New York State SmartTranscripts:

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Madam speaker, would you please call the house to order?

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The house will come to order. Good afternoon, colleagues. In the absence of clergy, let us pause for a moment of silence. Visitors are invited to join members in the Pledge of Allegiance. A quorum being present, the clerk will read the journal of Monday, January 26, miss Peoples Stokes.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Madam speaker, I move to dispense with the further reading of the journal of Monday, January 26 and at the same stand approved.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Without objection, so order it.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Thank you, ma'am. To colleagues that are in the chamber, we're a little bare today. As you know, we do have started our budget hearings for our 2026 budget. So I do wanna share a quote with those of us who are here. This one comes from Spencer Johnson. You may remember him because he wrote a book called who moved my cheese. His words for us today, in one minute, you can change your attitude. And in that minute, you can change your entire day. Again, these words from Spencer Johnson. Madam speaker, colleagues have on their desk a main calendar. It has 17 new bills on it. After you have done any housekeeping and or introductions, we're going to begin our floor work today by taking up resolutions on page three. Then we're gonna consent the 17 new bills that are on the calendar starting with on page four with calendar number 02/26. There may be a need to announce announce further floor activity, madam speaker. If that is the case, we'll do so at that moment. However, majority members should be aware that because we're in budget season, there is gonna be a need for a conference after we can conclude our forework today. So as always, madam speaker, we will, you know, consult with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to determine what their needs may be, but that's the general outline of where we're going today. And if you have any introductions or housekeeping, now would be a perfect time. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: We have no housekeeping and no introductions just yet. We're going to move right on to resolutions. Resolutions page three. Clerk will read.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight sixty eight, mister De La Santos, legislative resolution memorializing governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim 01/26/2026 as the two hundred and thirteenth anniversary of Juan Pablo Duarte Day in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister De La Santos on the resolution.

[Manny De Los Santos (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you madam speaker for

[Manny De Los Santos (Member of Assembly) [overlap override]]: the opportunity to speak on this important resolution.

[Manny De Los Santos (Member of Assembly)]: Today, I arrive with pride as a Dominican American and as a member of this assembly to honor the life and legacy of our founding father, Juan Pablo Duarte. He was a man whose vision, courage, and sacrifice gave birth to the Dominican Republic. Juan Pablo Duarte was not only a founding father, he was a revolutionary thinker who believed deeply in freedom, democracy, and the dignity of his people. At a time when independence seemed impossible, he organized, educated, and inspired other to believe in self determination through the creation of Latinidad. He helped spark a movement that forever changed the course of Dominican history. What makes Duarte's story so powerful is not just what he achieved, but what he stood for. Integrity, sacrifice,

[Unknown Member (listed as 'Mr. Norber' in the transcript)]: and

[Manny De Los Santos (Member of Assembly)]: the love for his country above personal gain. He dedicated his life to the idea that the nation belongs to its people and that freedom must be defended with courage and conviction. For Dominicans in New York, his legacy is deeply personal. It lies in our families, in our heritage, and our commitment to hard work and service. It means recognizing the contribution of American, of Dominican American, and affirming that our history is an important part of New York City, New York State story. I am proud to support this resolution, and I stand in recognition of a man whose legacy continues to inspire generation in Spanish.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, mister Alvarez on the resolution.

[George Alvarez (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. I also want to thank the sponsor of this important resolution for all Dominicans and and our friends. Juan Pablo Duarte is the founding father of the Dominican Republic, a symbol of courage, patriotism, and the democratic ideas. He dedicate his life he dedicate his life to the dream of a free sovereign nation grounded in justice, equality, and the belief that people have the power to govern themselves. Through the secret society, Duarte ignite a movement that led the Dominican independence in the 1844. Through much of his life was spent in exile, his principles never wave. Today, more than ever, Duarte's legacy remind us that true leadership is built on sacrifice, integrity, and unwavering commitment to freedom. Thanks.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Miss Tapia, on the resolution.

