Senate Floor Session — Regular Session

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.)

Reading of the Journal.

Without objection, the Journal stands approved as read. Presentation of petitions. Messages from the Assembly. The Secretary will read.

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.

Good morning.

The Secretary will read.

Move to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed.

Ayes, 56.

I offer the following amendments.

Madam President, there will be an immediate meeting of the Rules Committee in Room 332.

The Senate stands at ease.

The Senate will return to order. Senator Gianaris.

The Secretary will read.

Move to accept the report of the Rules Committee.

Opposed, nay. (Response of "Nay.")

Please take up the supplemental calendar.

Calendar Number 1121, Senate Print 10324, by Senator Serrano, an act making appropriations for the support of government.

There is a message of necessity and appropriation at the desk.

All those in favor of accepting the message please signify by saying aye. (Response of "Aye.")

The message is accepted, and the bill is before the house.

The bill is laid aside. Senator Gianaris.

The Secretary will ring the bell. The Secretary will read.

Senator O'Mara, why do you rise?

Yes.

Senator, here we are, over a month and a half late on this budget. Can you summarize for us where we stand in getting this budget to a close and when you expect that to happen?

Thank you. Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Senator, do you expect us to have final budget bills next week or after Memorial Day?

Thank you. Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Senator, this extender takes us till Monday of next week, three days away. In my experience, without having any budget bills finalized at this point, there's really no possible way to have a final and completed group of budget bills by next Monday. So why is this extender only going till Monday and not going later?

Thank you. Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Senator, do we have a schedule for the joint budget committees?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Do you expect that the budget committees are going to meet again?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

There has been, you know, several I guess statements, for lack of a better word, by the Governor that there's a budget deal. That was over a week ago. The Governor said there was a budget deal. The Governor had a press conference, a full PowerPoint presentation on this budget deal. And yet still we have no bills in print. So, you know, you said it's frustrating to have this, but it's concerning also. There seems to be no sense of urgency in getting this done, and very few details about what these agreements may or may not be on the major issues. Can you tell us where we stand in regards to the agreement on changes to Tier 6?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

I certainly agree that it's better to have a good budget than an on-time budget, but I don't think it's good government to have a two-months-late budget either, with the seeming lack of activity going on here. And we want a good budget for New Yorkers, and we want New Yorkers to understand what that budget is. And there's been no information forthcoming other than some overarching bullet points that tell us we have deal on these policy agreements. Now, it's come out that the Tier 6 agreement is going to cost about $500 million. Who is -- whose cost is that $500 million? Is that state government cost? Does that include local governments' share in that? And is this a one-time $500 million or is this going to be $500 million every year going forward due to the changes being proposed in Tier 6?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Senator, is there any other Senator present here today that has information and details on this issue?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

You know, having no information as things progress (air quotes) doesn't really make us feel that things are progressing on this. And seemingly every time the Governor makes an announcement on where we stand, there's more things being added, such as an additional $4 billion to bail out New York City, in one of her most recent comments on that. Can you tell us, this additional $4 billion, where's it coming from and what's it going to, other than just New York City? Is there parameters on what it's being used for?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

We have these general proposals of an additional $5.5 billion to bail out New York City. We all represent various constituencies, various local governments, various school districts that all have their own fiscal concerns. And while the dollar amounts may not be as large, the percentages of what these local governments are facing are equally as large as what the City of New York is looking at. So what, in addition to this $5.5 billion that the Governor's earmarking for New York City, how much more is being discussed to give to our local governments to help them stave off property tax increases?

Thank you. Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Senator, I can tell you that my local governments and school districts aren't feeling it -- school districts in particular, with budget votes next Tuesday. And we're extending this budget until Monday. There will be no budget on Monday. You know, when it was initially -- came out of the agreements with an additional $1.5 billion going to New York City, and then $100 million for basically the rest of the state, other than some amounts in particular for the big cities along the Thruway. But, you know, $100 million to $1.5 billion is 1/15th. Now, we're at 5.5 billion. And I haven't done the math in my head, but it's four or five times more of that discrepancy between how much New York City's getting and how much the rest of the state is getting. How is that balanced? And how can you justify that?

Through you, Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

Well, I can't disagree with you strongly enough on that, Senator. That, you know, the Governor's budget came out with a 1 percent increase for some 65 percent of the school districts in this state. And we don't have a firm number as to where we are now. At best, from what I've heard, those lower school districts, all non-urban school districts, all rural, poor school districts, getting 1 percent, maybe 2 percent in this budget -- but yet they're putting budgets to their voters next Tuesday. What is the total amount that's agreed to at this point going to school aid?

