New York State SmartTranscripts:

[Unidentified Member]: Madam speaker, can you call please call the house back to order.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The house will come to order.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Paul.

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: Madam speaker, can we turn our attention to

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: what is it for? Calendar four.

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: The calendar four zero four on page seven by Mr. Burrows.

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

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: And continue consent.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On consent page seven, calendar number four zero four, Clerk will read.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 4277a, calendar four zero four, Mr. Burrows, an act in relation to authorizing the Powerhouse Church to file an application.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, 133. Nays, zero. The bill is passed. Assembly number 4840A, calendar four zero five, Mr. McDonald, an act to amend the education law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the January day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty three. Nays, two.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 5175A, Calendar406, miss Solage, an act to amend the general business law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nays, zero. The bill is passed. Assembly number 5420, calendar 407, miss Forrest, enact to amend the social services law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 5989, calendar four zero eight, Mr. Delon, an act to amend the correction law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 6001 A, calendar four zero nine, Mr. Scivoni, an act in relation to the issuance of pool and health member memberships.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Noes, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 6416 a, calendar four ten, miss Septimo, an act to amend the environmental conservation law. On

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: a motion by Ms. Septimo, the Senate bill is before the House, the Senate bill is advanced, this bill is laid aside.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 6522A, calendar four eleven, Ms. Lee, an act to amend the insurance law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the one hundred and eightieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Noes, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Number 6804, calendar four twelve, miss Griffin, an act to amend the mental hygiene law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Miss Griffin to explain her vote.

[Assemblymember Judy Griffin]: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain my vote. This bill protects vulnerable individuals in Article 81 guardianship proceedings, especially those unable to manage their own affairs. Today, highly sensitive personal and financial information in these cases is publicly accessible. That exposure creates real risk. There are millions of identity theft cases each year, mostly targeting seniors who lose billions annually to financial exploitation. This legislation limits access to these article 81 guardianship records to only involve parties unless a court orders otherwise. It aligns guardianship cases with existing privacy protections and other sensitive proceedings. This is not about limiting transparency, it's about preventing exploitation and harm. I want to thank the county clerks across New York State for their advocacy and support on this because this bill was their idea because as county clerks, they saw how damaging this could be. This bill also provides clearer standards for safeguarding records including past and current cases where feasible. I also want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this legislation. At its core, this bill ensures privacy, promotes dignity, and enhances security for those who need it most. I urge you all to vote yes. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Ms. Griffin, in the affirmative, Ms. Bailey to explain her vote.

[Unidentified Member (Ms. Bailey)]: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just want to say thank you to the sponsor of this piece of legislation. As she indicated, it's a bill that does just that. It protects some of our most vulnerable. And it's very important, you know, having been charged with these documents and these records. It's common sense legislation and I just want to say thank you. And as part of the association, when I was on the County Clerk's Association, this became our number one priority. So it's great to see it cross the finish line here in the assembly. So thank you to my colleagues.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Eyes, 135. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 8695, calendar four thirteen, miss Rajkumar, an act to amend the civil practice law and rules.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Noes, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 8930 a, calendar four fourteen, miss Hunter, enact to amend the correction law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the one hundred and eightieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 9297 a, calendar four fifteen, Ms. Tapia, an act in relation to requiring host community benefits.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number nine thousand three and twenty six, calendar four sixteen, Mr. Scavoni, enact to amend the criminal procedure law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty three. Nays, two. The bill is passed. Assembly number ninety three fifty b, calendar four seventeen was previously amended on three third reading. Assembly number ninety five twenty, calendar four eighteen, mister Pretlow, an act to amend the local finance law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Home rule message is at the desk. Read the last section.

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one twenty three. Noes, 12.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 9570 b, calendar fourth 19, miss Lee. Enact to amend the real property tax law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On a motion by Ms. Lee, page 10, calendar number four nineteen, bill number A9570B. The amendments are received and adopted.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 9575, calendar four twenty, Ms. Warner, an act to amend the racing, permutual, wagering, and breeding law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Eyes, one thirty five. Nose, zero. The bill is passed. Assembly number 9598, calendar four twenty one, mister Fall, enact to amend the public authorities law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Miss Walsh to explain her vote.

[Assemblymember Mary Beth Walsh]: Thank you, madam speaker. Just briefly to explain my vote. So this property, facilities that are being proposed on Governors Island, that's in the sponsor's district so this is akin to a local bill which is why the bill is not being laid aside for any debate or questioning or anything. The bill allows DASNY to provide financing to the New York Climate Exchange Inc. For the construction of facilities on Governors Island and that facility is an $800,000,000 climate education and research campus. So there were some no votes in committee, in both committees and so that's why there will be some no votes here on the floor. But I just wanted to explain my vote. I'm personally not going to be supporting it today. Some of us will, some of us won't. But thank you very much, madam speaker.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one twenty one, noes, 14.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 9598, calendar four twenty two, miss Glick, enact to amend the state finance law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10025, calendar four twenty three, miss Clark, enact to amend the social services law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number one zero one eight one, calendar four twenty four, mister Magnarelli, an act directing the commissioner of motor vehicles to conduct a study.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This action will take effect on the thirtieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Are there any other votes? And now it's the results.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10272, calendar four twenty five, Ms. Rosenthal, an act to amend the insurance law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number ten thousand three and twenty five, calendar four twenty six, Ms. Kussay, act in relation to authorizing the assessor of the town of Brookhaven, County Of Suffolk.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Noes, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10351, calendar four twenty seven, miss Lopardo, an act to amend the civil service law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero. The bill is passed. Assembly number 10365, calendar four twenty eight. Mister Bronson, enact to amend the labor