[Yudelka Tapia (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Yesterday, we commemorate the birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte, father of the motherland, an eternal symbol of freedom and national dignity. Duarte dreamed of a Dominican Republic free from all foreign domination, founded on justice, equality, and respect for the people's rights. His ideal was clear, A nation where the law stands above men, where the homeland comes first, and where every Dominican lives with honor and civic commitment. Although he was betrayed and exiled, he never renounced his love for the Dominican Republic nor his faith or sovereignty and and democratic country. To remember Duarte is to remember that freedom is defended every day, that the homeland is not for sale, and this and the sacrifice for the common good is the highest act of love. Duarte lives on the ideals of a nation that will that still struggle to be worthy of his legacy. Duarte will always be remembered as one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic and a symbol of hope and inspiration for future generation. Thank you, madam speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you.

[Yudelka Tapia (Member of Assembly)]: For allowing me to.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Miss Reyes, on the resolution.

[Karines Reyes (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. And, I thank my colleagues for introducing this resolution. New York has truly become a second home for Dominicans across the state. So, it's only fitting that we honor that by celebrating Juan Paulo Duarte Day on January 26. Juan Paulo Duarte showed us that being Dominican isn't limited to geography, from seeking refuge in Puerto Rico as a child, to being exiled in Venezuela later in life. Duarte never stopped fighting for Dominican independence. No matter where he was, his commitment to his country never wavered. He represented the true spirit of what it means to be Un Dominicano. Celebrating Duarte's birthday here in New York speaks to the lasting power of his legacy. It reminds us that his vision went beyond borders and continues to inspire generations of Dominicans to stand for freedom, justice and self determination. Today is not only a celebration of his life, but also a reminder to Dominicans that new and New Yorkers alike that no matter how far we go, our culture, our heritage and love for our homeland stay with us. Much like The United States, The Dominican Republic's flag is made up of red, white and blue representing pride, sacrifice, unity and determination. Those values live within every Dominican today and continue to guide us forward. For that, we give thanks to Juan Pablo Dualte along with Francisco de Rosario Sanchez and Matias Ramon Humaya who together formed La Trinitaria and laid the foundation for our nation. Beyond being a symbol of Dominican patriotism, Duarte was a visionary, a writer, a military leader and an activist whose fight for freedom, liberty, and independence will always deserve to be celebrated. Thank you, madam speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. On the resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight sixty nine, Ms. Rasik, legislative resolution memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim 01/27/2026 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Ms. Rozic on the resolution.

[Nily Rozic (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, Madam Speaker and Madam Majority Leader. Today, we gather to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we have done many years now, to honor the 6,000,000 Jews murdered by the Nazi regime and the millions of other victims of genocide persecution and state sponsored hatred. This day is not only about memory, it is about moral responsibility. I've spoken about this many times on this floor, and this year is quite frankly no different. Violent antisemitism is once again here. And it seems a permanent fixture in our country and in our state. We've seen arson attacks, assaults in our streets. We've seen on social media people openly declaring themselves on team Hitler. Prominent figures repeat century old lies claiming Jews own everything, resurrecting poisonous conspiracy theories. Young people in particular have been exposed to this hatred at scale, not just online but also in real life. They are too easily swayed by voices that normalize extremism and mock human suffering. That should alarm every single one of us. Because history teaches us exactly where this road leads. And as I've said in previous years, if you're wondering what you would have done in 1934, it is probably what you are doing exactly at this moment. Auschwitz was not the beginning. It was the end of a very long process. It did not start with gas chambers and mass death. It began with ideas and words, with stereotypes, prejudice and conspiracy theories. It progressed through legal exclusion, state sanctioned discrimination and systematic dehumanization. It escalated into violence and finally into industrialized bureaucratic murder. Auschwitz took time, and that's precisely why we have to pay attention to the warning signs. Throughout history, the safety and dignity of Jewish communities has served as a barometer of a society's health. When anti Semitism spreads unchecked, it corrodes institutions, undermines democratic values, and signals a broader moral collapse. No society that tolerates the dehumanization of Jews remains immune to the dehumanization of others. As the last living witnesses to the holocaust grow fewer and fewer, the responsibility to face history honestly now falls fully on us. Remembrance is no longer something we inherit passively. It's something that we have to protect actively. We're no longer just recipients of living memory. We are now officially the custodians. Remembrance is not automatic. It depends on transmission, on future generations choosing to carry it forward. And yet what was once a foundational part of education now too often provokes tension. I've heard from teachers across our state that get accused, attacked, or silenced simply for trying to teach this history. And worse still, rising antisemitism has led some to ask the devastating question, if the world did not learn from the holocaust, should we continue teaching it at all? The answer, my friends, has to be unequivocally yes. We see in real time how antisemitism spreads, how easily it takes hold, and how closely it is tied to denial and distortion