Thank you, Senator. Madam President, if the Senator will continue to yield.

Yes.

There's been a lot of discussion around giving New York City the opportunity to impose a pied-à-terre tax on high-end second homes in New York City. And there's been some discussion of spreading that to upstate. Can you tell us, is that going to be spread across upstate and the rest of the state, Long Island included? And what are the parameters going to be? What's the criteria to make a pied-à-terre qualify to have to pay this tax, and what is that tax rate going to be?

Through you, Madam President. Thank you, Senator. On the bill.

That's the problem. There's nothing in this bill before us today on where things stand in the budget. Things should be being resolved and checked off, and we should be letting New Yorkers know where we stand on these issues, where this Legislature is, where the Governor is, what agreements have been made so, you know, maybe, by chance, we could get some actual feedback from the citizens of New York across the state, not just the interests of New York City, of where this budget is headed, what they can expect. I know there have been certain agreements that are final. What they are and what the details of those are, we don't know. But there's no way that there aren't some things that are finalized that we could be informing New Yorkers of so they could be talking to us and telling us what they think about that, every one of us. And we should be very concerned about that, because we're their representatives. They elect us to come here and represent them, and look out for their interests and look out for the interests of the state as a whole. But keeping everybody in the dark, now over a month and a half late on this budget, as I've said many times on these extenders, it's not good government. Really, it's embarrassing that we operate this way. And we need to do better for the citizens of this state. Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, we've agreed to restore this bill to the noncontroversial calendar.

Senator Serrano moves to discharge, from the Committee on Rules, Assembly Bill Number 11365 and substitute it for the identical Senate Bill 10324, Third Reading Calendar 1121.

Senator Rhoads to explain his vote.

There's a substitution at the desk. It is the bill, but --

Yes.

Senator, how do you vote?

Senator Rhoads in the negative. Announce the results.

The bill is passed. Senator Gianaris, that completes the reading of the controversial calendar.

The Secretary will read.

Senator Bailey on the resolution.

Thank you, Senator. Leader Stewart-Cousins on the resolution.

Thank you, Madam Leader. Senator Mayer on the resolution.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Stavisky on the resolution.

Thank you, Senator. The resolution was adopted on April 21st. Senator Gianaris.

The Secretary will read.

Senator Ashby on the resolution.

Thank you. To the undefeated Class AAA Christian Brothers Academy Varsity Basketball Team, congratulations on everything that you've accomplished. Continue doing well. Continue being excellent not only in academics but in sports. We welcome you on behalf of the Senate. We extend to you the privileges and courtesies of this house. Please rise and be recognized. (Standing ovation.)

Now let's take up previously adopted Resolution 2083, by Senator Baskin, read that resolution's title, and call on Senator Baskin.

Resolution 2083, by Senator Baskin, commemorating the four-year anniversary of the shooting at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2026, and honoring the victims, survivors, families and community at large in the wake of this devastating tragedy.

Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, last year I stood in this very chamber and I spoke about the horrific events of May 14, 2022, at Tops Grocery Store on Jefferson Avenue in my district in Buffalo, New York. There was a part of me last year that was fixated on not crying, because I believe that moments of extreme emotion should be reserved for privacy. I did not want to cry last year. I did not want to be embarrassed. Last year, in the days leading up to the anniversary of the senseless massacre that took 10 of my community members, I wrote my remarks and I prepared myself not to cry. I did not want to talk about the tragedy of 5/14 while consumed by tears. But anyone who experienced May 14th as a frontline witness, like the residents of the 63th District did, anyone who sat with and held members of their community as they grieved their inconceivable loss, that person should feel pain. That person should feel grief and anger, and that person should cry. When we remember that on a normal sunny Saturday afternoon a racist white nationalist came into my community and sought to terrorize and kill as many Black people as possible, that he drove two hours to deliberately target the only grocery store in a historic Black neighborhood -- yes, we should cry. Madam President, I know that there are Black people across this nation who are born into hardship every day, a hardship that this country specifically designed for them. But I also know personally many, many Black people in Buffalo, in the 63rd District, and I know their trauma. I know their stories. You see, Madam President, 5/14 was not a standalone trauma for my community. It was a re-trauma. It was a reminder. It was not a dark day; it was a darker day. It was a deeper sadness in a life already afflicted by pain. The people of Buffalo have been carrying the trauma of May 14th every single day for the past four years. Again, not as a trauma, but as a re-trauma. Ask anyone in the community where they were or what they were doing when they first heard about the shooting. They remember. Survivors relive the fear they felt that afternoon. Children in my community are growing up with the memory of hate and violence attached to a place that should have simply been known as a neighborhood grocery store. So we should cry. We should mourn when we speak the names of the victims who were ripped away from their families, ripped away from our community in a pure act of hatred and cruelty: Celestine Chaney; Roberta Drury; Andre Mackneil; Katherine Massey; Margus Morrison; Heyward Patterson; Aaron Salter; Geraldine Talley; Ruth Whitfield; and Pearl Young. Madam President, we should cry when we think about the re-trauma endured by the survivors on that darker day, including the three who were shot and wounded: Zaire Goodman; Jennifer Warrington; Christopher Braden. We should cry when we remember the 10 people stolen from us that day and the lives that they lived. They were nurturing mothers and fathers. (Weeping.) They were grandparents. They were cherished children. They were siblings. They were dedicated community activists who worked to improve their neighborhood. They were public servants who protected people. They were selfless caregivers who provided for their loved ones. They were faithful leaders who spread God's light throughout their communities. The May 14th shooter, who was radicalized online to hate people who were different from him, wanted to divide my community further. He wanted to break my community. But the opposite happened. The pain that we felt on May 14, 2022, does not disappear because time has passed. And I guarantee that every year that we remember this day on the floor of the New York State Senate, that I will feel sorrow, I will feel anger, and I will cry. But grief is not weakness. Tears are not weakness. Anger at injustice is not weakness. These are emotions, and these emotions are proof of our humanity. They are proof that we love people. (Weeping.) They are proof that other communities other than ours matter. They are proof that we care about lives that are stolen from us. May God bless the City of Buffalo and all the people that are back home today who are anguished. May God remind all of us in this chamber that we have a responsibility to respond to the violence of May 14th with progress. And may He remind me that it's only on the day that I stand to memorialize May 14th and I don't cry, that's the day that I should feel embarrassed. I also want to ask God for a special prayer and a special healing for the East Side of Buffalo. I want to thank all of my colleagues in this chamber who will vote in favor of this resolution and who will continue to keep my district in prayer. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise today as a Senator from Buffalo but, more importantly, to advocate for a community still carrying the pain of May 14th every single day. And as our Senator April Baskin reminded this chamber, four years ago today a neighborhood grocery store became the site of one of the most horrific acts of racist violence in modern history. Ten innocent people were murdered simply because of the color of their skin. And I think all of us remember where we were when we heard that news. But this felt different because this was Buffalo. This was our community. These were our neighbors. For many people on Buffalo's East Side, May 14th did not create the pain. It was the moment the rest of the country finally paid attention to pain that existed for generations. A community that had already endured segregation, disinvestment, food insecurity, violence, and loss. And yet even after unimaginable loss, this community still chose compassion. That is Buffalo. And what stays with me the most is who we lost. People like Pearl Young. I knew Pearl in my time as board of elections commissioner. She was one of our dedicated elections inspectors. Pearl lived a life centered on helping others. And Geraldine Talley. If you asked people who knew Gerry Talley, they would tell you that she was an amazing mom, an amazing baker, someone who made birthday cakes for every one of her colleagues' birthdays every single year. That was who she was. And today we remember the other eight innocent people who never returned home that day. We remember the survivors, the workers, the shoppers, and the people forced to run for their lives. Four years later, there are still some of our neighbors carrying the intense pain of that day. One of the voices to emerge from this tragedy has been Gerry's son Mark Talley. And over the last four years he has reminded people that for Buffalo, May 14th did not end when the memorials were over. And while Buffalo will never forget the 10 innocent lives taken too soon, we also know there is plenty of work ahead. Work to make sure families can afford to stay in the neighborhoods they built. Work to make sure children grow up with opportunities close to home. Work to make sure communities have access to fresh food. Work to make sure people feel safe in their own community. Because the people we lost should still be here. They should still be with their families. They should still have been able to walk into a grocery store on a Saturday afternoon and come home. So today we remember them. But the best way we can remember them and to honor them is to continue working to build the kind of community that they deserve. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. This attack certainly took place in Buffalo, but Buffalo is all of us. I was visiting Buffalo on a banking tour, and I came across a supermarket, a very bland-looking supermarket. And the only thing that stood out was that there was some -- it was a tree or something of that nature where there was a plaque or something on it. And I questioned people. I said, What is this? And they said, That is where the attack took place. It was so typical. There was nothing extraordinary about the supermarket. It was just a supermarket that you would find anywhere. And that's what struck me, my friends, that this was an attack that would have taken place anywhere, to any of us. A sick and troubled mind decided that this was the area -- it could have been your area. Just luck of the draw, if you wish, that it was theirs. There's a group of people out there that call themselves the accelerationists. They believe that America is falling, that America is hit and we're going to the bottom, and it should be dissolved. And if they could just end it, they'll create something in their minds better. The accelerationists. And they want to accelerate America's downfall. These are white supremacists who have a very twisted view of America, and they are hard at work accelerating this downfall that they see. Now, the American people should take a different position. We should become decelerationists. We should combat the nonsense and the mindset that they have by committing ourselves to these values that we call ourselves holding, values that are worth fighting for and worth dying for. America is an unfinished product. Nobody can say this more than Black people. America is certainly not the finished product or not the place that has everything together. But America is worth keeping. America is worth defending. These ideals put up by imperfect people are bigger than those people. And therefore, attacks by people who want to accelerate the end of America should be stopped by every single person who calls themselves an American. Buffalo is not an isolated place. Belief is a warning shot across the bow to all of us in America, that there are those who are committed to make sure that this union that so many people have fought and died for goes down the drain. We in this chamber should commit ourselves that we are not going to let it happen. We're going to reach across the aisle. We're going to -- we could disagree, but we don't have to become disagreeable. We don't have to just say no when we know we should say yes, or vice versa. We can be bigger than these things, my friends. We can perhaps show the rest of the nation where this country could go if it just believed in the words that were written. America is larger than any of us in here and deserves to be fought for. And this is why Buffalo should never stand by itself and never be -- and we should always say it. And not just Buffalo, Charleston -- we could go down the line, all of these places where we're getting these shootings. This is anti-American, and all of us should say it and stand with it. I'll be kind and end there by saying we stand -- in the Talented Tenth Senatorial District, we stand with Buffalo. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. I stand to support the resolution marking four years of a tragedy that happened at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo. The tragedy that happened, the fact that we had a child that was raised in the State of New York that wanted to commit mass murder of people he didn't know, is a tragedy that we can't walk away from. It's a situation that we have to face, that we as a state have not made sure that our children understand the beauty of New York. New York was founded to create opportunities for people. New York embraced immigrants, from the Statute of Liberty, from all of the people that emigrated here from different parts of the world, New York has always been a state that embraces culture. A state that allows people from different areas to come and understand what America is, understand how to make a new life, understand how to escape oppression. But the fact that we had a young man from New York State that wanted to kill people for no reason, other than listening to hate blogs and being on hatred websites, is something that we need to change. We have lost civics teaching in our schools. We have lost the ability to make sure that our children understand and embrace other cultures. We have broken down our education system because people don't want to take the time to make that happen. This tragedy should have never happened. There is no New Yorker that should ever want to hurt anyone. The only Native New Yorkers here are Indians. We are all from different cultures. We're from all different backgrounds. We all need to respect each other. I grieve for the people in Buffalo that are still hurting from this. I hope that they can continue to get the services and resources that they need to continue to try to live through this -- because you can never forget it. And we should never forget that as legislators we need to do more to be responsible to all our children so that no child in New York ever wants to do a hatred act like this again. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. Senator Baskin, thank you. Senator Zellner, thank you. But Senator Baskin, you talked about crying. I'm talking about Psalm 30:5 -- you know what I'm getting ready to say. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy -- I said joy -- I said joy, it comes in the morning. And so we will cry with you every night, April. We will collectively cry as a community until that joy comes in the morning. I'd be lying to you, Madam President, if I was certain when that joy is coming. But I know it's going to come. There's too much weeping. Too much racism. And I'm glad that we lift up the names of the victims, because we become desensitized, Madam President. The year after, when we had the display in the LOB, everybody stopped. And then the year after that, less people stopped. And this year, people just seemed to be walking on By. They just seemed -- that it happened, it was what it was. Those 10 people are still gone. Their families will never forget. When we lose people, either loved ones or society, we got to be there for them longer than just post a funeral, Madam President. The cards, the influx, the calls, the love for Buffalo -- six months, a year -- four years later we still have to remember those folks that were just trying to eat. If we really distill this down to a basic societal and human need, these folks were just trying to eat. And they