1933
1 NEW YORK STATE SENATE
2
3
4 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
5
6
7
8
9 ALBANY, NEW YORK
10 March 31, 2026
11 11:06 a.m.
12
13
14 REGULAR SESSION
15
16
17
18 SENATOR JAMAAL T. BAILEY, Acting President
19 ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
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21
22
23
24
25
1934
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
3 Senate 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 BAILEY: In the
9 absence of clergy, let us bow our heads in a
10 moment of silent reflection or prayer.
11 (Whereupon, the assemblage respected
12 a moment of silence.)
13 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Reading
14 of the Journal.
15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, Monday,
16 March 30, 2026, the Senate met pursuant to
17 adjournment. The Journal of Friday, March 27,
18 2026, was read and approved. On motion, the
19 Senate adjourned.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: Without
21 objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
22 Presentation of petitions.
23 Messages from the Assembly.
24 Messages from the Governor.
25 Reports of standing committees.
1935
1 Reports of select committees.
2 Communications and reports from
3 state officers.
4 Motions and resolutions.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Good morning,
7 Mr. President.
8 There will be an immediate meeting
9 of the Rules Committee in Room 332.
10 SENATOR O'MARA: Immediate meeting
11 of the Rules Committee in Room 332.
12 SENATOR GIANARIS: The Senate will
13 stand at ease.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT BAILEY: The
15 Senate will stand at ease.
16 (Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease
17 at 11:07 a.m.)
18 (Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at
19 11:15 a.m.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The Senate
21 will return to order.
22 Senator Gianaris.
23 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
24 there's a report of the Rules Committee at the
25 desk.
1936
1 Can we take that up, please.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3 Secretary will read.
4 THE SECRETARY: Senator
5 Stewart-Cousins, from the Committee on Rules,
6 reports the following bills:
7 Senate Print 9598, by
8 Senator Stavisky, an act to amend the
9 Public Health Law;
10 Senate Print 9599, by
11 Senator Bailey, an act to amend the
12 Insurance Law;
13 Senate Print 9630, by
14 Senator Krueger, an act making appropriations
15 for the support of government;
16 Senate Print 9631, by
17 Senator Krueger, an act to amend Part U1 of
18 Chapter 62 of the Laws of 2003.
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
20 the report of the Rules Committee.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
22 in favor of accepting the report of the
23 Rules Committee please signify by saying aye.
24 (Response of "Aye.")
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
1937
1 nay.
2 (Response of "Nay.")
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The report
4 of the Rules Committee is accepted.
5 Senator Gianaris.
6 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please take up
7 the supplemental calendar.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
9 Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 660, Senate Print 9630, by Senator Krueger, an
12 act making appropriations for the support of
13 government.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there a
15 message of necessity and appropriation at the
16 desk?
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is a
18 message of necessity and appropriation at the
19 desk.
20 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
21 the message.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
23 in favor of accepting the message please signify
24 by saying aye.
25 (Response of "Aye.")
1938
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
2 nay.
3 (Response of "Nay.")
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 message is accepted, and the bill is before the
6 house.
7 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
9 is laid aside.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 661, Senate Print 9631, by Senator Krueger, an
12 act to amend Part U1 of Chapter 62 of the Laws of
13 2003.
14 SENATOR GIANARIS: Is there a
15 message of necessity at the desk?
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is a
17 message of necessity at the desk.
18 SENATOR GIANARIS: Move to accept
19 the message.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
21 in favor of accepting the message please signify
22 by saying aye.
23 (Response of "Aye.")
24 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
25 nay.
1939
1 (Response of "Nay.")
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
3 message is accepted, and the bill is before the
4 house.
5 SENATOR LANZA: Lay it aside.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
7 is laid aside.
8 Senator Gianaris, that is the end of
9 the supplemental calendar.
10 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please go to the
11 controversial calendar.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Secretary will ring the bell.
14 The Secretary will read.
15 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
16 660, Senate Print 9630, by Senator Krueger, an
17 act making appropriations for the support of
18 government.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
20 O'Mara, why do you rise?
21 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
22 Madam President.
23 I just have a few questions on this
24 extender bill that we have, if the Senator would
25 yield.