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: of

[Nily Rozic (Member of Assembly)]: history. Forgetting is not neutrality, it is permission. So we must also be clear that exploiting the Holocaust, politicizing it, minimizing it, or using it cynically is deeply offensive. Especially in a time when it has surged anti Semitism is surging and survivors are still among us. And that brings me to an uncomfortable truth. One in four Holocaust survivors living amongst us lives in poverty today. Many are cold in the winter, food insecure, and profoundly alone. Each year, we hold these ceremonies, we talk about the Holocaust, And each year, we say never again. And yet, far too often, we often fail the living. The number of survivors grows smaller every year. Very soon, there will be none left. And if we truly honored their lives, wouldn't we ensure that not a single survivor was hungry, freezing, or abandoned? Remembrance that does not extend to care is incomplete. So let us today

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, Ms. Rose.

[Nily Rozic (Member of Assembly)]: Remind ourselves not of what happened, but of what we're obligated to do. To stand up, to speak out, to refuse silence, to refuse indifference. For the future we choose to build for everyone, let us not swander that inheritance of remembrance. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Ari Brown on the resolution.

[Ari Brown (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you madam speaker. Thank you to the sponsor as well. When my mother was a small child, she and my grandmother crossed the Atlantic during World War two with no idea where she was going or whether she would be allowed to stay. They survived the holocaust because of one narrow lawful decision made in 1944 at a moment when most of the world had closed its doors. President Roosevelt did not change America's immigration laws. Those laws stayed in place. Instead, he approved the specific humanitarian exception, allowing 1,000 refugees into The United States as guests of the president under what became known as safe haven, the story told in Ruth Gruber's book and film called Haven. My grandmother and mother were Italian, fleeing Nazi persecution. Italy, newly liberated by allied forces, became the last bridge to safety. Ruth Gruber was sent there by general Eisenhower and the US government to escort these refugees to America through official channels. They sailed from Naples and were brought to Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York to an internment camp refugee shelter. For approximately eighteen months, they lived behind barbed wire under federal supervision while their future was decided. Eventually, president Roosevelt passed away, and they were allowed to stay through president Truman. That's why on Holocaust Remembrance Day here in New York, I tell this story. We remember the 6,000,000 Jews and others who were murdered. We honor the survivors. We remind ourselves that even in the darkest times, lawful action and moral courage still mattered. We remember and we must never forget though in these times, it seems many have. Thank you, madam speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Mister Eichenstein on the resolution.

[Simcha Eichenstein (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker, for allowing me to speak on this resolution. I wanna thank the sponsor for bringing the resolution to the floor. Today, we proclaim 01/27/2026 as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the state of New York. This date marks the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, and a symbol of the Holocaust's unthinkable cruelty. And on this day, we also remember the 6,000,000 Jews that were brutally murdered during the Holocaust, and million others, millions of others that were targeted and destroyed by a regime built on hatred, lies, and destruction. It's important to note that the Holocaust is not a single event in history. It was a process. It began with words, with propaganda, with mobs, with the normalization of hate, and with too many choosing to remain silent. That is why this moment in 2026 is so disturbing. Because here in New York, a state that prides itself in its diversity and tolerance, we are witnessing alarming anti Semitism in real time. Synagogues vandalized, Jewish neighborhoods targeted, threats shouted on our streets and subways, Jewish students harassed on college campuses. Hate is spreading openly and shockingly online. While it's being excused, minimized, and ignored. This is not hypothetical. It's actually happening. I have spoken to Holocaust survivors in my district, people who lived through the consequences of unchecked hatred. They tell me they recognize what they are seeing. Not the end, but the beginning. The same patterns, the same rationalizations, the same denial and refusal to take hate seriously until it's too late. This is personal to me. All four of my grandparents were Holocaust survivors. They are living proof of what happens when the world hesitates to confront evil early on. I also represent thousands of visibly Jewish New Yorkers who are only targeted because of the dread the way they dress, and they do not have the luxury to feel safe by default. When Jewish New Yorkers are afraid to wear symbols of their faith, when synagogues require security just to pray, when anti Semitism is dismissed as speech, including by our very own elected leaders, rather than confronted as a danger, We are failing the lessons of history. Holocaust Remembrance Day is not about speeches and ceremony. It's about responsibility. It demands that we remember not only who was murdered, but how was it allowed to happen in the first place. It demands that we speak clearly, act decisively, and refuse to normalize hate, all hate, even and especially when it is uncomfortable to do so. If never again is to mean anything in New York, it must mean that we must never again be silent. Thank you, madam speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Mister Wepron on the resolution. Thank

