Gaveled in 3:26 PM · Albany, New York · 2025–26 session
NEW YORK STATE SENATE
THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD
ALBANY, NEW YORK
June 4, 2025
3:26 p.m.
REGULAR SESSION
SENATOR ROXANNE J. PERSAUD, Acting President
ALEJANDRA N. PAULINO, ESQ., Secretary
P R O C E E D I N G SACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Senate will come to order.
I ask everyone to please rise and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
(Whereupon, the assemblage recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg, of Congregation KTI in Port Chester, New York, will deliver today's invocation.
Rabbi?
RABBI GOLDBERG:Friends, let's pray.
In the Jewish community we just concluded the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover, that commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
The Jewish tradition teaches that those present at the revelation of the Torah and the Ten Commandments included not only that generation of freed slaves who had fled Egypt, but also the souls of every future Jewish person. They all -- past, present and future members of the covenantal community -- stood there together to accept God's law.
O Holy One of blessing, as the members of this Legislature gather once again to do their work, remind them that they do not stand alone in this chamber. Present today with us are our ancestors and predecessors who gave us a republic, if we could keep it, who established our state and the many communities within it, who suffered and sacrificed and crossed oceans and resisted oppression so we could be here today.
Present too today are the future generations not yet even born, who rely on us to leave them a democracy so they can keep it -- thriving communities in which to grow, clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.
O God, help the members of this body hear those voices from the past, present and future in their deliberations today, just as we once heard Your voice at Sinai. Help them be worthy inheritors of their predecessors and admirable ancestors for their successors.
Bring peace to our land and to our world, liberation to the 58 hostages who have been held in captivity by Hamas for 608 days, peace to the Holy Land and the entire region, and healing to those injured in the antisemitic terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday.
May the Almighty bring strength to all of us and bless us with peace, and let us say amen.
(Response from assemblage.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Reading of the Journal.
THE SECRETARY:In Senate, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the Senate met pursuant to adjournment. The Journal of Monday, June 2, 2025, was read and approved. On motion, the Senate adjourned.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Without objection, the Journal stands approved as read.
Presentation of petitions.
Messages from the Assembly.
The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Senator Sanders moves to discharge, from the Committee on Banks, Assembly Bill Number 3279A and substitute it --
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Excuse me one second.
May we have some order in the chamber, please.
THE SECRETARY:Senator Sanders moves to discharge, from the Committee on Banks, Assembly Bill Number 3279A and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 4728A, Third Reading Calendar 391.
Senator Mayer moves to discharge, from the Committee on Local Government, Assembly Bill Number 7287 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6426, Third Reading Calendar 721.
Senator S. Ryan moves to discharge, from the Committee on Local Government, Assembly Bill Number 1177 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6928, Third Reading Calendar 722.
Senator Cooney moves to discharge, from the Committee on Cities, Assembly Bill Number 6953A and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 5758, Third Reading Calendar 999.
Senator Stavisky moves to discharge, from the Committee on Higher Education, Assembly Bill Number 7442 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7702, Third Reading Calendar 1020.
Senator May moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8428 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7767, Third Reading Calendar 1058.
Senator Ryan moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8280 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7768, Third Reading Calendar 1059.
Senator Baskin moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8018 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7769A, Third Reading Calendar 1060.
Senator May moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8658 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7770, Third Reading Calendar 1061.
Senator Hinchey moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8487 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7771, Third Reading Calendar 1062.
Senator Hinchey moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8278 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7772, Third Reading Calendar 1063.
Senator Fahy moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8486 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7773, Third Reading Calendar 1064.
Senator Fahy moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8656 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7774, Third Reading Calendar 1065.
Senator Stec moves to discharge, from the Committee on Health, Assembly Bill Number 3267 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 20, Third Reading Calendar 1079.
Senator Hinchey moves to discharge, from the Committee on Agriculture, Assembly Bill Number 2185 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6330, Third Reading Calendar 1122.
Senator Gianaris moves to discharge, from the Committee on Consumer Protection, Assembly Bill Number 1672A and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6822A, Third Reading Calendar 1132.
Senator May moves to discharge, from the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, Assembly Bill Number 1455 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6044, Third Reading Calendar 1185.
Senator Rivera moves to discharge, from the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Assembly Bill Number 7601 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6367, Third Reading Calendar 1226.
Senator Skoufis moves to discharge, from the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Assembly Bill Number 7580 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6416, Third Reading Calendar 1273.
Senator Skoufis moves to discharge, from the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Assembly Bill Number 7578 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6417, Third Reading Calendar 1274.
Senator Skoufis moves to discharge, from the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, Assembly Bill Number 7579 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 6418, Third Reading Calendar 1275.
Senator Scarcella-Spanton moves to discharge, from the Committee on Labor, Assembly Bill Number 7928 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 7193, Third Reading Calendar 1299.
Senator Persaud moves to discharge, from the Committee on Rules, Assembly Bill Number 2497 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 244, Third Reading Calendar 1458.
Senator Rolison moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 8161 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 983, Third Reading Calendar 1463.
Senator Lanza moves to discharge, from the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Assembly Bill Number 6317 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 5685, Third Reading Calendar 1495.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:So ordered.
Messages from the Governor.
Reports of standing committees.
Reports of select committees.
Communications and reports from state officers.
Motions and resolutions.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Good afternoon, Madam President.
I have a lengthy list of amendments here. So I would make a motion that amendments are offered to the following Third Reading Calendar bills:
By Senator Hoylman-Sigal, page 65, Calendar Number 1209, Senate Print 7860A;
Senator Martinez, page 27, Calendar Number 510, Senate Print 194;
Senator Skoufis, page 68, Calendar Number 1243, Senate Print 7835;
Senator Sanders, page 72, Calendar Number 1287, Senate Print 4603;
Senator Salazar, page 24, Calendar Number 382, Senate Print 2510;
Senator Mayer, page 25, Calendar Number 409, Senate Print 3734;
Senator Bailey, page 34, Calendar Number 668, Senate Print 6273;
Senator Bailey, page 43, Calendar Number 924, Senate Print 6122;
Senator Hinchey, page 48, Calendar Number 1003, Senate Print 3866A;
Senator Skoufis, page 50, Calendar Number 1024, Senate Print 4857B;
Senator Sanders, page 62, Calendar Number 1173, Senate Print 7752;
Senator C. Ryan, page 66, Calendar Number 1224, Senate Print 6956;
Senator Harckham, page 67, Senate Print 1235, Senate Print 6930;
Senator Harckham, page 68, Calendar Number 1240, Senate Print 7706;
Senator Sepúlveda, page 69, Calendar Number 1252, Senate Print 3967A;
Senator Ramos, page 74, Calendar Number 1301, Senate Print 8034;
Senator Ramos, page 64, Calendar Number 1192, Senate Print 4424;
Senator Skoufis, page 70, Calendar Number 1268, Senate Print 7782;
Senator Bailey, page 81, Calendar Number 1497, Senate Print 6717;
Senator Jackson, page 32, Calendar Number 627, Senate Print 6600A;
And Senator Serrano, page 67, Calendar Number 1225, Senate Print 1067.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The amendments are received, and the bills will retain their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Thank you.
I also wish to call up the following bills, which were recalled from the Assembly and now are at the desk --
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will read.
SENATOR GIANARIS:-- Madam President: Senate Print Nos. 1186, 122, 1211, 2437, 3690, and 6244.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Now the Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 301, Senate Print 1186, by Senator Addabbo, an act to amend the Highway Law;
Calendar Number 296, Senate Print 2437, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the Election Law;
Calendar Number 323, Senate Print 122, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law;
Calendar Number 597, Senate Print 6244, by Senator Skoufis, an act to amend the Executive Law;
Calendar Number 748, Senate Print 1211, by Senator May, an act in relation to enacting the New York Open Water Data Act;
Calendar Number 540, Senate Print 3690, by Senator Sanders, an act to amend the Lien Law.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Move to reconsider the vote by which these bills were passed.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will call the roll on reconsideration.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bills are restored to their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
SENATOR GIANARIS:I offer the following amendments.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The amendments are received.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Please recognize Senator Lanza for a motion.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Lanza for a motion.