1940
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
2 Krueger, do you yield?
3 SENATOR KRUEGER: Absolutely.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 Senator yields.
6 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
7 Senator. And good morning.
8 SENATOR KRUEGER: Good morning.
9 SENATOR O'MARA: This is our first
10 extender of what has been a pattern of late
11 budgets in recent years. Can you just explain to
12 us what -- I think we'll, if we can, talk about
13 both of these bills on this debate rather than
14 calling up the second one, if that's okay with
15 you.
16 SENATOR KRUEGER: I'm happy to, but
17 I'm just double-checking one thing.
18 (Off the record.)
19 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
20 I think we're taking up the extender bill first
21 because of the time constraints, and then we'll
22 be happy to take up questions on the other bill.
23 SENATOR O'MARA: Okay. All right.
24 SENATOR KRUEGER: So you just get
25 to ask me twice. Okay?
1941
1 SENATOR O'MARA: Lovely.
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you. So on
3 this bill.
4 SENATOR O'MARA: Yeah, on this
5 bill, Senator, what is actually being extended
6 here today? How much is the dollar value of
7 what's being extended? And when's it being
8 extended through?
9 SENATOR KRUEGER: Thank you. Happy
10 to answer that, Madam President.
11 This is an extender that totals
12 approximately $1 billion, and it is to meet our
13 payroll costs to allow certain payments of the
14 Department of Health Medical Assistance
15 Administration Program, the Department of Law,
16 the Office for People With Developmental
17 Disabilities, and the Department of Veterans'
18 Services.
19 This will go through next Tuesday
20 morning, the day after Easter Monday. And I will
21 tell you the date as soon as I -- there we go,
22 April 7th.
23 And I have more specifics of what
24 items are within that, but that's pretty much the
25 explanation.
1942
1 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
2 Senator.
3 Madam President, if the Senator will
4 continue to yield.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
6 continue to yield?
7 SENATOR KRUEGER: Of course.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
9 Senator yields.
10 SENATOR O'MARA: Senator, this
11 being the last day of the fiscal year, and doing
12 our first extender here, can you enlighten us on
13 where the Legislature and the Governor are in the
14 process of these negotiations and what's left
15 open to get a final budget here?
16 SENATOR KRUEGER: Through you,
17 Madam President. Quite a few things are left
18 open, approximately the same number that we
19 discussed last week when we did the budget debt
20 bill.
21 So I don't know how long it's going
22 to be. I don't know how many more extenders
23 there will be.
24 I do want to make sure everyone
25 understands that the Governor decides what the
1943
1 extenders are. That is not negotiated, so only
2 she knows what extenders she will put forward,
3 whether she will keep them as what we call clean
4 extenders, just continuing payments that are
5 already due.
6 Because she technically has the
7 ability to put pretty much anything she decides
8 in extenders, which becomes a concern certainly
9 for us when she goes beyond just doing clean
10 extenders to make sure people continue to get
11 paid and our bills continue to get paid.
12 But for now we are where we are. We
13 are hoping negotiations continue. I do know that
14 senior staff are having three-way discussions and
15 leadership is having three-way discussions on a
16 variety of topics, but I don't have any details
17 of finalization on anything major.
18 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
19 Senator.
20 Through you, Madam President, if the
21 Senator will continue to yield.
22 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
23 continue to yield?
24 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
25 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
1944
1 Senator yields.
2 SENATOR O'MARA: Senator, we had
3 the first and only joint conference committees on
4 the budget about three weeks ago, I think.
5 There's been no meetings since then.
6 Are there any meetings of the joint
7 budget conference committees scheduled at this
8 point?
9 SENATOR KRUEGER: No, I don't
10 believe there have been any announced follow-up
11 meetings.
12 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
13 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
14 yield.
15 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
16 continue to yield?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
19 Senator yields.
20 SENATOR O'MARA: Have there been
21 any table targets put out there yet for any of
22 the tables that are undecided?
23 SENATOR KRUEGER: No.
24 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
25 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
1945
1 yield.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
3 continue to yield?
4 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes, of course.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
6 Senator yields.
7 SENATOR O'MARA: So, Senator,
8 without table targets then a lot of these issues
9 that may be less controversial and really more
10 about how much you're going to spend on them, as
11 opposed to what exactly the subject is, they
12 can't even be negotiated or talked about at this
13 point, really.