[David I. Weprin (Member of Assembly)]: you, madam speaker, for allowing me to speak on this resolution and thank you sponsor for bringing this to the floor. You know, you'd think after eighty years of an occurrence, it wouldn't be so meaningful today. But unfortunately, that is not the case. As was pointed out by many people, this was happening in The United States and even in New York City with such a large Jewish population, actually the largest Jewish population outside the state of Israel, we see the beginning of what happened in the holocaust each and every day. When more than 50% of all hate crimes in New York City and New York State are perpetrated against the against the Jews or Jewish people, that certainly is a very beginning of what happened in the holocaust. It's very important that we all speak out, that we not forget, but it's just, amazing what's happening on college campuses, what's happening, in the streets, physical attacks against people that are visible visibly looking Jewish. And, it's important that we not forget. And somehow this phrase never again seems to be more meaningful today than ever before. So once again thank you for allowing me to speak and, never again.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, mister Waffron. Miss Levenberg on the resolution.

[Dana Levenberg (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Today, we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and I thank the sponsor for this resolution. Many of you know the story of my mother who survived the Holocaust as a hidden child in Holland. Under Nazi rule, hiding Jewish people was a crime. Many atrocities of the Holocaust were legal under domestic law, even as they violated international law and basic human decency. My mother and my grandparents survived because of Christian families who chose to do what was right instead of what was permitted or popular. Non compliance saved her life and made mine possible. The descendants of those who saved my family currently living in The Netherlands text me regularly asking me how The US could be acting as it is now. We are in a moment when the executive branch of the federal government is committing moral outrages on a daily basis and demanding that we comply with their actions. I urge us to center human rights, a concept that emerged in response to the full horror of the Holocaust, as we consider our own responsibilities and how we respond to the actions of this federal government. Our federal leadership alternates between asserting authority it does not have and trying to reshape the law to erode human rights. Tens of thousands of people are currently being held in immigration detention in deplorable conditions. Immigration enforcement is also being used to expand surveillance and to coerce states into compliance with unconstitutional requests. Just this weekend, the US Attorney General demanded data on American citizens from Minnesota as a condition for removing ICE and Border Patrol agents from Minneapolis. History teaches us that these incursions never stop with their first targets.

[Mary Beth Walsh (Member of Assembly)]: Madam speaker, point of order,

[Unknown Member (transcript: 'Mr. Weeter')]: please.

[Mary Beth Walsh (Member of Assembly)]: With great respect, I ask the speaker to please confine her comments to the resolution that we're talking about, Conversations about Minnesota are not germane. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, miss Walsh. Miss Levenberg, on the resolution.

[Dana Levenberg (Member of Assembly)]: First they came for the immigrants, not that different from first they came for the Jews. Who among us will be next? We are charged with how, and deciding with how we should be or should not be compliant in New York State. Let us not repeat the mistakes of Martin Niemoller, who supported the Nazis until he found himself imprisoned by the regime he enabled. No matter your political beliefs, it is in everyone's interest to oppose a government that we know is willing to lie openly about the violence it commits against its own people. In 2026, Holocaust Remembrance Day demands more than reflection. It demands resolve. We must choose courage over complicity and human rights over popular prejudice so we can be remembered as a generation that refused to comply with injustice and instead stood firmly on the side of human dignity. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, mister Weeter, on the resolution.

[Unknown Member (transcript: 'Mr. Weeter')]: Thank you, madam speaker. Today, January 27, we observe Halikos Remembrance Day marking the liberation of Auschwitz and honoring the 6,000,000 Jews and millions of other innocent victims murdered during the Holocaust. Last year, I spoke about my grandfather who was imprisoned in Auschwitz. I shared what it means for my family and for all of us to carry the memory of those who endured unimaginable cruelty. This year, I wanna speak about my grandmother. My grandmother survived the holocaust alongside her father. Together, they endured the horrors of the camps, hunger, disease, fear, and the constant fight to stay alive for one more day. Liberation finally came, But for her family, it came too late. Her father, my great grandfather, passed away just two weeks after liberation. His body unable to recover from what it had suffered. He was first buried in a mass grave,