SENATOR LANZA:Madam President, I have a motion from Senator Gallivan. On page 40, I offer the following amendments to Calendar Number 784, Senate Print Number 5997A, and ask that said bill retain its place on Third Reading Calendar.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The amendments are received, and the bill will retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Please recognize Senator Webb.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Webb.
SENATOR WEBB:Thank you, Madam President.
I rise today to recognize a father and an advocate who transformed an unimaginable personal tragedy into a powerful force for change. And this individual is Joe Petito.
Many Americans remember the heartbreaking loss of his daughter, Gabby Petito, whose life was cut short far too soon. Her story captured the nation's attention not just because of the circumstances but because of the bright, adventurous spirit she embodied and because of the difficult urgent questions her death forced us to confront about domestic violence, missing persons, and the systemic gaps in how we protect the vulnerable, especially those who are historically marginalized.
In the aftermath of that grief Mr. Petito made a difficult but important choice. He could have withdrawn, but instead he chose to act. Madam President, through the Gabby Petito Foundation, Joe Petito and his family have become tireless advocates for domestic violence prevention and support for families of missing persons.
He is working to ensure that no parent feels alone or as helpless as he and his family once did. He's raising awareness, funding education, partnering with law enforcement, and helping to give a voice to those who unfortunately are rendered voiceless.
He reminds us that advocacy doesn't always come from a position of power. It often comes from people who have suffered unimaginable and unfortunate tragedies and yet still find the strength to persevere and stand up for others.
I am proud to stand alongside him in that fight, and that is why I've introduced legislation to strengthen the use of lethality assessments, a critical tool that helps law enforcement and service providers to identify high-risk domestic violence cases before it's too late.
These assessments save lives, they help individuals, they help our families and so much more. And they are one piece of the broader system of the protections and early interventions we need to build.
It is my honor to commend Joe Petito and his family for their courage, their service, and their unwavering commitment to protecting lives in Gabby's memory. Together we can and must do more to prevent violence before it happens and ensure that every person has a safe path forward and has an opportunity to thrive.
I want to, with that, Madam President, ask that we welcome this distinguished guest to our chamber, by way of Long Island, and extend him all the courtesies of the house.
Thank you.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you, Senator.
Mr. Petito, thank you for the work that you and your family are doing.
I welcome you on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of this house.
Please stand and be recognized.
(Standing ovation.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Please recognize Senator Serrano for another introduction.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Serrano for an introduction.
SENATOR SERRANO:Thank you, Madam President.
I rise today to recognize a group of young students from the 29th Senate District who are in the gallery today.
They are K-through-5 chess players from the Rosalyn Yalow Charter School in the South Bronx, and they recently competed in the 57th Annual Scholastic Chess Championship held in Saratoga Springs. They took first place in two team divisions, and one student, Samuel Lin, took first place in the 5-5 under 1,000 section.
I would like to congratulate all of the students for their amazing accomplishment, and I ask that we show them all the courtesies of the house.
Thank you, Madam President.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you.
To our champion players from the Rosalyn Yalow Chess Club, I welcome you on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of this house. Continue winning.
Please rise and be recognized.
(Standing ovation.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Let's move on to previously adopted Resolution 596, by Senator Helming, read that resolution's title and recognize Senator Helming.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Resolution 596, by Senator Helming, congratulating the Gananda High School Varsity Cheerleading Team upon the occasion of winning the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D State Championship.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Helming on the resolution.
SENATOR HELMING:Thank you, Madam President.
It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once wrote: It's the destination, not the journey -- it's not the destination, it's the journey. And today it is my absolute honor to welcome to this chamber a team of remarkable young women who exemplify that very sentiment.
The Gananda Panthers Varsity Cheerleading Team are 2025 Class D State Champions. The road to a state title is never easy, but this team met every challenge with grit, grace and determination. They went undefeated throughout the regular season and captured their second consecutive sectional title. They delivered a powerhouse performance to secure first place in the state competition, finishing at the top of their division.
But this victory is about a lot more than just trophies and titles. It's about perseverance. It's about bouncing back after a tough loss last year. It's about overcoming obstacles and never giving up.
These athletes -- and I'd ask them to please stand when I read your name -- Ellah, with an H --
(Laughter.)
SENATOR HELMING:-- Alexis, Lacie, Gianna, Alycia, Mollie, Alyssa, Leilani, Ella, Leah, Makenzie, Gabby, Kaitlyn, Claire, and Morghan. These young women are proof that hard work, heart and hustle pay off. And they did it with school spirit, sportsmanship, and a team bond that will last forever.
Madam President, I'd also like to recognize the incredible leadership behind this state championship team: Head Coach Jenn, her assistant coaches Christina and MJ; Gananda Central School District Superintendent Shawn Van Scoy, and today they're also accompanied by their amazing bus driver, Dave.
(Laughter; call-outs from members.)
SENATOR HELMING:To our coaches, thank you for your leadership. You've built not only champions but confident young women who know what it means to commit to excellence.
So to the Gananda Panthers, thank you for representing your school, our community, and the State of New York with pride. And congratulations on a truly, truly unforgettable season.
Madam President, let's hear it for the 2025 State Champion Gananda Panthers Cheerleading Team.
Who's the best?
CHEERLEADING TEAM:G-H-S!
SENATOR HELMING:Madam President, I'm proud to support this resolution.
Thank you.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you.
The resolution was adopted on April 2nd.
To the Gananda Panthers, congratulations on your championship. We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of this house.
Please remain standing and be recognized. And to your bus driver!
(Standing ovation.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Madam President, I know Senator Helming wants to open that resolution for cosponsorship.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The resolution's open for cosponsorship. Should you choose not to be a cosponsor, please notify the desk.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:There will now be an immediate meeting of the Rules Committee in Room 332.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:There'll be an immediate meeting of the Rules Committee in Room 332.
SENATOR GIANARIS:The Senate stands at ease.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Senate will stand at ease.
(Whereupon, the Senate stood at ease at 3:45 p.m.)