14 If they don't have a table target,
15 they've got no numbers to work with. Isn't that
16 right?
17 SENATOR KRUEGER: That is
18 technically correct.
19 And it is my observation after
20 25 years here that Governors choose to not
21 discuss the smaller and perhaps more likely
22 actions until they have finished negotiations on
23 the larger, more controversial.
24 So it might not be what I would do
25 if I was the Governor, but I haven't been the
1946
1 Governor. So that seems to be a consistent
2 pattern of Executives.
3 SENATOR O'MARA: Through you,
4 Madam President, if the Senator will continue to
5 yield.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
7 continue to yield?
8 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
10 Senator yields.
11 SENATOR O'MARA: Senator, one of
12 the major issues as we understand it is the
13 Climate Law, the CLCPA, and some modifications, I
14 think, primarily to the timeline on that.
15 Can you tell us what the proposals
16 are at this point of the Governor as far as
17 trying to push this thing out?
18 SENATOR KRUEGER: So we still don't
19 think we have full language from the Governor of
20 what she's actually proposing.
21 We have some language. We have an
22 op-ed she put out about a week and a few days
23 before that, I guess Thursday a week ago. But
24 that's not really a budget proposal, it's an
25 op-ed.
1947
1 We have rumored proposals. We have
2 changes in plans by the Governor starting out
3 with her original argument that CLCPA was
4 increasing people's utility bills and then an
5 admission that CLCPA had nothing to do with the
6 increased cost of our utility bills.
7 Although now that we're in Week 4 of
8 the war in the Middle East, that seems to be
9 having quite a bit of an impact on costs of oil
10 and natural gas.
11 So I wish I could tell you there was
12 a specific proposal in writing to share with
13 everyone, but we don't have one.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you.
15 Madam President, if the Senator will
16 continue to yield.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
18 continue to yield?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
21 Senator yields.
22 SENATOR O'MARA: Senator, you
23 mentioned utility bills and people's concerns
24 over them. I think we're all hearing from our
25 constituents on that.
1948
1 What proposals are out there that
2 are being negotiated to help lower people's
3 utility bills?
4 SENATOR KRUEGER: So our one-house
5 proposal had quite a few suggested changes that
6 we do believe would lower our utility bills.
7 Actually, the current president up
8 front has a number of proposals that would
9 specifically lower utility bills, Senator Mayer's
10 bills, we included in our one-house.
11 I have bills that would put
12 moratoriums on the building of energy -- excuse
13 me, not of energy plants, of AI plants and
14 cryptocurrency plants, because they are using up
15 an enormous amount of energy. They get discounts
16 and even tax exemptions because of the sort of
17 as-of-right categories they fall under, so that
18 they are skyrocketing use of energy at lower
19 cost, requiring us all as ratepayers to pay more
20 because they are using so much.
21 And once their factories are built,
22 they basically have nobody who works in them,
23 it's all computer. So they don't create jobs
24 even though they eat up our energy at huge
25 discounted costs. And if we just stop them from
1949
1 going forward, we would significantly reduce the
2 rate of growth of utility costs.
3 And quite a few other states are
4 going down the same road. We would like to go
5 down that road also, but we need bills passed or
6 included in the budget package.
7 We are seeing that the states that
8 are doing the most successfully with moving to
9 green energy are actually seeing lowering of
10 their utility costs. So wind, hydroelectric
11 energy, solar, these are the models that are
12 working very effectively.
13 And perhaps the most promising, but
14 we need legislation to move it forward, is
15 battery storage that is basically creating a
16 revolution around the world for improved access
17 to and use of and cost of sustainable energy.
18 So we think there are quite a few
19 proposals we could be speeding along within our
20 budget that would immediately offer reductions in
21 costs.
22 We also have called for increased
23 money being spent for discount costs for
24 low-income and middle-income utility ratepayers.
25 So there's I'm going to say a good
1950
1 10 proposals that we could see going into effect
2 immediately that could have significant impact on
3 our utility costs for ratepayers, particularly
4 individual consumers.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
6 Senator.
7 Madam President, if the Senator will
8 continue to yield.
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
10 continue to yield?