were killed because they were trying to eat and they were poor and Black. You don't deserve to die because you're hungry. You don't deserve to die because you're Black. That's why they died. We can't forget that. We can't forget that there's an idiot running around the incident who I'm not going to dignify that's been going around claiming in the name of free speech that he's calling people this and that. And people are clicking on this garbage. You know why, Madam President? Because the lounge conversations aren't the floor conversations. We all get along, most of the time. We get along. But they don't see that. They see the clips of the debates and they see the you versus this and the D versus the R. They don't see the humanity. We've got to show them the humanity. The lounge conversations have got to come to the floor one day, Madam President. That's the only way that the joy will come in the morning, when we collectively as a country have those conversations. And I'll leave you with this, because I know more people want to speak on this. Today is 5/14. And one of my favorite verses is from Matthew 5:14: You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. On 5/14, remember Chapter 5, Verse 14: Be that light. Shine the light. Shine the light in places where you didn't think it needed to be shown. But shine the light nonetheless. Because you can't hide the light. Everywhere you go, you've got to let it shine. God bless the legacy -- not just the memory, the legacy, tragedy to triumph, of those lost in Buffalo. The memories are always going to be a blessing. But we have to make sure we let our light shine. I vote aye, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to thank Senator Baskin for the resolution and your powerful words. You know, if we can't shed a tear in the face of such horror and evil, it's okay. We can shed a tear. And Senator Zellner and my colleagues, thank you for your remarks. I was up in Buffalo a little over a week after the tragedy, went up to see our former colleague Senator Kennedy, Senator Ryan, to be moral support. We went to the makeshift memorial outside Tops with piles of flowers and home photographs. Met with grieving constituents of now Senator Baskin. Met a woman whose son had been shot through the neck that day. And yet on the flip side, we met with the volunteers across the street who were distributing food because the supermarket was closed. And the community coming together. But as many colleagues pointed out, this was such an act of evil because these folks were killed because of the color of their skin. They were hunted down because they were Black. And yet there are too many people who look like me saying we're all of a sudden a colorblind society. That we don't have to deal with the inequities of the past, and that we can't even say words like "diversity" or "equity" or "inclusion." And yet we know there are inequities in our education system, there are inequities in housing, there are inequities in our legal system, there are inequities in education. There's environmental inequities. We deal with environmental injustice and racism on a daily basis in this body. And so there is so much more work to do. And we cannot pretend that this was simply a one-off by a madman, because the seeds of that evil are still here. And so I rise today to support the resolution and support my friends and colleagues in Buffalo, but also to support my constituents in Peekskill and Ossining and Brewster and Mount Kisco who still live with this indecency on a daily basis. And so that is what we strive to do, and that's why these resolutions are so important -- not only to remember those who we've lost, but certainly the charge that we have as lawmakers and the work we still have to do. I vote aye.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to again thank Senator Baskin for introducing this resolution. Of course all of my colleagues who have spoken and will most certainly speak. You know, as it's been mentioned, four years ago not only did the City of Buffalo suffer a tremendous loss, but our entire state. And no one can deny the continuous trauma that has ensued, especially after that day. And we know that it was due in large part to the public sickness and pervasiveness of racism. The many cries and the questions of why still remain to this day. And what do we know, Madam President? Well, what we do know is that our communities deserve to be safe, especially those that are historically marginalized. And unfortunately gun violence, like racism, continues to be a chronic public safety issue. So whether it's mass shootings like the one that happened in Buffalo four years ago, domestic violence, suicide, or everyday gun violence in our neighborhoods, we must address the root causes with urgency, compassion, and a commitment to justice. With this tragedy, Madam President, we know that it was racially motivated. It took place in a predominantly Black neighborhood. The sheer fact of 10 people losing their lives simply going about their day, and three other people injured, that trauma stays not only with those who were lost, their families, but the community at large. Every person, no matter their zip code, their race, ethnicity, however they culturally identify, should not have to worry about being killed or injured through violence or through policy that sanctions that violence. Everyone deserves to be able to have a better quality of life. And behind each statistic, this is a loved one, a community member, a future stolen far too soon. Madam President, we also can't ignore the role of policy in government in this conversation. Almost exactly a year ago the federal Department of Justice canceled roughly $500 million in grants for criminal justice organizations that work on safety and justice initiatives. We know this decision will hurt our communities not just in New York State, but across the country, especially those that are already suffering due to having some of the highest rates of violence due to many years of historic underinvestment. Madam President, gun violence is a public health tragedy, it is a criminal justice tragedy, and it is a mental health tragedy. We have to keep pushing for commonsense gun safety legislation. We also have to ensure that we commit ourselves to addressing the mindset and the actions that foster hate and bigotry. That we have to take a role, especially in our chamber, an active role to make sure that we continue to center our shared humanity. And, Madam President, we have to commit ourselves to centering the right to dignity and respect, compassion and love. Today I stand with all of our colleagues here to not only commemorate this tragedy, but may we strengthen our resolve to fight against the hate and the violence that resulted in this racially motivated massacre. May we continue to commit to advancing, not only through policy, but also budgetary investments, practices that will center our shared humanity. I vote aye, Madam President. And thank you again, Senator Baskin.