(Whereupon, the Senate reconvened at 4:03 p.m.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Senate will return to order.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Madam President, there's a report of the Rules Committee at the desk. Let's take that up, please.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Senator Stewart-Cousins, from the Committee on Rules, reports the following bills:
Senate Print 15A, by Senator Skoufis, an act to amend the Public Health Law;
Senate Print 84, by Senator Liu, an act to amend Chapter 802 of the Laws of 1947;
Senate Print 455A, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Public Officers Law;
Senate Print 595, by Senator Hinchey, an act to amend the Private Housing Finance Law;
Senate Print 649, by Senator S. Ryan, an act to amend subpart H of Part C of Chapter 20 of the Laws of 2015;
Senate Print 1378, by Senator Serrano, an act to amend the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law;
Senate Print 1613A, by Senator Fahy, an act directing the Empire State Development Corporation to create plans for redesign of the Harriman Campus;
Senate Print 1744, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Criminal Procedure Law;
Senate Print 1804A, by Senator Rivera, an act to amend the Insurance Law;
Senate Print 2460, by Senator Comrie, an act to amend the Energy Law;
Senate Print 4042, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend the Civil Rights Law;
Senate Print 4328, by Senator Cooney, an act to amend the General Business Law;
Senate Print 4470, by Senator Mayer, an act to amend the Executive Law;
Senate Print 4484, by Senator Liu, an act in relation to ordering a study and report on a proposed extension of the Long Island Motor Parkway Trail;
Senate Print 4815, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend the Canal Law;
Senate Print 4830A, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend the Public Authorities Law;
Senate Print 5116A, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Education Law;
Senate Print 5379, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law;
Senate Print 5387, by Senator Harckham, an act directing the Commissioner of Transportation to waive an annual security deposit fee;
Senate Print 5564, by Senator Mayer, an act authorizing the Village of Port Chester to offer an optional 20-year retirement plan to a certain police officer employed by such village;
Senate Print 5755, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Public Health Law;
Senate Print 6226, by Senator Rivera, an act to amend the Social Services Law;
Senate Print 6307, by Senator Sanders, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law;
Senate Print 6413, by Senator Scarcella-Spanton, an act to amend the Public Health Law;
Senate Print 6484A, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend the Economic Development Law;
Senate Print 7077, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Elder Law;
Senate Print 7281, by Senator Myrie, an act to repeal Section 17-140 of the Election Law;
Senate Print 7335, by Senator Martinez, an act to amend the Real Property Tax Law;
Senate Print 7420, by Senator Martinez, an act to amend the Tax Law;
Senate Print 7533, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend Chapter 329 of the Laws of 2009;
Senate Print 7542A, by Senator Ortt, an act to amend Chapter 530 of the Laws of 2024;
Senate Print 7611, by Senator Bynoe, an act to amend the Transportation Law;
Senate Print 7689A, by Senator Skoufis, an act to amend the Election Law;
Senate Print 7737, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend Chapter 462 of the Laws of 2015;
Senate Print 7742A, by Senator Rolison, an act to amend the Tax Law;
Senate Print 7804, by Senator Webb, an act to amend the Tax Law;
Senate Print 7806, by Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, an act to amend Chapter 676 of the Laws of 1978;
Senate Print 7809, by Senator Salazar, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law;
Senate Print 7822, by Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, an act to amend Chapter 821 of the Laws of 1970;
Senate Print 7852, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend Chapter 606 of the Laws of 2006;
Senate Print 7855D, by Senator Liu, an act in relation to authorizing the Commissioner of Education to conduct a survey regarding instruction on Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander history within the state;
Senate Print 7885, by Senator Mattera, an act to amend Chapter 431 of the Laws of 2018;
Senate Print 7912, by Senator Webb, an act to amend Chapter 443 of the Laws of 2007;
Senate Print 7943, by Senator Liu, an act to amend the Social Services Law;
Senate Print 7976, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend Chapter 230 of the Laws of 2023;
Senate Print 8011, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend Chapter 668 of the Laws of 1977;
Senate Print 8043, by Senator Bynoe, an act to direct the Commissioner of Mental Health to conduct a study of child- and youth-targeted mobile crisis outreach teams;
Senate Print 8045, by Senator Bynoe, an act to amend the Executive Law;
Senate Print 8062, by Senator Webb, an act to amend the Public Service Law;
Senate Print 8091, by Senator Cooney, an act to amend the Tax Law;
Senate Print 8104, by Senator S. Ryan, an act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law;
Senate Print 8169, by Senator Bynoe, an act to amend the State Technology Law;
Senate Print 8177, by Senator Kavanagh, an act to amend Chapter 514 of the Laws of 1983;
Senate Print 8179, by Senator Persaud, an act to amend Chapter 436 of the Laws of 1997;
Senate Print 8180, by Senator Sepúlveda, an act to amend Chapter 548 of the Laws of 2010;
Senate Print 8206, by Senator Serrano, an act to amend Chapter 192 of the Laws of 2011;
Senate Print 8212, by Senator Palumbo, an act to amend Chapter 387 of the Laws of 2013;
Senate Print 8213, by Senator Hinchey, an act to amend the Public Service Law;
Senate Print 8226, by Senator Mayer, an act to amend Chapter 618 of the Laws of 1998;
Senate Print 8230, by Senator Baskin, an act to amend Chapter 674 of the Laws of 1993;
Senate Print 8231, by Senator Ramos, an act to amend Chapter 413 of the Laws of 2003;
Senate Print 8232, by Senator Stewart-Cousins, an act to amend Chapter 123 of the Laws of 1945;
Senate Print 8235, by Senator Kavanagh, an act to amend the Private Housing Finance Law;
Senate Print 8236, by Senator Ramos, an act to amend Chapter 363 of the Laws of 2010;
Senate Print 8244, by Senator Persaud, an act to amend Chapter 81 of the Laws of 1995;
Senate Print 8245, by Senator Sepúlveda, an act to amend the Local Finance Law;
Senate Print 8251, by Senator Stavisky, an act to amend Chapter 20 of the Laws of 1998;
Senate Print 8254, by Senator Brisport, an act to amend Chapter 29 of the Laws of 2011;
Senate Print 8261, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend Chapter 550 of the Laws of 2013;
Senate Print 8273, by Senator Stewart-Cousins, an act to amend Chapter 118 of the Laws of 1969;
Senate Print 8275, by Senator Griffo, an act to amend Chapter 332 of the Laws of 2019;
Senate Print 8292, by Senator Sanders, an act to amend Chapter 223 of the Laws of 1996;
Senate Print 8297, by Senator Martinez, an act to amend the Real Property Tax Law;
Senate Print 8299, by Senator Sanders, an act to amend Chapter 591 of the Laws of 2001;
Senate Print 8316, by Senator Martinez, an act to amend Chapter 643 of the Laws of 2019;
Senate Print 8317, by Senator Cooney, an act to amend Chapter 538 of the Laws of 2013;
Senate Print 8318, by Senator Parker, an act to amend the Executive Law;
Senate Print 8321, by Senator Rolison, an act to amend Chapter 339 of the Laws of 2023.
All bills reported direct to third reading.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Move to accept the report of the Rules Committee.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:All those in favor of accepting the Rules Committee report please signify by saying aye.
(Response of "Aye.")
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Opposed, nay.
(Response of "Nay.")
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The report of the Rules Committee is accepted.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Please take up the calendar.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 188, Senate Print 641A, by Senator S. Ryan, an act to amend the Public Service Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 188, voting in the negative are Senators Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Helming, Martins, Murray, O'Mara, Walczyk and Weik.
Ayes, 49. Nays, 9.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 310, Senate Print 3111, by Senator Helming, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 350, Senate Print 3799B, by Senator Comrie, an act to amend the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law.
SENATOR HELMING:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 350, voting in the negative are Senators Lanza and Walczyk.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 391, Assembly Bill Number 3279A, by Assemblymember Vanel, an act in relation to establishing the New York State cryptocurrency and blockchain study task force.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 422, Senate Print 5049, by Senator Bailey, an act to amend the Insurance Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 430, Senate Print 3819A, by Senator Rivera, an act to amend the Executive Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 430, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 37. Nays, 21.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 603, Senate Print 6165, by Senator Skoufis, an act to amend the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 10. This act shall take effect on the 30th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 603, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martinez, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Senator Murray, pardon me, in the affirmative. Senator Martinez is also in the affirmative.
Ayes, 37. Nays, 21.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 623, Senate Print 6831, by Senator Hinchey, an act to amend the Navigation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect on the 120th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 623, voting in the negative are Senators Griffo, Martins, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads, Stec, Walczyk and Weik.
Ayes, 49. Nays, 9.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 628, Senate Print 6718B, by Senator Jackson, an act to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Calendar Number 627 is high and will be laid aside for the day.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Calendar Number 628, Senate Print 6718B, by Senator Jackson, an act to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 628, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Bynoe, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 35. Nays, 23.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 633, Senate Print 6181, by Senator Parker, an act to amend the Cannabis Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 633, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Gallivan, Griffo, Lanza, Martinez, Martins, Mattera, Murray, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk and Weik.
Ayes, 40. Nays, 18.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 647, Senate Print 6390, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend the Correction Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 721, Assembly Bill Number 7287, by Assemblymember Burdick, an act to amend the Town Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 722, Assembly Bill Number 1177, by Assemblymember Peoples-Stokes, an act to amend the Local Finance Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:There is a home-rule message at the desk.
Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 730, Senate Print 6068, by Senator Parker, an act to amend the Social Services Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 730, voting in the negative are Senators Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Martins, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Rhoads, Walczyk and Weik.
Ayes, 50. Nays, 8.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 905, Senate Print 6745, by Senator Stavisky, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 5. This act shall take effect on the first of January.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 936, Senate Print 1349B, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
SENATOR HELMING:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 936, voting in the negative: Senator Walczyk.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 955, Senate Print 6133, by Senator Parker, an act to require the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to conduct a study on domestic violence in the transgender community.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 955, voting in the negative: Senator Walczyk.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 960, Senate Print 5452, by Senator Comrie, an act to amend the Election Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 960, voting in the negative are Senators Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads, Rolison, Scarcella-Spanton, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 37. Nays, 21.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 994, Senate Print 7694, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Civil Practice Law and Rules.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 994, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 36. Nays, 22.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 995, Senate Print 7696, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Judiciary Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 996, Senate Print 7735, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Court of Claims Act.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 996, voting in the negative: Senator Walczyk.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 999, Senate Print 6953A, by Assemblymember Bronson, an act to amend the General City Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:If the bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1020, Assembly Bill Number 7442, by Assemblymember Gibbs, an act to amend Chapter 219 of the Laws of 2003.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1050, Senate Print 982, by Senator Rolison, an act to amend the Executive Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1058, Assembly Bill Number 8428, by Assemblymember Meeks, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1059, Assembly Bill Number 8280, by Assemblymember Kassay, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section .
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1060, Assembly Bill Number 8018, by Assemblymember Lunsford, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1061, Assembly Bill Number 8658, by Assemblymember Kassay, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1062, Assembly Bill Number 8487, by Assemblymember Raga, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1063, Assembly Bill Number 8278, by Assemblymember Lasher, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1064, Assembly Bill Number 8486, by Assemblymember Wright, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1065, Assembly Bill Number 8656, by Assemblymember Kay, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1079, Assembly Bill Number 3267, by Assemblymember Jones, an act to authorize certain healthcare professionals licensed to practice in other jurisdictions to practice in this state in connection with an event sanctioned by the World Triathlon Corporation.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1088, Senate Print 4585, by Senator Cleare, an act to amend the Public Health Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 36. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1094, Senate Print 7408, by Senator Fahy, an act to amend the Public Health Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1094, voting in the negative are Senators Borrello, Bynoe, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 36. Nays, 22.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1103, Senate Print 537, by Senator Martins, an act in relation to authorizing the County of Nassau assessor to accept an application for a real property exemption.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1103, voting in the negative are Senators Fahy and O'Mara.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1107, Senate Print 4325, by Senator Rhoads, an act authorizing the County of Nassau assessor to accept an application for a real property tax exemption.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1107, voting in the negative are Senators Fahy and Senator O'Mara.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1122, Assembly Bill Number 2185, by Assemblymember Lupardo, an act to amend the Agriculture and Markets Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1132, Assembly Bill Number 1672A, by Assemblymember Rosenthal, an act to amend the General Business Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1185, Assembly Bill Number 1455, by Assemblymember Hunter, an act to amend the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1185, voting in the negative are Senators Skoufis and Walczyk.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1188, Senate Print 7204, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1188, voting in the negative: Senator Skoufis.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1196, Senate Print 6217, by Senator Fernandez, an act to amend the Workers' Compensation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1224 is high and will be laid aside for the day.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Calendar Number 1226, Assembly Bill Number 7601, by Assemblymember Alvarez, an act to amend Chapter 383 of the Laws of 1991.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1227, Senate Print 6903A, by Senator S. Ryan, an act to amend the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1256, Senate Print Number 7469, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Penal Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect on the 30th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1273, Assembly Bill Number 7580, by Assemblymember Kay, an act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1273, voting in the negative are Senators Martinez and Rhoads.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1274, Assembly Bill Number 7578, by Assemblymember Kay, an act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1274, voting in the negative are Senators Martinez and Rhoads.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1275, Assembly Bill Number 7579, by Assemblymember Kay, an act to amend the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
THE SECRETARY:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1275, voting in the negative are Senators Martinez and Rhoads.
Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1285, Senate Print 7858, by Senator Salazar, an act to amend the Public Authorities Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar Number 1285, voting in the negative: Senator Palumbo.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1299, Assembly Bill Number 7928, by Assemblymember Cruz, an act to amend Chapter 730 of the Laws of 2019.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1303, Senate Print 79, by Senator Liu, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1305, Senate Print 1510, by Senator Liu, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1305, voting in the negative are Senators Lanza, O'Mara, Rhoads, Skoufis and Walczyk.
Ayes, 53. Nays, 5.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1309, Senate Print 1311, by Senator Jackson, an act to authorize Jonathan Montalvo to be placed on the eligible list for employment as a full-time university police officer.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1456, Senate Print 56B, by Senator Fernandez, an act to amend the Public Health Law.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Lay it aside for the day, please.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill will be laid aside for the day.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1457, Senate Print 180A, by Senator Persaud, an act to amend the Social Services Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1458, Assembly Bill Number 2497, by Assemblymember Davila, an act establishing a fiscal task force.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1459, Senate Print 247, by Senator Persaud, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 12. This act shall take effect 18 months after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1459, voting in the negative: Senator Walczyk.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1461, Senate Print 520, by Senator Persaud, an act to amend the Public Health Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1463, Assembly Bill Number 8161, by Assemblymember Woerner, an act to amend Chapter 455 of the Laws of 2011.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1463, voting in the negative: Senator Martinez.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1464, Senate Print 1063, by Senator Serrano, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1464, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martinez, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Scarcella-Spanton, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 34. Nays, 24.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1465, Senate Print 1072, by Senator Serrano, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1465, voting in the negative: Senator Walczyk.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1466, Senate Print 1140A, by Senator Gonzalez, an act to amend the Tax Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1466, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martinez, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Rhoads, Rolison, Scarcella-Spanton, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 35. Nays, 23.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1467, Senate Print 1171, by Senator Mattera, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 6. This act shall take effect on the first of January.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1467, voting in the negative are Senators Brisport, Fahy and Martinez.
Ayes, 55. Nays, 3.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1468, Senate Print 1197, by Senator Addabbo, an act to amend the Social Services Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1469, Senate Print 1200, by Senator Addabbo, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1470, Senate Print 1366, by Senator Serrano, an act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect on the 30th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1474, Senate Print 1477, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the Judiciary Law.
SENATOR LANZA:Lay it aside.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Lay it aside.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1480, Senate Print 3334, by Senator Liu, an act to amend the Education Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1480, voting in the negative: Senator Martins.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1487, Senate Print 4776, by Senator C. Ryan, an act to amend the Penal Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 4. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Chris Ryan to explain his vote.
SENATOR CHRIS RYAN:Thank you, Madam President.
Today I rise to speak in strong support of this bill that addresses a growing and dangerous trend, the false reporting of incidents involving deadly weapons and/or dangerous instruments.
Such false reports, often referred to as "swatting," are not harmless pranks. They are malicious and deliberate acts that divert emergency services, instill fear, and can lead to tragic consequences, including immense stress and trauma for teachers, students, faculty, and administration, not to mention the families of those that have experienced the unfortunate reality of gun violence in our schools.
Our current laws unfortunately do not adequately address the severity of these actions. What this bill does, will send a clear message that intentionally causing panic and misusing our emergency response systems cannot and will not be tolerated.
This legislation is not just about punishment, obviously, but it's about prevention and deterring future instances of swatting as well as holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.
So I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, join me in protecting our communities, especially our students, our educators. And I certainly hope that the Assembly passes this important bill for the safety of our community.
Thank you.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator C. Ryan to be recorded in the affirmative.
Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1491, Senate Print 5228, by Senator Bailey, an act to amend the Executive Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1493, Senate Print 5407A, by Senator Harckham, an act to amend the Mental Hygiene Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 3. This act shall take effect on the 120th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Harckham to explain his vote.
