 that she will continue to improve that record in
5 the service of the people of our entire state.
6 At the outset, I want to recognize
7 that Hope Knight's last position was within my
8 Senate district as head of the Greater Jamaica
9 Development Corporation, where she turned around
10 an agency and moved it to where it was doing a
11 lot of work in affordable housing in that area
12 and working to revitalize downtown Jamaica,
13 especially during the pandemic.
14 Even before then, she's worked in
15 agencies and dealing with economic development
16 and planning and in making sure that there were
17 opportunities to create development opportunities
18 for MWBEs, for new developers, and also to look
19 at new strategies to make sure that development
20 can happen.
21 I can tell you that there's no one
22 better or more qualified to take the Empire State
23 Development Corporation to where it needs to be,
24 from an agency that has been a disaster for the
25 last 12 years to something that we can now all
3104
1 work with to make sure that we're truly
2 delivering true economic development projects for
3 our state.
4 Hope Knight is someone that's a low
5 talker with a soft voice, but we need someone
6 that's quiet and focused and positive. We need
7 someone that's deliberate and thoughtful and
8 resourceful. We need someone that's going to be
9 unafraid to ask questions and take information
10 from people from all sectors, so that we can come
11 up with something -- a solution that makes sense
12 for all parts of our state.
13 Hope Knight has worked and lived in
14 different parts of our state. She's spent time
15 in Lake Placid, where she has been honored and
16 recognized for her work up there by Marymount
17 College and by many other entities around the
18 state.
19 I can say that there's no better
20 person to dial down the foolishness that happened
21 at EDC and take it to a new level. So I'm proud
22 to recommend her, and I hope that we have -- that
23 she is passed by the Senate -- I'm sorry, just
24 went dry.
25 And I'm confident that once she is
3105
1 passed by our Senate today, she will serve this
2 state with distinction and we'll have many other
3 opportunities to bring Hope Knight and the
4 projects that she brings to the floor, because
5 they'll be much better than what has been done in
6 the last 12 years.
7 I vote aye, Madam President. Thank
8 you.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
10 Senator Comrie.
11 Senator Martucci on the nomination.
12 SENATOR MARTUCCI: Thank you,
13 Madam President.
14 I rise in support of the nominee.
15 As the ranking member of the Commerce, Economic
16 Development and Small Business Committee, I've
17 had an opportunity to work with Hope Knight --
18 certainly not as long as my colleague
19 Senator Comrie, but I've experienced much of the
20 same. I've come to know a very well qualified
21 individual to lead ESDC into the future.
22 Myself and many of my colleagues
23 have had conversations with her, and I agree with
24 Senator Krueger that she has been transparent and
25 knowledgeable. And I look forward to her
3106
1 ushering in a new day at ESDC.
2 I think most importantly of all of
3 it, Madam President, she gets the importance of
4 ESDC's role in improving the lives of
5 New Yorkers. Because it can be a transformative
6 agency that really does improve the lives of the
7 people that call this great state home, and she
8 understands her role in doing that.
9 I'm also very confident that she
10 will be carefully selecting and promoting
11 projects that will come before this house and
12 other bodies that will improve the lives of not
13 only the people I represent, but the people that
14 we all represent in this room.
15 So for that reason I do believe
16 Hope Knight is a wise choice. I wish her well,
17 and I proudly vote aye.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
19 Senator Martucci.
20 Senator Kennedy on the nomination.
21 SENATOR KENNEDY: Thank you,
22 Madam President.
23 I too want to echo the chorus of
24 support for this tremendous nomination. And I'm
25 proud to second this nomination, along with my
3107
1 colleagues.
2 I want to thank Senator Krueger for
3 shepherding this through, and my great colleague
4 Senator Comrie for really working with us to get
5 to know Hope Knight.
6 And I want to recognize, commend and
7 congratulate Governor Hochul for putting such a
8 superb nominee forward for consideration and
9 approval here today.
10 I have gotten to know Hope Knight
11 over the short period of time that she has been
12 serving here in state government as interim, and
13 I can tell you I have been absolutely blown away
14 by the way that she has handled herself, engaged
15 on the issues on a very personal level. She's
16 demonstrated transparency, professionalism and a
17 profound understanding of the work that needs to
18 be done all across New York State.
19 Now, all across New York we
20 recognize that there is a diversity in economic
21 development issues. Being from Buffalo and
22 Western New York, the issues that we have on the
23 table that have to be addressed are similar but
24 different than what happens in the downstate
25 vicinity, and certainly in central and the north
3108
1 part of this great state.
2 So, you know, it's important that we
3 have somebody that understands and grasps the
4 diversity of the state, both from who we are as
5 individuals -- and she brings that diversity to
6 the table -- but who we are from a geographical
7 perspective and how we need to address on a very
8 unique level the impact of job creation and
9 investment on a respective regional basis.
10 So I really believe that this
11 individual, Hope Knight, is the best of the best
12 that can be offered as it pertains to this
13 position, and I'm really looking forward to not
14 only approving her here today but continuing the
15 work with her that we've already begun from a job
16 creation and economic development perspective.
17 And I'm looking forward to doing just that.
18 So with that, I vote aye,
19 Madam President.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator Kennedy.
22 The question is on the nomination.
23 Call the roll.
24 (The Secretary called the roll.)
25 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 62.
3109
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
2 nominee, Hope Knight, is confirmed to the
3 position of Commissioner of the Department of
4 Economic Development and President and CEO of the
5 Empire State Development Corporation.
6 Senator Kennedy.
7 SENATOR KENNEDY: Madam President,
8 is there any further business at the desk?
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is
10 no further business at the desk.
11 SENATOR KENNEDY: That being said,
12 I move to adjourn until Thursday, May 5th, at
13 11:00 a.m.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: On motion,
15 the Senate stands adjourned until Thursday,
16 May 5th, at 11:00 a.m.
17 (Whereupon, at 4:40 p.m., the Senate
18 adjourned.)
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