11 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 Senator yields.
14 SENATOR O'MARA: So is it the
15 position of the Senate Majority that the state
16 should be opposed to the development of AI data
17 storage facilities and we're just going to let
18 other states run with it?
19 SENATOR KRUEGER: So our
20 recommendation is a moratorium for three years to
21 allow the state time to create and evaluate
22 standards for when things are approved or not
23 approved.
24 And again, to remind people that
25 quite a few states are making the same decision,
1951
1 because they don't create jobs. AI would still
2 be manufactured somewhere and be used here in
3 New York. So there's no loss of our use of AI
4 or, honestly, crypto -- although personally I
5 advise against anyone using crypto.
6 And it will not impact the jobs or
7 the economic activity from AI. We just wouldn't
8 be blowing up our energy demand and sort of doing
9 damage to our natural resources, water as well as
10 our energy grid, by not using it up on these yet
11 to be even justified plants.
12 But it would not end it per se. It
13 would be a moratorium so that the state could
14 come up with a mechanism to evaluate and to
15 decide which have justification, which don't,
16 what areas might make more or less sense to build
17 them in.
18 Right now there's almost no one
19 making any determination in planning for the
20 state or in answering the questions how much
21 energy are they using, where will we get that
22 energy, and how much more will it continue to
23 drive up our utility costs.
24 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
25 Senator.
1952
1 Madam President, if the Senator will
2 continue to yield.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Do you
4 continue to yield?
5 SENATOR KRUEGER: Yes.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
7 Senator yields.
8 SENATOR O'MARA: Senator, you
9 mentioned several proposals that your side of the
10 aisle has on potential ways to help people with
11 their utility bills.
12 We have several -- many proposals on
13 this side of the aisle, a couple of which would
14 provide immediate relief to utility ratepayers in
15 returning unspent clean energy surcharges that
16 have been on the bills for CLCPA. And those
17 surcharges that are held by both NYSERDA and the
18 utilities themselves, because NYSERDA hasn't
19 asked them to send it over yet, of about
20 $3 trillion that could go -- $3 billion, excuse
21 me, that could go back to the ratepayers. I
22 don't hear you discussing that.
23 And there's a proposal for a tax
24 holiday on utility bills for the taxes and those
25 surcharges I mentioned. Are those under
1953
1 consideration by your side of the aisle?
2 SENATOR KRUEGER: I don't think
3 either of those proposals were included in our
4 one-house.
5 You know, I will point out part of
6 the catch of saying you're going to give back
7 money that has been collected from ratepayers for
8 specific purposes, as we know particularly on
9 anything capital, those monies often get built in
10 to be spent over an extended period of time.
11 So one of the debates I think both
12 sides of the aisle have had is the money that is
13 raised through utility taxes, will it be used for
14 green energy or a continuation of fossil fuel
15 infrastructure? The truth is our infrastructure
16 for fossil fuel is very old, quite damaged, needs
17 replacement either with green energy or a
18 continued replacement of the fossil fuel
19 infrastructure.
20 The money costs show it's much more
21 expensive to rebuild our fossil fuel
22 infrastructure versus building a new green
23 infrastructure. So I would make the case you
24 have real costs for going either direction.
25 We're far better off, and it's cheaper and it's
1954
1 much safer, to go with green infrastructure.
2 But it doesn't mean that you get off
3 free and you can't -- excuse me, and you can
4 possibly give back every dollar you've been
5 raising into a 21st-century infrastructure and
6 grid expansion. We need all that.
7 I just personally hope that we spend
8 that money much more effectively on green
9 infrastructure, not rebuilding a failed model of
10 fossil fuels.
11 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
12 Senator.
13 On the bill, Madam President.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 O'Mara on the bill.
16 SENATOR O'MARA: This is the first
17 extender bill of this budget season, to get us
18 through the next week.
19 I will be supporting this bill, as
20 we're early in the process and I certainly
21 understand the significance of the religious
22 holidays that we have over this coming weekend
23 and the impact of those on individuals' lives.