SENATOR HARCKHAM:Thank you very much, Madam President.
You know, our first responders, whether they're professional or whether they're volunteers, are the backbone and the lifeblood of our communities. They're there when our constituents are really having their darkest day, and they respond with courage, they respond with professionalism, and they respond with skill.
And sometimes in the course of their duties they are exposed to great trauma. They see things, they're experiencing things that many of us would never experience in the course of our lives. And through this trauma, we know that they have higher rates of depression, higher rates of anxiety, higher rates of suicidal ideation, and unfortunately higher rates of suicide.
All of us have had tragedies in our districts because first responders either couldn't get the help that they needed or felt they couldn't reach out because of the stigma of not appearing weak within the first responder service.
So the bill that we're about to pass -- and I thank colleagues from both sides of the aisle who cosponsored this -- is patterned after the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer to Peer support program, a very, very successful program with our veterans. We talk all the time on this floor about lived experience and peers for people with behavioral health disorders. And this would replicate the Dwyer Program for first responders.
And it would allow for confidentiality, and it would allow for first responders to work with each other to lend a helping hand. This is going to be a very important step forward.
You know, we were with a bunch of first responders today, did a press conference on this bill. And I thought one of them put it well. He said: "My members, when they see folks on their darkest day, they carry their weight, but they have no place to put that weight down."
And with this bill we will be saying to our first responders: We have your back, and you can put that weight down.
I'll be voting aye.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Harckham to be recorded in the affirmative.
Senator Oberacker to explain his vote.
SENATOR OBERACKER:Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you, Senator Harckham, for bringing this bill forward.
At the end of May I'll be celebrating 38 years as a first responder in my volunteer fire department. And I can still remember to this day the first rescue call I was called out on, that then turned into recovery.
When we got back to the department that night,there was no talking, there was no discussion, there was no debriefing of what just transpired. You basically buried it and put up with it. And you did so because I guess there was a certain level, Madam President, of macho "I can take this."
Well, I can tell you unequivocally, after having been on many more calls like that, Senator Harckham, this bill is great. It's about time. And I thank you for bringing it forward.
And I hope that all my first responders will take this moment to break down that level of macho -- burying it, not talking about it. And we'll all become, I think, more healthy, Madam President.
So again, Senator Harckham, thank you. Great bill. And I will proudly, proudly, Madam President, vote aye.
Thank you.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Oberacker to be recorded in the affirmative.
Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick to explain her vote.
SENATOR CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK:Thank you, Madam President.
And I too want to thank the sponsor for this bill. I'm proud to cosponsor it, because who knows better what our first responders see than their peers.
And, you know, on Long Island and throughout the state, our volunteer firemen, as Senator Oberacker just said, they're the ones that are out there, volunteers.
But I also want to give a shout-out: I have a niece who's an NYPD detective, and my nephew is in the FDNY EMS service. So we need to support those first responders in a powerful way.
And as I've spoken about on the floor before, our rate of suicide among our police officers is something that is so troubling. And as the ranking member on Mental Health it's always something I'm trying to figure out, how do we help them, how do we support them, how do we show them that we have their back. And I think this bill is a great start.
I proudly vote aye.
Thank you, Madam President.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick to be recorded in the affirmative.
Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1495, Assembly Bill Number 6317, by Assemblymember Fall, an act to amend Chapter 395 of the Laws of 1978.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1495, voting in the negative: Senator O'Mara.
Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1496, Senate Print 6232, by Senator Webb, an act to amend the Public Health Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Webb to explain her vote.
SENATOR WEBB:Thank you, Madam President.
I rise to voice my support for this legislation. This bill will authorize the development and deployment of a prenatal and postpartum informational mobile application for individuals who are eligible for Medicaid.
As the chair of our Women's Issues Committee, we are continuing to try to find more ways to address the growing crisis surrounding maternal mortality rates. And so we know far too often that too many expecting and new mothers face significant barriers to receiving timely, accurate and culturally competent health information.
These barriers are often even more disparaging for those who are on Medicaid who often experience higher rates of maternal and infant health complications due to a lack of access to critical resources.
This bill meets people where they are. It recognizes the reality that so many of our constituents rely on mobile technology in their everyday lives, especially when navigating complex health systems. And by providing medically sound, accessible and up-to-date information through a mobile app, we can help reduce disparities, support early intervention and empower individuals with the knowledge they need during one of the most important and vulnerable times of their lives.
Madam President, this app would offer guidance on prenatal care, nutrition, mental health, postpartum recovery, and infant care, all tailored to the unique needs of the Medicaid population. It is not a replacement for care, but it's a crucial tool to supplement and strengthen it.
As a state, we have to continue to protect and support maternal health and to reduce preventable deaths and to improve outcomes for every family. I proudly vote aye, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you. Senator Webb to be recorded in the affirmative.
Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
Calendar Number 1497 is high and will be laid aside for the day.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1500, Senate Print 7203, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the State Finance Law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 7. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall have become a law.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1500, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 36. Nays, 22.
SENATOR MURRAY:The bill is passed.
Senator Gianaris, that completes the reading of today's calendar.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Thank you, Madam President.
My colleagues, you know what time it is? It's Walczyk Wednesday.
(Laughter.)
SENATOR GIANARIS:Let's take up the controversial calendar, please.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will ring the bell.
The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 1474, Senate Print 1477, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the Judiciary Law.
(Senator Martins rises.)
(Laughter.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Martins, why do you rise?
SENATOR MARTINS:I was hoping that the sponsor would answer a few questions.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Will the sponsor yield for a question?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Does he promise to be as entertaining as Senator Walczyk?
(Laughter.)
SENATOR MARTINS:I can only try.
(Laughter.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes, I do yield.
SENATOR MARTINS:Thank you.
Through you, Madam President. Senator, if you could tell us, who is this bill intended to affect?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President. We had a champerty law in New York State through about 20 years ago, and it was working just fine.
And the fact is that since we changed our law and got rid of the champerty law, we have seen only a small number of companies -- but significant companies -- bringing court cases in New York State to basically get back underwater investments that they made, knowing they were underwater, but knowing that if they used the court system to their advantage, they could receive far more money than imagined.
And they made the investments based on the belief not that it would increase in value, but so they could sue.
So this would only affect corporations, investors that are purposely purchasing stock from sovereign nations, knowing the nation will not be able to make good on the payments, therefore allowing them to go to New York State courts and drag it, through sometimes for years, to get money they otherwise would never have been able to receive.
SENATOR MARTINS:Madam President, on the bill.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Martins on the bill.
SENATOR MARTINS:Thank you.
I want to thank Senator Krueger for the explanation.
One of the critical points when it comes to contracts, when it comes to making a deal, certainly when it comes to a deal that's made between sophisticated parties -- and certainly when we talk about sovereign debt we're talking about countries that are borrowing money. One of the critical points is that there's certainty with regard to the obligation of the person to repay that debt.
We see that in our own lives, and every single New Yorker understands the concept that if you borrow money, you're going to pay it back. It's an easy concept. We all understand it.
This bill, on the other hand, says, you know, if you have some intent -- which is frankly undefined -- that somehow you can't use New York State courts in recourse to get that debt repaid.
New York State has been and continues to be the single largest repository of sovereign debt in the entire world. They look to New York State law because of its security, its stability, and the knowledge that New York State will honor the obligation to repay the debt, regardless of who it's to.
It's also the single largest repository for corporate debt in terms of using New York State law as the place where these issues are going to be determined. That didn't happen by chance. It's because people understand here, whether you have a handshake or whether you have a document, we're going to honor the obligation to pay it back.
Once we start changing that, we're putting the entire industry at risk.