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10525, calendar four twenty nine. Mister Boros, enact to amend the alcoholic beverage control law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10602, calendar four 30, mister Rivera, enactment of public authorities law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10642, calendar 431, miss Rozak, enact to amend the general business law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10715, calendar four thirty two, mister Vannell, enact to amend the election law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10722, calendar four thirty three, Ms. Pollan, an act to amend chapter four sixty of the laws of 2021.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Home Rule message is at the desk. Read the last section.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act will take effect immediately.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, 121. Nays, 14.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10737A, calendar four thirty four, Ms. Schresto, an act to amend the tax law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Home rule messages at the desk. Read the last section.

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one zero six. Nays, 29.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10922, calendar four thirty five, mister Burke. An act to amend the local finance law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one twenty four. Noes, 11.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 10,928, calendar four thirty six, Ms. Valdez, an act to amend the public service law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: A motion by Ms. Valdez, the Senate bill is before the House, the Senate bill is advanced. This bill is laid aside.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number one one zero zero four, calendar four thirty seven, miss Solage. An act to amend chapter four ninety two of the laws of 1993.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 11006, calendar 438, mister O'Farro. An act to amend chapter six twenty nine of the laws of 2005.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Noes, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 11021, calendar 439, miss Barrett, an act to amend the public service law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nose, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 11022, calendar four forty, mister Stern, an act to amend the Veterans Services Law and the Economic Development Law.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the one hundred and eightieth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nos, zero.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number one one zero two three, calendar four forty one, miss Simon, an act to amend the mental hygiene law.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nays, zero.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: DeVilla's passed. Mister Fall.

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: Thank you, madam speaker. I'd like to turn our attention to the debate list. We're gonna take on calendar number 172 on page 32 by Mr. Simone, followed by calendar number three thirty four on page 44 by Mr. Conrad.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. Page 32, calendar number one seventy two. Clerk will read.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number sixty seven forty one a, calendars one seventy two, mister Simone, an act to amend the election law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: An explanation has been requested. Mister Simone.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: The purpose of this bill is to provide voters access to their sample ballot before election day. As we know, exercising one's right to vote is the fundamental pillar of our democracy. However the process of voting can be overwhelming when many races for various levels of government all appear on the same ballot. This bill seeks to provide voters with early access to view their sample ballot so that they may be informed and prepared to fill out their ballot when they go to cast their vote. The bill will require the county board of elections to transmit a sample ballot for all election districts within that county to the state board of elections, The time that sample ballots may be mailed to each eligible voter by the state board of elections would be amended to three days before the first day of early voting and the alternative for the state board of elections to publish sample ballots in local newspapers would be removed. The bill would would further require the state board of elections to post at least twelve days prior to the first day of early voting a sample ballot for each election district in the state board's website in a secure and searchable database. It would also authorize county board of elections to post sample ballots for all the election districts in the county.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Slater.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Thank you, madam speaker. Will the sponsor yield for a few questions?

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Will the sponsor yield?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Let me think about it. Sure.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The sponsor yield.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm glad to see that you got a fresh cup of coffee. So I know you're ready to go. Just a couple of questions because I know that we debated this last year, and I just wanted to see if anything has changed. So, the current law requires sample ballots to be made available shortly before election day, but does not specifically account for early voting. Correct? Yes. And I agree. I I think that's a valid issue. I think most of us do. If voters are casting ballots earlier, obviously, it makes sense that they should be able to view their ballot earlier. But wouldn't you also agree that this bill goes beyond just that one particular piece, beyond simply fixing the timing issue because it does create a couple of new things. It creates that new statewide database. It requires the full ballot be sent from the county to the state. And it adds new technical requirements that don't currently exist in law.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yeah, yes but we also make there's no the thing on the technical side security there's we don't speak directly to that so it's up to the board of elections. They they can't secure searchable database. They could just list it on their website.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: We'll we'll get into security in a second but I I I appreciate you explaining that. Under the under the current law, counties already have the ability to post ballots online and they can mail sample ballots to voters as well. Is that is that correct? Yes. So, if ballots are already available to voters, what specific gap are we solving beyond the timing issue that we just discussed?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Well, this specific to the ballot before it was the law had just specific to candidate and contest information. So you may have a you know, like we have ballot initiatives in New York City. It makes sure the entire ballot is included.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: So you