Thank you, Madam President. It has been said that only love can drive out hate. So I want to begin with love for the 10 beautiful souls that were lost four years ago. Love for their families that are changed forever because of what happened four years ago. Love for the neighborhoods that are impacted by what happened four years ago. And from Brooklyn to Buffalo, love to you, April, for your district, for your community that had to endure such a tragedy. But it isn't just love that drives out hate. We are and should be a society of laws that drive out hate. Right now there is a young man in his basement being radicalized, being fed algorithms that are watering the seeds of hatred that become a forest, that rob people of their lives, literally. We have to be a state of laws that drive out this hate. Laws that provide food access for the people of Buffalo. Laws that give the young people of Buffalo something to do, a place to be, community to have. A state that, yes, has laws to hold the gun industry accountable, to hold big corporations accountable, people who profit off of anger and hate and violence. We have to be a state of laws so that May 14th becomes a day of love. A day of celebration. A day of change, a day of hope, where we say this is how we used to be, but we have changed that together. So to the people of Buffalo, we got your back. Brooklyn got your back. New York has your back. We will never relent until we rid ourselves of the tragedy that stole 10 beautiful souls. I vote aye.

Thank you, Madam President. I stand today in support of the resolution marking the death and the murders of the 10 innocent people in Buffalo. As many of my colleagues have spoken today, I have similar sentiments. I wanted to talk today as a woman of great faith, a woman who leans on the word of God and the promises of God in times of these struggles. I wanted to talk a bit about weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. But hope comes in the morning. But solace comes in the morning. And resilience comes in the morning. But faith without works is dead. We must, we must as a chamber, as representatives from across this great State of New York, make sure that God's greatest commandment, which is love, is sealed in every policy and every decision that we make here in this chamber. We must understand, as Senator Myrie said, that only love can drive out hate. Love. Love for our communities. Love even in differences. But standing on commonality, the commonality of our desire to serve our communities and do best by them. So today, I stand with Buffalo. And I am praying for a peace that can transcend all understanding on a day that they have to relive the trauma of the individual who decided to come there and prey -- not pray to God, but prey on innocent victims. May God bless and keep the great people of Buffalo. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I stand today with the people of Buffalo, but with Black people across this country and all over the world. I remember when this news first came to me -- and I thought it was so ironic -- I have relatives that live in the South, Florida, calling me to ask me was I okay. That was so odd to me, because it seemed like it was always the other way around. This doesn't happen up here. And the other thing that it made me think about was, why does all this hate still exist? We pass laws. People know the harms and the dangers. But we have not had equality. We've not had equity. And when we talk about a Black curriculum and teaching Black history, some people may think it's just for Black people. But it's more important in some ways, and clearly from this example, that all people know Black history and see Black people as human. You've got to understand what it takes to kill a person -- a person, someone who did nothing to you -- let alone to go kill 10 or as many as you can. When I walk through that corridor and I look at those faces, I see my aunties, I see my uncles, grandmother, grandfather. I can never harm anybody like that. This had to be someone who was just that cold and ruthless. So as we fight to understand these things -- yes, we need gun laws. Absolutely we need them. But we also do need to strongly oppose these forces of evil that swallow people up and get into their heads. We can't let it go by. We can't ever think or let anyone think that someone else is not valuable. Senator Bailey, every year I walk past every name and I call it out. I speak it. And I say a prayer for their families and for them. Because I know that on that day, they did not know this was their last moment. They didn't have the opportunity to even say "God help me." They never thought that's what was going to happen. And I think about that. And Senator Baskin, I am with you. The shock and the trauma spread all the way to Harlem, to the Upper West Side, to every part of my district and every part of this country and even other parts of the world. And we'll always be shocked, and we should always be shocked. We should always be traumatized by this. And let it be a reminder of the work we have to do to truly be one nation under God. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to make sure that I don't let the moment pass without saying I too -- on behalf of the people I represent on Staten Island and on behalf of my conference, that we stand with Buffalo. We stand with the people of Buffalo. You know, ever since evil slithered into the Garden of Evil -- Garden of Eden. Ever since that day, Madam President, it has stalked us. It wants us. And it needs us in order to spread evil across the earth. And it is a choice. I've listened to the wonderful words today and the inspirational words, words of love. Too often it seems that it's easier to hate. Too often it seems that while we're not looking, evil snatches one of us to do its deeds. And I think part of the response, we've heard about it today -- part of the response is that by deed and by words we can keep evil at bay. But it's a choice. It's a choice every day, every minute, because evil wants us. And evil needs us. And so I think of the words today. And if you're searching for the right words, if you're searching to know what it is you ought to think and you ought to say, I would look no further than the words of Senator Baskin, Senator Comrie, Senator Bailey, Senator Sanders, Senator Bynoe. Those are the words. That we're better than it. That we will not let it take our souls. Those words are powerful. I sat here, and I was moved. And the trick, as so many said, is to hold on to that. But I believe, I believe that if you embrace love, and if we do stick together and we do crowd out hate, I believe with those words we can ensure, and they will usher in, that light in the morning, as Senator Bailey so eloquently reminded us of. So, Madam President, I stand with Buffalo. And I vote in favor of the resolution.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you to all my colleagues for their words on that last resolution. At the request of the sponsors, all the resolutions we took up today are open for cosponsorship.