Now, there are -- I'm sure each and every one of my colleagues in this chamber has read this piece of legislation and understands what's in here. But there's language here that speaks to intent. So that anyone who is borrowing money understands that they have an obligation to pay it back, but if somehow the person who lent the money passes it on to somebody else, who then seeks to enforce that obligation, if they're considered to be bad actors, somehow they're not entitled to be repaid. And that's wrong. And it's dangerous.
I remind my colleagues that according to the State Comptroller, the financial industry in New York State accounts for nearly 20 percent of revenues to our state, nearly $20 billion a year. I want you to think about that for a second when we talk about the need to provide for those who are less fortunate, the need for us here to pass legislation and to pass a budget where we allocate resources to those who have less than we do and we want to support.
That money comes from the financial industry in this state. And the idea that we would turn our backs, as the preeminent place because of our laws and the stability of our laws, as to where they can seek recourse, is wrong.
You may or may not be aware, but just two weeks ago the State of Texas, because of this bill, passed a law which was signed by Governor Abbott that said, Come to Texas. If you can't rely on New York State to protect you, come to Texas, come here. They passed it.
And so at a time when we should be doubling down and understand the obligation that we have to provide a stable place for people to recover -- especially sovereign debt. My God. I challenge everyone in this room to think about whether this bill will make New York better or worse, improve the lives of our residents or not, actually make it harder for us to provide resources as a state to those in our communities, through our budget process, whether this law is meant to help New Yorkers or not.
And, Madam President, I would say it's not. Clearly. Because it doesn't help a single person in New York State to pass this bill. Not one.
Our pension systems invest in bonds for foreign debt. There are corporate investors in that. These aren't just monies that appear out of nowhere. These are institutional and financial institutions that invest hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars in support sometimes of countries in different parts of the world.
And the idea that somehow we're going to make it easier for them by making it less likely that someone's going to be repaid here is absurd.
The end result, Madam President, is that it's going to be harder for those who seek financing to actually get that financing.
We don't have to go to countries outside. We understand in our own communities, if you've got places that are socioeconomically disadvantaged and they go to the bank and ask for a loan, if the bank doesn't understand that they're going to be repaid, the rate that they're going to pay back on that loan is higher, the conditions are going to be stricter, and someone's going to pay more for the same loan.
And what we're doing here is we're creating instability for precisely those in the world who are least capable of paying more.
So who benefits? I guess perhaps people who want to virtue-signal, Madam President. Perhaps people who want to say, You know what, we have a big heart, we don't want to see people making money. Well, guess what? That's the deal. If I agree to borrow money from someone and I decide I'm going to pay them back on certain terms and they then ask me to pay them back on those terms, those are the terms I agreed to.
Yet we're going to say no? Somehow we're going to say that sophisticated people -- in this case, countries, sovereign nations, who pledged to repay money that was given to them, whether it's by banking institutions, corporate institutions, or pension funds paid for with the pensions of people who work in this state -- we're going to put that at risk?
For whom, Madam President, for whom? For people who live in a foreign country? How does that benefit New York State? It doesn't.
So as I read this bill, Madam President, I was troubled. Because I literally went through it and went through it again because I wanted to see where in the bill there was a benefit for us as New Yorkers. Because this is still the New York State Senate, and we're still passing bills with the predominant purpose being our constituents.
And I challenge anyone to look at this bill and tell me where in this bill there is a benefit to anyone that lives in your communities. To the contrary, and at the risk of repeating myself, how are we going to pay for things when we are pushing out industry, and specifically the financial industry in this state, and we are jeopardizing our position as a state for the benefit of others who are more than willing to take those industries?
We've already seen it. We've seen companies moving to Florida. We see companies moving to Texas. And yet you look at a bill like this and you really don't have to question why. It's the wrong message. It sends the wrong signal.
You know, Madam President, when we talk about that it applies to cooperative investors, there's a term in this bill that speaks to cooperative investors. It means those investors are supposed to be investors that purchase the debt -- someone wanted to sell it, they purchased it, but they're not really that bad because they have a history of sometimes cooperating and other times not cooperating in terms of resolving similar situations.
How is anyone supposed to make a decision based on terms like "cooperative intent"? And what that ends up doing, Madam President, is the entire industry is at risk because they're going to have to go before a judge who's going to have to make a decision on a case-by-case basis on whether they acted cooperatively based on past intent.
Folks, this is still New York State. Laws still matter. Contracts still matter. Frankly, where I come from, whether it's a handshake, whether someone signs a document or someone agrees to pay somebody back, that's their obligation.
The idea that we as a state and as a body here in New York are going to change that and allow for intent to fall in -- to determine whether or not someone should be repaid or not, it's a mistake. We're making a mistake, and we're putting our taxpayers and residents at risk.
It's our responsibility to put them first, to make sure we have these resources, to make sure we don't throw these resources away to places like Texas and Florida and the Carolinas and Tennessee -- and unfortunately, the list goes on and on and on these days, because I've seen too many businesses leaving New York and going somewhere else.
The financial industry continues to be here -- but make no mistake, in a world where people can work from anywhere, they can work remotely, they can work on a computer screen literally anywhere in the world, the idea that we would jeopardize our standing as the preeminent place for financing in the country, if not the world, again is a mistake.
So -- and again, Madam President, if there was a benefit to our state, if there was a benefit to our taxpayers and to our residents, if we were doing it in a way that actually brought revenue into the state so that we could provide for those in our communities that are most needy, then it would make sense. But it doesn't. There isn't a single thing about this bill that makes this state better. It's irresponsible. It's a mistake.
Madam President, I'll be voting no. And I'm urging each and every one of my colleagues to reevaluate -- read the bill. Take a look at it. Take a glance at it, and you'll see I'm right. And I urge you to vote no.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you, Senator.
Senator Walczyk.
Sorry --
SENATOR KRUEGER:Senator Krueger on the bill.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Krueger on the bill.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Thank you. Then I'll be happy to take more questions.
I have to respond to my colleague because he's wrong on my bill.
The fact is, it is affecting New Yorkers. The fact is, it's a very carefully sculpted bill that is supported by the vast majority of people in the financial industry that have worked on these cases, because I worked with them and changed this bill. In fact, the New York City Partnership says they have no objection to this bill.
It's enacted to deter wasteful, disruptive litigation in the courts of New York State whereby investors are seeking to game the sovereign crisis resolution process for their own personal profit. And as such, this bill supports orderly debt markets and thereby protects New York's statutes as the favored jurisdiction for sovereign debt issuance and investment.
The failure of us to move a bill like this has resulted in intensive disruptive litigation against multiple countries, including Peru and Argentina, that have dragged through our courts, costing us and costing bondholders an enormous amount of money.
The Argentine holdout creditor litigation included almost 300 separate lawsuits, 35 appeals over 150 hearings, and absorbed the work of judges for over a decade. It culminated in the blockade, in 2014, on payments to 92 percent of Argentina's bondholders, many of which, of course were here in New York, after which the sovereign debt market had to accept powerful anti-holdout-voting clauses to deter continuing disruptive behaviors.
This bill complements the decisions that were made then, but the bill is required because these behaviors do continue by a very small number of investment companies. So the champerty provision does protect New Yorkers, New York investors, and secures our continued reputation as being the place in the world where these kinds of decisions and court cases can be held up as examples of how you do things.
Champerty was the law from the 1800s. It is well-established. It worked fine until we broke it. We're trying to fix it.
And as far as it also affecting New Yorkers besides putting our own bondholders at risk if they were tied into any of these same arrangements, we have also seen that the countries that are forced into -- again, the courts will have to make the determination: Did you make an investment believing you were going to get a return? Which is how we're supposed to do our investing. Or did you make this investment knowing you could not earn the return, the only way you would make money is through litigation that basically held up everything else from ever happening in that country until you were paid?
So this law still leaves it to the courts to determine whether you're the bad actor or whether you made a legitimate investment and expect to get paid back. It doesn't override your right to get paid back unless a court determines that you are acting in bad faith and have a history of acting in bad faith.