24 But there's -- very concerning to
25 me -- a lack of urgency in moving this budget
1955
1 forward. In fact, if there's no specific
2 proposals by the Governor to the Legislature on
3 changes to the climate laws that are in place, no
4 specific language from the Governor on how
5 utility bills are going to be lowered so that
6 individuals in their homes can pay those,
7 particularly senior citizens -- we have AARP out
8 in the hallway right now lobbying on efforts to
9 lower utility bills. And it's of primary
10 importance to our constituents that we provide
11 some relief on the expensive cost of living in
12 New York.
13 It just seems to me that while
14 everybody talks about affordability, everything
15 that comes out of this Legislature makes
16 everything more expensive.
17 Thank you, Madam President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
19 Senator O'Mara.
20 Are there any other Senators wishing
21 to be heard?
22 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
23 closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
24 There's a substitution at the desk.
25 The Secretary will read.
1956
1 THE SECRETARY: Senator Krueger
2 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Rules,
3 Assembly Bill Number 10760 and substitute it for
4 the identical Senate Bill 9630, Third Reading
5 Calendar 660.
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
7 substitution is so ordered.
8 The Secretary will read.
9 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
10 660, Assembly Bill Number 10760, by
11 Assemblymember Pretlow, an act making
12 appropriations for the support of government.
13 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Read the
14 last section.
15 THE SECRETARY: Section 12. This
16 act shall take effect immediately.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
18 roll.
19 (The Secretary called the roll.)
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
21 the results.
22 THE SECRETARY: Ayes, 59.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
24 is passed.
25 There's a substitution at the desk.
1957
1 The Secretary will read.
2 THE SECRETARY: Senator Krueger
3 moves to discharge, from the Committee on Rules,
4 Assembly Bill Number 10761 and substitute it for
5 the identical Senate Bill Number 9631, Third
6 Reading Calendar 661.
7 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
8 substitution is so ordered.
9 The Secretary will read.
10 THE SECRETARY: Calendar Number
11 661, Assembly Bill Number 10761, by
12 Assemblymember Pretlow, an act to amend Part U1
13 of Chapter 62 of the Laws of 2003.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
15 O'Mara, why do you rise?
16 SENATOR O'MARA: If the Senator
17 would yield for a question, Madam President.
18 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
19 Krueger, do you yield?
20 SENATOR KRUEGER: I do.
21 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
22 Senator yields.
23 SENATOR O'MARA: I just have one
24 question on this extender here for the DMV
25 continuing their operations and able to collect
1958
1 our fees that our constituents so love to pay --
2 that this extender is going out for two years.
3 Why not just for the period of this
4 extension?
5 SENATOR KRUEGER: Through you,
6 Madam President. I believe that the Governor's
7 request for a two-year extender is because we've
8 been doing this at two years at a time, and that
9 if you're going to establish fees -- or this
10 doesn't create any new fees, it continues
11 existing fees that you don't necessarily want to
12 tell people we're continuing fees for another
13 week and a half, and then stay tuned.
14 Usually these kind of fees are
15 charged on an annual basis or at the time you're
16 buying or reregistering or reinspecting your
17 vehicle. So I think it would probably just be a
18 bit of a nightmare if we set up a moving target
19 perhaps of a week or two at a time. And it just
20 is practically more efficient and fair to
21 everyone to just tell them, okay, usually these
22 are charged at an annual or biannual basis, and
23 this is going to be the amount for the next two
24 years, and just get it done that way.
25 SENATOR O'MARA: Thank you,
1959
1 Senator.
2 On the bill.
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
4 O'Mara on the bill.
5 SENATOR O'MARA: You know, it's
6 concerning to me that we are putting this out
7 two years while the budget isn't set.
8 You know, the explanation of that's
9 the way we've always done it is far too common of
10 an explanation around this place.
11 And we shouldn't be putting things
12 out at this point with no budget in place and no
13 specific policy in writing is my take on this,
14 that nothing should be extended further than the
15 length of the other extender we did.
16 Thank you.
17 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
18 Senator O'Mara.
19 Are there any other Senators wishing
20 to be heard?
21 Seeing and hearing none, debate is
22 closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
23 Read the last section.
24 THE SECRETARY: Section 3. This
25 act shall take effect immediately.
1960
1 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Call the
2 roll.
3 (The Secretary called the roll.)
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Announce
5 the results.