I have a motion here. On behalf of Senator Krueger, I wish to call up Senate Print 8512B, recalled from the Assembly, which is now at the desk.

Calendar Number 698, Senate Print 8512B, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the Public Service Law.

The Secretary will call the roll on reconsideration. (The Secretary called the roll.)

The bill is restored to its place on the Third Reading Calendar.

The amendments are received.

The Secretary will read.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 250, voting in the negative: Senator Brisport. Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.

Calendar Number 459, Senate Print 1838, by Senator Skoufis, an act to amend the General Municipal Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall have become a law.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 464, voting in the negative: Senator Borrello. Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.

Calendar Number 504, Senate Print 8378B, by Senator Palumbo, an act to amend Chapter 495 of the Laws of 2011.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

Ayes, 58.

Calendar Number 571, Assembly Bill Number 9144A, by Assemblymember Lavine, an act to amend the Civil Practice Law and Rules.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 607, voting in the negative: Senator Oberacker. Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.

Calendar Number 682, Senate Print 7713A, by Senator Krueger, an act to amend the General Business Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the 30th day after it shall have become a law.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 724, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Bynoe, Gallivan, Griffo, Murray, Oberacker, Rhoads, Stec, Tedisco and Walczyk. Ayes, 48. Nays, 10.

Calendar Number 763, Assembly Bill Number 9570C, by Assemblymember Lee, an act to amend the Real Property Tax Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

Ayes, 58.

Oh, excuse me. Sorry. In relation to Calendar Number 776, voting in the negative are Senators Bynoe and Martinez. Ayes, 56. Nays, 2.

Calendar Number 811, Senate Print 4969, by Senator Bailey, an act to amend the Public Health Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall have become a law.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 857, voting in the negative are Senators Ashby, Borrello, Gallivan, Griffo, Lanza, Mattera, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk, Weber and Weik. Ayes, 44. Nays, 14.

Calendar Number 862, Assembly Bill Number 10418, by Assemblymember Stern, an act to amend the Veterans' Services Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

Ayes, 58.

Calendar Number 921, Senate Print 8369, by Senator Stavisky, an act to amend the Education Law.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

Ayes, 58.

Calendar Number 939, Senate Print 4849, by Senator Fahy, an act directing the Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic and planning study on the feasibility of transforming the Harriman Campus.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Senator Fahy to explain her vote.

Senator Fahy to be recorded in the affirmative. Announce the results.

The bill is passed.

Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

In relation to Calendar 962, voting in the negative: Senator Skoufis. Ayes, 57. Nays, 1.

Calendar Number 988, Senate Print 2484, by Senator Parker, an act in relation to directing the State Energy and Planning Board to conduct a study on the time frames for replacing or upgrading battery energy storage systems.

Lay it aside. Senator Gianaris, that completes the reading of today's calendar.

The Secretary will ring the bell. The Secretary will read.

Senator Murray, why do you rise?

Will the sponsor yield?

The sponsor yields.