And I believe that's why people that I worked with who were advisors to the U.S. Treasury, who worked on those issues from the British market system to the IMF to national scholars in finance, all agree this is an important thing for us to do. It's not going to harm New Yorkers, it's going to help protect New Yorkers.
But you know who else it's going to help? And it's true, they're not New Yorkers. It's people in other countries around the world who have been exploited by this arrangement, and it has resulted in countries having to change the value of their currency, resulting in increased poverty, lower economic success in their own countries, and guess what, migration to other countries to get away from the countries who are facing these problems and often coming here.
So there are people who think migration to New York is a great thing and helps to make us stronger and more diverse, and there are people who are concerned about mass migration from various parts of the world to New York. And much of that migration is actually driven by bad economic storylines at home and people coming here seeking a better life.
And yet they would prefer to stay in their home country if they could, but because of actions like this by some mega U.S. investors at the level of billions and billions of dollars, they find themselves having nowhere to go for work or for any standard of living. And so they come here. Whether we think it's a good thing or not, that's what they're doing.
So this bill actually helps protect New York and New Yorkers, and also evens the playing field in our court system as it was for over a hundred years before we changed the law in 2004.
So it's not bad for New York. Just the opposite. It's the right thing to do, and it has all kinds of advantages for our investment system. And I have no concern that this will cost New York State money or even business.
The irony is Texas passes a law, they're still going to use New York lawyers. Let's be honest. So they're going to do the court case in Texas with New York lawyers? I'm not sure why we should be that worried about that anyway.
Now I'm happy to take questions from whoever else has questions.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you, Senator.
Senator Walczyk.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Thank you, Madam President. On the bill.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Walczyk on the bill.
SENATOR WALCZYK:From the sponsor's memo, from Senator Middleton, he writes -- and this is Senate Bill 1239 in Texas -- "Sovereign debt refers to money that a country's government borrows to finance its spending beyond its revenue. This debt can be issued in the form of bonds or loans and is often held by foreign and U.S. investors, banks, private creditors and others.
"Historically, borrowing countries often chosen to issue under the law of New York. This is largely an artifact of New York's historical primacy in financial markets and the significant financial industry presence.
"Recent proposed legislation in New York would create serious legal uncertainty for lenders and borrowers alike.
"The prospect of this legislation has prompted creditors to consider other jurisdictions. While the New York courts and financial sector presence have been appealing, Texas has been mentioned as an alternative jurisdiction for choice of governing law and jurisdiction.
"The combination of financial industry growth and judicial strength makes Texas a compelling choice for managing complex sovereign debt issues that could rival traditional centers like New York. Senate Bill 1239 seeks to position Texas to be a leader in sovereign debt cases by amending the business and commerce code to make the state an acceptable and reliable venue.
"This bill would ensure that causes of action relating to security travel with that security, and parties may agree to modify that agreement and choose the law of a different jurisdiction, including Texas. The bill would state that if a security is determined to be invalid under the law of the issuer's jurisdiction, the law agreed in the governing documentation would govern the consequences of such invalidity.
"Additionally, this bill would clarify the champerty as defined in New York statute prohibiting the purchase of securities for the sole purpose of litigation does not apply by codifying that Texas common law does not recognize the doctrine of champerty."
That bill was signed into law on May 30th and will be effective on August 1st, positioning Texas in case this bill before us becomes law.
And with that, I wonder if the Finance chair would yield for some questions.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Will the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Certainly.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President. Did you know Texas was preparing to take over this sector of industry?
SENATOR KRUEGER:As of about an hour ago I did.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield?
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Will the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Are you concerned with the economic implications for New York City and our state if the sovereign bond market, more than half of which is governed by New York law, relocates to other jurisdictions like Texas?
SENATOR KRUEGER:There's no basis to believe that the investment organizations would all relocate to Texas.
Conceivably, the two large vulture funds that do this kind of investment might choose to go to Texas. That's two out of thousands.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield?
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Does the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Thank you.
Have you considered that if this bill passes and is signed into law, the much larger U.S. corporate debt markets, which are overwhelmingly governed by New York State law currently, will be spooked by the risk that the champerty law will be extended to them?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President, no, I'm not. We had the champerty law through 2004. Nobody was spooked then. And since the vast majority of the market and the investors in the market actually agree with me that this kind of activity is wrong, I don't think they'll be spooked if we put it back into our law.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:What about concerns about opportunistic defaults by sovereign debtors who would be protected from litigation?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President. You'd only be protected from litigation if a New York judge determined that the charges being brought were not legitimate. So it doesn't protect you from any case, it only protects you as a sovereign nation if in fact the basis for the court case against you is someone trying to basically get money that they knew they wouldn't be able to get from you the right way, so they went down the let's-invest-and-sue road.
So no, I'm not concerned.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President, will the sponsor continue to yield.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Does the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:New York is not able to solve any perceived debt crisis because other forums, like Texas, will provide an option. Isn't this really more of an issue for the G20 global sovereign debt roundtable than it is for New York State?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President. I would love if the international world would take on this issue. I know I had conversations even with people who worked with the IMF who were very disturbed about this practice and very excited about New York State moving legislation but didn't feel that they were in a place to get to resolution at this time.
So I have no conflict with our moving this bill in New York State and hopefully being seen as an example of why the whole world should go down the exact same road. That would be in everyone's best interests.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, will the sponsor continue to yield?
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Does the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Any specific countries that this wouldn't apply to?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Would not apply to? Did I hear you correctly?
SENATOR WALCZYK:Yes.
SENATOR KRUEGER:I'm not aware of any countries that would be included or excluded based on their being a specific country, no.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, will the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:So this bill applies to sovereign debt without qualification as to the country's financial condition. So would the opportunity to assert champerty defense be available to Russia?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President, I would think so.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Would it be available to China?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Again, I don't believe there's anything in this bill that excludes a specific country.
I think in any situation, if that country loaned -- took a loan, could not pay it back, and was being sued by whoever loaned them the money, they would have the exact same situation in our courts of needing to prove that that company who loaned them the money knew they wouldn't be able to pay it back and therefore were going to go the court route to get back more money than other debtors would be eligible to get.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Knew that they wouldn't pay it back, would that include hostile foreign actors, nations that are considered hostile to the United States?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President, I don't know if there's a legal definition for a hostile foreign actor that would be specific to this law or even international borrowing. So I sincerely don't know whether there's already rules that say if you're considered a hostile foreign actor, U.S. companies shouldn't be loaning to you in the first place. Maybe there is. (Pause.)
I don't -- I don't see having another answer here.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Is your concern really enhancement of negotiations between the parties?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Could I ask you to rephrase? I wasn't quite sure that was a full question.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Yeah, through you, Madam President, I'll rephrase.
Is the concern enhancement between -- in negotiations between those who are in debt and those who are trying to collect the debt?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Would it be a concern now or would it be a concern later? I'm still having a little trouble understanding.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President. If -- is that the intent here? Are you trying to enhance the negotiations?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President. What I'm hoping to do is to reestablish the law as it existed in New York that in order to sue someone for debt that they cannot pay you back, you would have to establish that you did not knowingly lend them money with the intention not of earning on the loan, but rather on being able to bring it to court, jump in front of all other debtors, and get more money than you would otherwise be eligible to get.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Does the sponsor yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:What will the impact of this bill be on the cost of debt for sovereign countries who are in a weaker financial condition?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President, there is the question of are there some people who won't buy their debt if they can't go to court and take advantage of the country afterwards? Maybe.
However, what we have found, because we don't have the champerty law effective in New York is that these countries currently are in far, far weaker positions to protect themselves and their people. So conceivably, there will be a few people who will choose not to invest in them anymore, but probably in their best interest that they don't.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, will the sponsor continue to yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:And if they do choose to invest in them in the future, wouldn't you anticipate that the rates of that investment would increase for those who are in a weaker financial condition?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Through you, Madam President, it seems that since we ended the champerty law in 2004 we found more exploitation of the poorest countries in the sovereign market world.