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: one of

[Unknown Member (transcript: 'Mr. Weeter')]: countless lives lost in the chaos left behind. But his children, including my grandmother, refused to let him remain anonymous. They made sure he was taken from that mass grave and laid to rest properly in his own grave in a cemetery in Linz, Austria, far from his home and the family life he once knew. My grandmother continues to carry that loss with her like so many survivors. She rebuilt her life with strength and resilience while holding memories that have never truly faded. You see, survival did not mean forgetting. We we remember the holocaust not only to honor the victims, but to learn from history, as my colleagues have said before. It did not begin with death camps. It began with words, with hatred, and more importantly, with silence. As the number of living survivors continue to decline and as anti Semitism persists, the responsibility to remember now falls to us, to all of us. We must be the witnesses. We must tell these stories clearly and without distortion. May we honor my grandparents and all those we remember today by standing against hate and choosing humanity over indifference. May their memory be a blessing. Thank you very much.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Mister Norber, on the resolution.

[Unknown Member (listed as 'Mr. Norber' in the transcript)]: Thank you, madam speaker. I wanna thank the sponsor, of course, Millie Rozik, for putting together this bill this resolution. It's great that you are the forerunner of this every year, and I really appreciate all the work you do for the Jewish and Israeli community in New York. Jews usually these days call themselves the canary in the coal mine. We say that because we are usually if you look at the history of Jews around the world, we are the first to be harassed, stalked, treated with violence before more terrible and more worse things to come usually happen a few years later. Right now, there are 1,600,000 Jews living in New York State, and many of them are comparing what we are seeing in the streets of New York City to what was happening in Berlin in nineteen thirties. These are things that I'm hearing all the time from my constituents and who are Jews or Israelis or Zionists, and we they are looking to us to do more to protect their communities. We don't see enough bills being passed here, and they're asking me why. I don't have too much of an explanation to them, but all they know is that when they are walking into synagogues or Jewish community centers in the city, they are met with violence, harassment, people wearing masks with Hamas and Hezbollah insignia, and nobody stops them. And we know that the governor wants to put 25 foot distance between them and the entrance of these synagogues, but in my opinion, it's not enough. These people are just being harassed. These people who just want to celebrate their their their background as Jews or Zionists or Israelis are continuously just being violently threatened by people who actually are saying in their insignia that they support the destruction of Israel or in other words, the Jewish or Zionist community. Let me be clear. You could be against Israel and against the Israeli government.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Levine, why do you rise?

[Charles D. Lavine (Member of Assembly)]: Oh, I was waiting to speak, and I was listening.

[Unknown Member (listed as 'Mr. Norber' in the transcript)]: Oh, thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Go ahead, mister Norber.

[Unknown Member (listed as 'Mr. Norber' in the transcript)]: I don't know if that's a compliment or you could be against the Israeli government, but you can't be against Jews or Jewish self determination, which is Zionism. So anybody is is allowed to have their opinion regarding these matters, but still people are met with threats and violence. And this year, we also saw two Israelis being killed in Washington DC, and, thankfully, things are like that not happening here in New York City. But we have to do more to make people just feel safe because at the end of the day, they're just scared. They're just scared of being of just walking to the synagogue. And we have to think with that because if any minority in New York just feels that way, I believe we should do more to make sure they that they feel that their elected officials are protecting them. So, again, thank you, and let's do more.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Levine, on the resolution.

[Charles D. Lavine (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you. I received a text from my brother-in-law, Claude Salzberger. And Claude's father had run from the Nazis. Throughout the entire Second World War, Claude's father ran from one village to the city, from one country to another country. And eventually, Claude's father was hidden by a French woman whose faith happened to have been Catholicism. She helped him, and she ran the risk of death by hiding him. She secured passage for him over the Pyrenees. He went into, Spain and then Portugal and found passage to Venezuela where my brother-in-law Claude grew up. And this is what Claude wrote for in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. I cannot imagine, I cannot begin to imagine what life was like for his father after almost every single person in his family was murdered in that genocide. So Claude grew up in Venezuela. He saw a country devolve into dictatorship and luckily now lives here, in New York. He is as concerned as are any of us with the question, how did this happen in Germany? How did an entire people? And they knew what was going on. How was it they remained silent? Well, they remained silent in large measure because if they said anything, they were gonna be summarily executed. But Claude is very concerned, as am I, as is every American on both sides of the aisle, every American of good faith with the challenges facing our nation today. America is not a nation where people are shot in the streets. It is not, and we cannot tolerate it to become that nation. Finally, there were 44,000, believe it or not, 44,000 concentration camps in Europe during the Nazi occupation. World War two began on 09/01/1939 when the Nazi government claimed it had been attacked by Poland. That was a lie. Let us learn lessons from history. To begin with, being an American means no matter which side of the aisle we are on, we protect each other. No one here is quote unquote the other. We do not dehumanize each other. We do not dehumanize our sisters and our brothers. And in the end, let us be wary of any government, American or any other government, that lies to its people. And let us stay strong, and let us stand together. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Havassey, on the resolution.