Madam President, through you. Recently there was an interagency task force led by NYSERDA and the PSC, the Public Service Commission, that actually addressed the issues of fire safety around battery storage. In that study, and I will make sure you get a copy of it, they actually upgrade and institute standards and sets of criteria around battery storage that ensure safety. They were already, you know, frankly relatively safe. Like anything else, this deals with technology. There have been some accidents but nothing, you know, in the State of New York that has, you know, rose to the level of concern in that kind of way with this technology. The other thing to know is that when you look at accidents that have happened with battery storage, and what -- the current technology is being used is different technology. Right? So there's an upgrade in the technology. There's an upgrade in the standards. There's an upgrade in the criteria, mostly based on recommendations made by the New York City Fire Department, which is the gold standard nationally for fire safety. In this particular bill, this is not about siting, but just a study about where we should use them. And so there's no need to refer to that, one, because that work is being done someplace else, and that this bill is not about particular siting around communities as much as it is around planning for battery storage within the context of the CLCPA, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which is the ruling guide for both environmental and energy policy for the State of New York.

Senator Murray on the bill.

Thank you, Senator. Are there any other Senators wishing to be heard? Seeing and hearing none, the debate is closed. Senator Gianaris.

The bill is restored to the noncontroversial calendar. Read the last section.

Call the roll. (The Secretary called the roll.)

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, thank you for your attention. This bill is an actually fairly straightforward bill that directs NYSERDA to conduct a study on preparing, you know, around renewable energy. Again, we have the CLCPA creates, you know, a set of guidelines for us to protect our environment. We need to build a clean energy economy here in the State of New York. First, because we need to protect our actual planet. But it also will deal with the issue of utility costs. And actually the more that we kind of pay attention and put our energy into a clean energy economy, the lower the bills for our constituents and the ratepayers of the State of New York will be. But the other thing is as we look at the building out of our clean energy economy, it is the next best opportunity to build full-time jobs at a living wage with benefits. So as we talk about where is our economy going, particularly in the context of AI and those kind of things, those opportunities are still in the clean energy economy. So this is really something that we need to lean into. And we've heard many times from my colleagues across the aisle about how we need to prepare, about how we need plans. Well, here's a plan. Here's something linking a particular set of technologies around battery storage and we're developing a plan for it. Battery storage is critical because it's part of what I refer to as the holy trinity of sustainable energy. Right? Solar during the day, wind at night, battery storage for all other times. Right? And so as we start developing more and more of these projects, and particularly looking at one of my favorite things that I think we need to do about -- around resiliency, which is build microgrids around things like SUNY, CUNY, hospitals, NYCHA, right, to make sure there's both energy resilience and effective energy consumption and use, battery storage is going to be an important part of this. This bill provides a planning process. And so I ask you all to vote aye as we go forward to build this clean energy economy. Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President, I support this bill. But I do want to take the opportunity, as we talk about battery energy storage, to point out that I do hope the study talks about issues of fire and burning. Because right now we've been told that the only thing they can do is watch the fire burn. And it's self-contained. And fortunately it hasn't spread to other areas, and there hasn't been a major incident. But the fumes from a fire and the toxicity coming from a fire freaks out urban communities. Residents in my district, in a historic community -- an entrepreneur is putting a battery energy storage facility less than 30 feet from someone's home. Less than 30 feet. Literally, you could reach across his driveway and touch the walls of the facility. This person is a third-generation homeowner, in a historic community. We've been trying to get them to be considerate, giving them other locations in the area. Because there's no doubt that with all of the tech that we're using, with all of the electronics that are happening, we need to do more for energy storage. But for companies and for NYSERDA not to take responsibility to try to fix this problem is a travesty. So I cannot not note that during this time -- and I cannot not note that I hope that this study will include what happens with a total burn. Because the fumes and the toxicity are freaking out -- the possibility is freaking out consumers, residents in my area, and throughout the state. No one wants to have to be sitting or living next to a facility that may burn internally or externally for hours. And we need to make sure that while they are improving the technology, that there are some real studies done to address this issue. Thank you, Madam President.

Yes, thank you, Madam President. And thank you, Senator Comrie. I don't want to be repetitive, but I too have issues in the district concerning the placement and the operation of battery storage facilities. And this is something that we've got to deal with. And let us hope that we can provide both the energy but, more importantly, the safety for the local residents. Thank you, Madam President.

In relation to Calendar 988, voting in the negative are Senators Borrello, Gallivan, Griffo, Helming, Lanza, Murray, Oberacker, O'Mara, Ortt, Stec, Tedisco, Walczyk and Weik. Ayes, 45. Nays, 13.

Is there any further business at the desk?

I move to adjourn until Monday, May 18th, at 11:00 a.m., with the intervening days being legislative days. Since we're breaking for the weekend, once again, let's go, Sabres! The Knicks may have the weekend off, but if they play, let's go, Knicks!