6 THE SECRETARY: In relation to
7 Calendar 661, voting in the negative are
8 Senators Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo,
9 Helming, Lanza, Martins, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads,
10 Stec, Walczyk and Weik. Also Senator Tedisco.
11 Ayes, 46. Nays, 13.
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The bill
13 is passed.
14 Senator Gianaris, that completes the
15 reading of the controversial calendar.
16 SENATOR GIANARIS: Thank you,
17 Madam President.
18 We're going to return to motions and
19 resolutions.
20 At this time I move to adopt the
21 Resolution Calendar, with the exception of
22 Resolutions 1821 and 1823.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: All those
24 in favor of adopting the Resolution Calendar,
25 with the exception of Resolutions 1821 and 1823,
1961
1 please signify by saying aye.
2 (Response of "Aye.")
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
4 nay.
5 (No response.)
6 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
7 Resolution Calendar is adopted.
8 Senator Gianaris.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's begin with
10 Resolution 1821, by Senator Ramos, have its title
11 read and call on Senator Ramos, please.
12 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1821, by
13 Senator Ramos, memorializing Governor Kathy
14 Hochul to proclaim March 31, 2026, as
15 Farmworkers Day in the State of New York.
16 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
17 Ramos on the resolution.
18 SENATOR RAMOS: Thank you,
19 Madam President.
20 You know, before any of us woke up
21 this morning there were already people across
22 New York doing very important work. Those people
23 are farmworkers. These men and women rise before
24 dawn, they work through heat and cold, they bend,
25 they lift, they harvest, and they carry the food
1962
1 that ends up on every one of our tables.
2 Their work isn't just essential,
3 it's foundational. There is no food system
4 without farmworkers. There's no economy without
5 farmworkers, there's no daily life in this state
6 without farmworkers.
7 And yet for generations they were
8 excluded from the most basic protections that
9 other workers in New York State sometimes take
10 for granted. Not by accident, but by design.
11 But farmworkers didn't accept that
12 quietly. They organized, they spoke up, they
13 demanded to be seen.
14 And there's some history here, of
15 course. From Chicano organizers like
16 Dolores Huerta to Filipino organizers like
17 Larry Itliong, who built the foundation of the
18 farmworker movement, they showed us what dignity
19 in action looks like.
20 And that movement is still very much
21 alive today in the work of the United Farm
22 Workers and RWDSU, who continue to organize and
23 raise standards for farmworkers here in New York
24 State.
25 Farmworkers carried this fight for
1963
1 decades, and I'm proud to have been part of the
2 moment when Albany finally listened in 2019 and
3 passed the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act.
4 That law finally recognized what should have
5 always been true, that farmworkers are workers
6 and that their dignity is not negotiable.
7 But passing a law is not the end of
8 the story, because having rights on paper only
9 matters if they are real in practice: If wages
10 are fair, if conditions are safe, if workers can
11 speak up without fear.
12 And we also have to be honest about
13 something else. We talk a lot about the cost of
14 food in this state, but we don't talk enough
15 about the cost of labor behind that food. You
16 can't have cheap food and exploited workers at
17 the same time and call that a fair system. If we
18 want affordability, it can't come on the backs of
19 the very people who feed us.
20 And today many of those workers are
21 immigrants, people who come here to work, to
22 provide, to build a better life, and who too
23 often live with fear. They feel fear of speaking
24 up, fear of retaliation, fear of being targeted
25 simply for showing up to do their jobs.
1964
1 We've seen how far that fear can
2 show up in our communities across our state. And
3 that should be of concern to all of us. Because
4 a food system that depends on fear is not a
5 stable system. It's not a just system. And it's
6 not worthy of New York.
7 So today, as we recognize
8 Farmworkers Day, we do more than honor their
9 labor. We acknowledge our responsibility.
10 Because the people who feed us should never be
11 invisible. They should never be exploited, and
12 they should never feel like they've been left
13 behind. If we value the people who sustain us,
14 then our laws, our enforcement and our priorities
15 must reflect that.
16 Today we honor farmworkers across
17 New York and recommit ourselves to making sure
18 that dignity, fairness and respect are not
19 promises, but guarantees.
20 And today, Madam President, we are
21 joined by Maria Martinez and Prijenett Flores.