[Andrew Hevesi (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you Madam Speaker and my colleagues that's a difficult speech to follow. My name is Andy Havassey. 55 members of my family were murdered in the Holocaust including my dad's dad who had come over from Hungary on a diplomatic mission, called home when he realized what was happening in in Hungary, got his father on the line. His father said well, he said, I'm a kid. I'm coming home. I gotta protect the family. I gotta be there. His father said, nope. You cannot come. You will be killed. Father was right. Everybody else in the family was killed. Our family survived. And it's with that background and mindset that I just wanna talk about some of the challenges that we face today without turning the temperature up. That's the problem with this particular speech. I don't want to turn the temperature up. This is a place of like minded people where we're all fighting for each other. That's why I love this. I also love serving here, but I also love that every time there's some ugly hate hateful activity, there is a round condemnation after that. I love that. I enjoy it. And I enjoyed it when it happened in Brooklyn with the kids writing swastikas, I enjoyed it when a couple of people stood across from our colleague Sam Berger and were yelling for Hamas. It is just wrong and I enjoy that level of condemnation. But I do want to put on the record, and I'll go quick and I apologize, where we are with relation to hate crimes because we've been tracking it. In 2000, we passed the bill to track hate crimes. And in 2004, controller Tom DiNapoli did a report on hate crimes over the last five years. I just wanted on the record a couple of things that he found. First, there has been a surge in hate crimes over the last five years. In 2023, there are ten eighty nine reported statewide. That's a 69 jump from 2019, more than doubling.

[Mary Beth Walsh (Member of Assembly)]: Madam Speaker, I apologize. Just as a point of order, I appreciate what my colleague is trying to say. However, I do think that it goes beyond the scope of the Holocaust Remembrance Day in the State of New York.

[Yudelka Tapia (Member of Assembly)]: If you

[Mary Beth Walsh (Member of Assembly)]: could please confine his comments. Thank you so much.

[Andrew Hevesi (Member of Assembly)]: That's fair. And that's okay. I don't want to disturb the house. I'd just like to end with this though. These signs, these sparks of hatred are all around us. And for all of you who are condemning them as they come up, I am grateful. But Holocaust remembrance is gonna need to be more than just talking about it. It's gonna need to make sure that this trend that we're seeing documented by our government is not allowed to continue. Never again, thank you for allowing me to participate today.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, mister Abbasi. Mister Yeager, on the resolution.