So no, I don't think that reversing ourselves and putting the law back in place puts these countries at greater risk of higher costs. If anything, perhaps they will face less of these problems and might even see lower costs.
Again, just for the record, when we passed this change in law in 2004 -- and I was probably one of the few people who was here then -- I strongly spoke out against the law and voted against changing the law because I had spoken to people at the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Congress and said, should we be going down this road? And they all said no, please don't. We have chosen not to go down this road because it's the wrong action to take, so we -- the federal government at that time -- are saying please don't do this. We said no to these people who were lobbying for it.
And yet they came here to Albany and they lobbied and they spent a lot of money lobbying, and we passed the bill to end champerty. It was a mistake then, it's been a mistake ever since. I'm hoping we can fix that mistake now.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Are you aware that China is a creditor of many of the sovereigns that have issued debt under New York law?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Probably. I think we're debtors to China as well.
Through you, yes.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, if the sponsor would continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:If China sees that fewer recovery payments will go to New York law creditors, it will just demand more from the sovereign. Instead of the sovereign benefiting from the proposed bill, the funds will just be diverted to China in a way, won't they?
SENATOR KRUEGER:I'm not a hundred percent sure that I understood the question.
But if the question is if Endicott can't loan money that it intends to never get back except to sue someone, doesn't lend to that country, will China lend to that country? Maybe.
But as far as I've been reading the newspapers every day, China's jumping into every other country in the world financially and in other ways now. So I'm not sure how much one law we change for our court system in New York affects the international patterns of what countries are doing with each other internationally.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Through you, Madam President, would the sponsor continue to yield?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:In Section 4, paragraph (b) of your bill, you have a timeline here when you're talking about change of interest and where it will apply. Why May 15th of 2024? Why was that written into your legislation?
SENATOR KRUEGER:That was the date that we chose last year. And it's true it did not pass last year, so we might need a chapter amendment to change the date.
Thank you for picking up on that, Senator.
SENATOR WALCZYK:My pleasure.
Would the sponsor continue to yield.
SENATOR KRUEGER:Yes.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The sponsor yields.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Should we honor financial contracts in New York State?
SENATOR KRUEGER:Should we honor. Through you, Madam President. We should honor legitimate contracts that move through New York State.
In this situation -- and it's very explicit in the bill -- there would only be a question of whether the deal and the lawsuit was legitimate if a court in the State of New York determined it was a legitimate contract. So we're not taking over that decision. We are handing back to the courts of New York the tool they had for over a hundred years to make a determination whether this was a good-faith contract originally.
And while I didn't go to law school, I did take contracts -- I thought it was fascinating -- at University of Chicago Law School. Because we were allowed to take a certain number of classes in the law school.
And what I learned from contract law, and I'm sure my colleagues who went to law school know it far better than I, a contract is only a contract until one of the parties says, I don't agree with that anymore. And then you start again.
So we're saying there's a contract. Somebody sues, somebody goes to court, they say it wasn't a fair contract. The court rules, yeah, it wasn't, you start again.
I don't think that's abnormal at all. In fact, that's the one thing I remember from University of Chicago Law School contracts class in 1981.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Thank you, Madam President.
On the bill.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Walczyk on the bill.
SENATOR WALCZYK:Twenty billion dollars in state revenue annually. That's what the industry brings into this state. I often hear members from New York City talk about the financial hub of New York City being a revenue producer. Twenty billion dollars is the revenue that we're talking about here.
And there's a reason that this has been opposed by SIFMA, Creditor Rights Coalition, The Business Council, and many others opposing this bill. Most sovereign bonds governed by foreign law are governed by New York law because we are the home to the financial center and we honor our financial contracts.
From the Security Industry Financial Markets Association (reading): New York has been a preferred place for capital markets not just because buyers and sellers or borrowers and lenders can find each other in one place; they also rely on the legal framework that has evolved to support capital markets actively and rely on that framework being stable and predictable.
The proposed champerty bill and the amendments under consideration would be a sharp departure from this practice precedent and undermine New York's status as a jurisdiction in which contracts are recognized and sacrosanct.
Intervening on behalf of specific parties with the goal of reducing or canceling debt challenges the very foundational notions of a process designed specifically to ensure fair treatment of all involved, in the name of attempting to help one party, which is a sovereign with difficulty servicing its outstanding debt.
The proposal would abandon principles of equal treatment based on investing and negotiating posture.
This bill will force a portion of the financial sector out of state. There's a reason that Texas is also licking its chops to get the revenue that we will lose if we pass this bill into law. It will hurt those revenues, and it may actually even damage the foreign nations it purports to assist.
I certainly wasn't elected to represent them, and neither were any of you. But nobody benefits if this bill is passed into law. It is wrong on principle and on impact and will only damage our state and its future.
And with that, I encourage my colleagues to vote no.
Thank you, Madam President.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Thank you, Senator.
Are there any other Senators wishing to be heard?
Seeing and hearing none, the debate is closed. The Secretary will ring the bell.
Read the last section.
THE SECRETARY:Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Call the roll.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Rivera to explain his vote.
SENATOR RIVERA:Thank you, Madam President.
Let's just say a couple of things. Whatever complicated and improbable hypotheticals my colleagues can come up, there are realities here that we have to deal with. The financial sector has predatory bad actors. And to be really simple about it, the fact is that in certain instances bad actors and financial institutions lend money with the purpose of suing.
That's all we're doing here. We're not destroying anybody who is a good actor. If you want to defend the predators, go right ahead. But the reality is that good actors lend money to get their money back. This does nothing to stop that from happening.
What it does is it creates a situation where we know that there's bad predatory actors whose purpose is to lend money to put countries in bad situations so that they get more money back than they should through the courts.
That's what this does. I'm glad that this has been brought to the floor, and I'm proudly voting in the affirmative.
Thank you, Madam President.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:Senator Rivera to be recorded in the affirmative.
Announce the results.
THE SECRETARY:In relation to Calendar 1474, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Chan, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Martins, Mattera, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Palumbo, Rhoads, Rolison, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik.
Ayes, 36. Nays, 22.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bill is passed.
Senator Gianaris, that completes the reading of the controversial calendar.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Thank you, Madam President.
A couple of motions I'd like to return to. On behalf of Senator Fahy, on page 67 I offer the following amendments to Calendar Number 1234, Senate Print 6829A, and ask that said bill retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The amendments are received, and the bill will retain its place on the Third Reading Calendar.
Senator Gianaris.
SENATOR GIANARIS:And I wish to call up the following bills, recalled from the Assembly, which are now at the desk: Senate Print 2706 and Senate Print 561.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will read.
THE SECRETARY:Calendar Number 327, Senate Print Number 2706A, by Senator Hoylman-Sigal, an act to amend the Environmental Conservation Law.
Calendar Number 746, Senate Print 561, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York.
SENATOR GIANARIS:I move to reconsider the votes by which these bills were passed.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The Secretary will call the roll on reconsideration.
(The Secretary called the roll.)
THE SECRETARY:Ayes, 58.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The bills are restored to their place on the Third Reading Calendar.
SENATOR GIANARIS:I offer the following amendments.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:The amendments are received.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Is there any further business at the desk?
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:There is no further business at the desk.
SENATOR GIANARIS:Move to adjourn until tomorrow, Thursday, June 5th, at 3:00 p.m.
ACTING PRESIDENT PERSAUD:On motion, the Senate stands adjourned until Thursday, June 5th, at 3:00 p.m.
(Whereupon, at 5:35 p.m., the Senate adjourned.)
Highest impact first.
Limit Utility Expense Recovery
Post Candidate Financial Disclosures
Ban Employment Rights Waivers
Inspect Older Buildings for Safety
Free Inhalers With Insurance
Create Utility Weatherization Jobs
Open Meetings for Nonprofits
Regulate Big AI Models