22 They are both organizers who are carrying on the
23 legacy of Dolores Huerta out in the fields of
24 New York and are here representing all
25 farmworkers and organizers.
1965
1 I ask that you welcome them to our
2 house.
3 And with that I vote aye,
4 Madam President.
5 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
6 Senator Ramos.
7 Senator May on the resolution.
8 SENATOR MAY: Thank you,
9 Madam President.
10 I want to thank Senator Ramos for
11 this resolution and for recognizing the very
12 important work that farmworkers do for all of us.
13 We would not have affordable food to put on our
14 tables if it wasn't for the farmworkers doing
15 this work.
16 I proudly represent Cayuga County,
17 which has the most dairy production of any county
18 in the state, and dairy workers in particular
19 work year-round, day in and day out. It's hard
20 work and often dangerous work being around large
21 animals. And I have visited a lot of the farms
22 in my district and seen how hard they work and
23 what good care they take of the animals.
24 But year-round workers often don't
25 have the kind of protections that H-2B visas give
1966
1 to temporary workers who come here. And so we
2 are hearing from farmers in my district who are
3 terrified about deportations or trying to track
4 what has happened to some of the farmworkers that
5 they really value very highly.
6 I think one of the reasons we're
7 seeing food prices go up is because we are seeing
8 labor becoming more scarce and some of the
9 farmworkers frankly afraid to show up for work,
10 or the farmers holding church services and that
11 kind of thing in their own homes so their workers
12 don't have to leave the farms.
13 It's a terrifying time for
14 farmworkers and for the employers who care about
15 them in my district. And so I think it's doubly
16 important at this moment in history that we lift
17 our farmworkers up and give them the respect they
18 deserve.
19 I vote aye.
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
21 Senator May.
22 To our guests who are here on behalf
23 of Farmworkers Day, we welcome you on behalf of
24 the Senate. We extend to you the privileges and
25 courtesies of the house.
1967
1 Please rise and be recognized.
2 (Standing ovation.)
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
4 Gianaris.
5 Oh, the question is on the
6 resolution. All those in favor please signify by
7 saying aye.
8 (Response of "Aye.")
9 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
10 nay.
11 (No response.)
12 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
13 resolution is adopted.
14 Senator Gianaris.
15 SENATOR GIANARIS: Let's move on to
16 Resolution 1823, by Senator Zellner,
17 Jeremy Zellner. Read that resolution's title and
18 recognize Senator Zellner, please.
19 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
20 Secretary will read.
21 THE SECRETARY: Resolution 1823, by
22 Senator Zellner, memorializing Governor Kathy
23 Hochul to proclaim March 20, 2026, as
24 Behavior Analysis Day in the State of New York,
25 in conjunction with the observance of World
1968
1 Behavior Analysis Day.
2 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
3 Zellner on the resolution.
4 SENATOR ZELLNER: Thank you,
5 Madam President.
6 And thank you, Senator Gianaris, for
7 clarifying which Jeremy we're talking about here.
8 I rise today to recognize March 20th
9 as World Behavior Analysis Day and to highlight
10 the important role that applied behavior analysis
11 plays in improving our lives and our communities.
12 Applied behavior analysis, or ABA,
13 is a research-based approach grounded in the
14 science of human behavior. It helps individuals
15 build new skills, strengthen positive behaviors,
16 and navigate challenges in ways that improve
17 quality of life.
18 While ABA is widely recognized for
19 its impact on individuals with developmental
20 disabilities, including many diagnosed with
21 autism, its reach extends far beyond that into
22 education, healthcare, human services,
23 rehabilitation, and even the workplace.
24 For many children and families, ABA
25 has made a meaningful and lasting difference --
1969
1 opening doors, creating opportunities, and
2 providing support rooted in compassion and
3 evidence-based care.
4 Today I offer this resolution in
5 recognition of the children and families whose
6 lives have been positively impacted, the
7 professionals who provide this critical support,
8 the parents who provide this critical support,
9 the parents and the other family members and the
10 dedicated educators at Daemen University, in my
11 district, who are preparing the next generation
12 of leaders in this field.
13 Thank you, Madam President.
14 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
15 Senator Zellner.
16 The question is on the resolution.
17 All those in favor please signify by
18 saying aye.