[Unknown Member (transcript: 'Mr. Yeager')]: Thank you, madam speaker. When I rose for the first time to speak in this house last year, it was on this topic and what I said last year about never again having a meaning or not having a meaning and it's a question that we actually have to ask, I found that the last twelve months has given me the answer in many respects. Never again is frequently meaningless. It has no teeth. When we look at a city in a state, the city that I represent, the state of New York here that we represent in this house, the chamber that FDR once served in. This is a hallowed place, but yet marchers against Jews walk the streets of New York unstopped. There is no restriction on their activity in any way. And when we argue that there might ought to be some restriction, perhaps perhaps let's learn that lesson from the nineteen thirties met with this fierce waving of the first amendment as if the right to have freedom of religion is not also in that first amendment. I also find and and I appreciate all the members who spoke. Member mentioned being appreciative of how many members stand up when there is hate against anybody and I I do appreciate that and I hope that I am counted amongst those who do stand up when there's hate against anyone. But what I also find is that there are people in society, some hold elected office, who stand up against hatred when a particular incident happens and ignore the fact that it's their words that have caused that hatred. Remember here spoke about anti Zionism being anti Semitism. It is absolutely the case. When somebody says that they are not anti Semitic, they're only anti Zionist. In other words, they are in anti a basic tenant of being Jewish. The longing for Zion. That is Jewish. That is what antisemitism is. Tating Jews for who we are. Never again is a great phrase. We've been saying it for the last eighty years. I had the privilege of representing the same community that the gentleman from Borough Park represents here in this body. The largest community of holocaust survivors anywhere in the world outside of Israel. I live in Brooklyn, New York, my neighborhoods. Incredible people. We're losing them every single day but they are the live witnesses that we got to touch that tell us the stories, that tell us the things they heard. We are the live witnesses to their stories and we are the last witnesses. When we talk about never again, when we talk about remembering holocaust as a day. One day it's great. I mean we should remember it all three hundred and sixty five days but I'll take the one. We're ignoring what's happening right in front of us. We're remembering something that happened eighty years ago. We're ignoring what we see every single day on the streets of New York. We're ignoring marching haters on synagogues and we're saying, it's okay. They have the right to free speech. I want never again to have meaning. The sponsor of this resolution sponsors this resolution every year and she speaks passionately about this topic every year with great eloquence and her words, the opening of these comments today should have meaning. We shouldn't forget what never again means. Today for the first time and I'll close Madam Speaker I know that there is a clock and I'm getting close to it. Today for the first time in this chamber there are an abundance of representatives who have grandparents who were lost in the holocaust. There are representatives who wear yarmulkes, who wear the garb of our ancestors proudly, who remember what it's like to live in the communities that we came from that we were chased out of. We are the witnesses to never again but it has to mean something and I am grateful to everybody who tries to make that mean something. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, colleagues. That marks the end of the allotted time for this resolution. The resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight seventy, Ms. Bashot Hermelin, legislative resolution memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 25 through the thirty first, twenty twenty six as physician anesthesiologist week in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On the resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight seventy one, mister Smullen, legislative resolution memorializing governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026 as medicalogical death investigations professionals week in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Smellin on the resolution.

[Robert Smullen (Member of Assembly)]: Oh, thank you, madam speaker. This resolution recognizes all of those who are the last responders that help our citizens, when they become deceased. It's it's people that make sure that the investigation into their deaths is thorough, that it's complete, that someone who has died alone, unattended, unresponsive has someone there to care for them and to make sure that justice is done. So for this week, as we sponsor this resolution, let us thank all of those medical legal investigators that make our system work and to make sure that our people are well taken care of. We say thank you for your service to our communities. Thank you, madam speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. On the resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight seventy two, mister Durso, legislative resolution memorializing governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026 as technology month in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On the resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eight seventy three, Ms. Warner. Legislative resolution memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2026 as Blood Donor Awareness Month in the state of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On the resolution, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed, no. The resolution is adopted. Miss Walsh, for the purposes of a resolution. Oh, mister Pierizzolo, excuse me, for an introduction.

[Sam Pirozzolo (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to rise today for this introduction. I'm sure it's really no secret how much I've grown to enjoy my position representing people of Staten Island. And this introduction is probably one of the greatest examples of that. There are times that you work in your community and you get to meet people who are your constituents or just people that you work with. And I'd like to introduce today on behalf of the Staten Island delegation members Fall, Riley and Tanussis, Orit Lender and Amelia Winter. They're with the JCC of Staten Island and it's an organization that serves everyone on Staten Island in two different locations. As I said before, just getting to meet people is very good and Orit is the CEO, so I guess you could say she's the big kahuna. But she's not really the big kahuna because she's the boss. She's the big kahuna because she literally moves mountains in helping everyone across Staten Island. So if you would please, Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Staten Island Delegation, please say hello.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On behalf of Mr. Pirazolo, members Fall, Riley Tanousas, and the speaker, and all of our members, we welcome our guests from the JCC of Staten Island. We welcome you to our assembly chamber and extend to you the privileges of the floor. We do hope you enjoy our proceedings today. Thank you so very much for joining us today. On consent, page four, calendar number two twenty six. Clerk will read.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 86B, calendar two twenty six, Mr. Genowitz, An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: A bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number six eighteen, calendar two twenty seven, Ms. Shimsky. An act to amend the labor law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This act shall take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, 138. Nose, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 7 90 5, calendar two twenty eight, Ms. Rosenthal, an act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number eighteen seventy six, calendar two twenty nine, Ms. Rosenthal, an act to amend the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Assembly number 2,039,

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: calendar two thirty, Mr. Braunstein, an act to amend the penal law. Read the last section. This act shall take effect November 1.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, 138, nos, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 30 three-04A, calendar two thirty one, Ms. Tapia, an act to amend the banking law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 3350a, calendar two thirty two. Mister Bronson, an act to amend the public health law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This action will take effect on the ninetieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, one thirty eight. Nose, zero. The bill is passed. Assembly number 30 Seat 3733 a, calendar two thirty three, mister Bronson, an act to amend the mental hygiene law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number fifty three eighty three a, calendar two thirty four, mister Boras, an act to amend the public health law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This act shall take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, one thirty eight. Nose, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 6338, calendar two thirty five. Miss Walker, an act to amend the executive law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This act shall take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, one thirty eight. Nose, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 7894 c, calendar two thirty six, miss Pollan, an act to amend the public health law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This act shall take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, 131, noes, seven. The bill is passed. Assembly number 7903b, calendar two thirty seven, Mr. Levine, an act to amend the racing, pari mutuel wagering, and breeding law. This bill is laid aside. Assembly number eighty one thirty, calendar two thirty eight, mister Conrad, an act to amend the agriculture and markets law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Read the last section.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: This action will take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote. Miss Walsh to explain her vote.

[Mary Beth Walsh (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. So I think that this bill is is a good idea because I think that it modernizes the process of getting deliveries, petroleum deliveries and heating fuel deliveries. You know many of us, I still have oil at my house, I know I'm supposed to probably not admit that publicly, but I do have at least partial oil service at my house and I get you know, these pieces of paper jammed into my door, half the time they blow away but they're telling you that you know we made a delivery, this is how much, this you know, it contains some you know personal information with my name and things like that that I don't want really exactly blowing around the neighborhood. So I like the idea of switching over at the customer's election to an electronic delivery of that ticket. That's great. The one thing I just want to mention, I will support the bill, I'm going to vote yes, but I noticed that in the bill itself what isn't changing is that the company that has successfully switched the customer over to electronic must still itself retain a copy of the ticket or receipt for one year after the delivery. I don't know why that would be. If we're going to make this electronic, then make it electronic. Their electronic records should be sufficient. So I just kind of wish that that would change too. But I think we're moving in the right direction and I will vote yes on this bill. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, miss Walsh and the affirmative. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Ayes, one thirty nine. Nose, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number 8666 a, calendar two thirty nine, miss Levenberg, an act to amend the navigation law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number ninety one thirteen a, calendar two forty, Ms. Warner, an act to amend the racing, pari mutuel, wagering, and breeding law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside.

[Reading Clerk (Assembly)]: Assembly number ninety two seventeen, calendar two forty one, miss Pollan, an act to amend the penal law. This bill is laid aside. Assembly number ninety five nineteen, calendar two forty two, mister McDonald, an act to amend the insurance law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: This bill is laid aside. Miss Peoples Stokes.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Madam speaker, do you have any further housekeeping or introductions, resolutions?

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: No housekeeping. We do have a number of resolutions before the house. Without objection, these resolutions will be taken up together. On the resolutions, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? No. The resolutions are adopted. Miss People Stokes.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Madam speaker, would you please call on miss Clark for the purposes of an announcement?

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Miss Clark for the purpose of an in announcement.

[Sarah Clark (Member of Assembly)]: Thank you, madam speaker. Just wanna make an announcement that majority majority conference will have conference immediately following session in Hearing Room C. Majority conference Hearing Room C.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Immediate majority conference after the conclusion of session at Hearing Room C. Miss Peoples Stokes.

[Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes (Majority Leader)]: Madam speaker, I I actually want to thank my colleagues for their understanding while this was a very solemn day as we did the resolution on the holocaust. And I really do wanna appreciate people who who understood that we had a need and desire to stay within our framework for the rules. I appreciate you understanding that so that we can move forward. Great opportunity for us to discuss history, but we still have to work within the framework of our rules. So I just wanna thank colleagues for their willingness to participate in that fashion. Thank you. Now I now move that the assembly stand adjourned and that we reconvene at 12:30PM, Wednesday, January 28. Tomorrow will be on a session day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On miss Peoples Stokes' motion, the house stands adjourned.