19 (Response of "Aye.")
20 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Opposed,
21 nay.
22 (No response.)
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
24 resolution is adopted.
25 Senator Gianaris.
1970
1 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
2 the sponsors of today's resolutions would like to
3 open them for cosponsorship.
4 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: The
5 resolutions are open for cosponsorship. Should
6 you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify
7 the desk.
8 Senator Gianaris.
9 SENATOR GIANARIS: Please call on
10 Senator Comrie for an introduction.
11 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senator
12 Comrie for an introduction.
13 SENATOR COMRIE: Thank you,
14 Madam President.
15 We are again this year joined -- as
16 we've done for the last couple of years,
17 Assemblymember Hyndman, Assemblymember Anderson,
18 Senator Stavisky, Senator John Liu -- we have
19 young children from the presidents of the
20 different schools in District 29 in here today to
21 visit Albany.
22 They are moving into both sides of
23 the gallery to be greeted. They have come up in
24 the rain, so they're a little delayed. And we
25 are earlier than expected today, so they are
1971
1 moving a little faster. But they are adjusting,
2 as we all are today.
3 We've been proud for the last couple
4 of years to bring these young people up. These
5 young people are actually the presidents or civic
6 leaders in their schools. They're interested in
7 government and politics, they're interested in
8 how the world works. They're going to be moving
9 around today to visit different locations in the
10 Capitol and our offices. They're going to be on
11 the Third Floor Terrace if anybody would like to
12 stop by and say hello and introduce yourselves to
13 them if you have a minute. Since we all have a
14 little extra time today, I hope some of you can
15 find it in your hearts to stop by and say hello
16 to them.
17 Now, it's important that as
18 legislators we try to impact children as much as
19 possible, give you something to understand and
20 appreciate. I want to welcome them to our
21 beautiful chambers and this session. We
22 have both -- they're here and they're here. So
23 they're everywhere, so it's all good.
24 I'm not sure what teachers came
25 today because I was running to make it here for
1972
1 conference. But as I look and see the faces of
2 our young children -- was that a different
3 school?
4 (Laughter.)
5 SENATOR COMRIE: Anyhow, there are
6 young people on both sides of the gallery.
7 And whatever we do as legislators,
8 we should make sure that young people understand,
9 appreciate civics and government. As some of you
10 know, I've been trying to get civics back in our
11 schools. It's important that we teach civics,
12 important that we teach history. It's important
13 that our people understand all aspects of our
14 great state.
15 So thank you, Madam President, for
16 allowing me to take a minute to recognize them.
17 And if everyone could please give them the
18 privileges of the house.
19 Thank you, young people, for coming
20 up in the rain today, and I hope you have a great
21 day.
22 Thank you.
23 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Thank you,
24 Senator Comrie.
25 I'm going to wait until every one of
1973
1 our students has the opportunity to come into the
2 gallery so they can be acknowledged and
3 appreciated. Is that the end of the line,
4 Mr. Sergeant-at-Arms? Yes? Okay.
5 To all of our students who are
6 visiting today from Queens, we welcome you on
7 behalf of the Senate. We're so pleased you're
8 here to watch the privileges and see the
9 operations of the Senate and to see how
10 government works here in Albany.
11 Please be -- you're given all the
12 privileges and cordialities of the house. Please
13 rise and be recognized. Please stand and be
14 recognized.
15 (Standing ovation.)
16 SENATOR MAYER: Senator Gianaris.
17 SENATOR GIANARIS: Madam President,
18 I should note that there were other members from
19 Queens, particularly, that also wanted to share
20 in that welcome message for this group of
21 students, but our practice here in the Senate
22 only allows one member per introduction.
23 So just know that you are loved by
24 more than Senator Comrie. But he's also a great
25 representative.
1974
1 Is there any further business at the
2 desk?
3 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: There is
4 no further business at the desk.
5 SENATOR GIANARIS: I move to
6 adjourn until tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1st, at
7 11:00 a.m.
8 ACTING PRESIDENT MAYER: Senate is
9 adjourned until tomorrow, April 1st, at
10 11:00 a.m. On motion, the Senate stands
11 adjourned until tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
12 (Whereupon, at 11:52 a.m., the
13 Senate adjourned.)
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