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: As opposed to just information on the candidate.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Understood. So it'd be the full ballot, what you'd see once you receive your actual ballot, whether it's via early voting, absentee, whatever it might be, election day voting.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Correct. I've had constituents come up to me and tell me I didn't know I had to turn it over and there was other things to vote on when I got to the election booth and I didn't know how to vote because I didn't study upon it. They have plenty of time now to study it. Understood.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And this bill creates a centralized statewide searchable database hosted by the state board of elections. Correct?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Correct. But they already do that under current law.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: They already do. And and our counties already maintain their own systems. And my question is, does this shift responsibility from our local boards into a centralized system maintained by the state if they're already doing it?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: No, doesn't. But it

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: does it prohibit the counties from continuing to provide that information as they currently do? It doesn't.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yeah. The counties can still do the do it themselves.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Great. So, the counties will be able to do it and the state will be able to do it. What happens if there's conflicting or outdated information between a county board of elections and what the state posts? Which source do you think or would you advise voters to rely on in that case? Yeah.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: This shouldn't be because they have to mail the exact sample ballot that it will appear on early voting in election day.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And if if something like that does occur though, if there is an error in transmitting, what's the cure?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: There shouldn't be an error?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yes. There shouldn't be an error because the ballot has to be exactly the way it would appear on election day and online.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Okay? So on page two of the bill, it requires an embedded security tool. I know you talked about security earlier, and that's to prevent tampering and printing. Can you clarify what specifically qualifies as an embedded security tool?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: So this bill doesn't define it specifically. The board of elections would have discretion to implement this. So say a local county board of elections didn't have the wherewithal to get it on a searchable database as long as it's listed somewhere on a web on their website. So we don't really speak to the specifics of security.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And do we know then if even though the the bill doesn't speak directly to what the definition is, do we know if there's been a cost analysis done as to what that would cost our counties to implement?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Far as you know there's no added cost.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: But we also don't know what it is because it's not defined in the law. Is that correct?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Right. The state board can do it if the local county doesn't have enough money to do it.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: The state board can do can you explain that to me? So the state board can develop and implement an embedded security tool within a county board of elections.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: No.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: In the state board of elections.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Right. But so but the but the county board of elections according to your bill also has to have this this embedded security tool. Is that correct?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Only if they're it themselves.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yep. Only if they're doing it themselves and they're capable of doing it.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: So it so then let's take a step back then. So if there's if they're required into the bill to be transmitting sample ballots for every election district within their county, they can only do that if they have the embedded security tool at their disposal. Am I understanding that correctly? Correct.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: And if they can't do it, the state board of elections will do it.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And so, if they can't It's literally like listing it

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: on a website. I'm sorry? It's literally just listing the ballot on the website if they can't have the security for a searchable database.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Right. I'm just trying to again understand the concept of the embedded security tool that we're saying that it has that we're requiring, but we're also at the same time saying we're not really requiring because the state board of elections can just implement it for a specific county. Is that am I am I understanding that properly?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Right. Like I said before, the county can't do it, then the state board will do it.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And what does the county have to do to demonstrate that they cannot implement the embedded security tool? Yeah.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: They they it doesn't speak specific they're not mandated to do it they can do it if they want to but the state board has the ultimate responsibility to make sure it's secure.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: But we're still asking the counties to transmit the ballots. So you're still asking the counties to transfer

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: the ballots First, the state board.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: To the state the check. Right? Can you give me an example of what an embedded security tool is?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Would prevent tampering or printing of such Yeah.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: It would just prevent tampering or printing of the ballot, copying the the

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And that would only that would only have to be in place if a voter goes to the state board of elections to their election district to pull down the sample ballot. Right.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: They can look on the website, and they also get it in the mail.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Right. But we're not asking the counties to do the same in this bill.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: It's permissive.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: It's permissive if they can.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: If they can. So if I represent Westchester and Putnam County. So if they want to have a have these ballots for every election district on their website, they can do that as long as they have this embedded security tool in place.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Correct.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: But if you represent a smaller county, then all they have to do is send the ballot by election district to the state board of elections, but they no long but they aren't required to host it on their own website.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yeah. They are. Yeah.

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: The board

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: take care of that. State board would. So they're not required.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: But will the cap so will the county still have to transmit that to the state board of elections?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yes.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: And but they will not be required to host it on their own website because the state board would have it?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Right.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Okay. Understood. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate you answering my questions. I have one one last question on effectiveness when we plan to have this in place by. The bill speaks to ninety days once it's passed. So obviously, it wouldn't be in place for the coming June primary. Is the expectation that it would be in place for the November general election?

[Assemblymember Tony Simone]: Yes. It'd be ready for the midterms.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Okay.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: Very good. Again, I appreciate you answering my questions. Madam speaker, if I can just go on the bill briefly.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On the bell.

[Assemblymember Matt Slater]: So, again, I I just wanna begin by acknowledging a point that the sponsor raised, and I think it's a valid one. And that's that our current law is written before early voting existed, and it doesn't clearly align with today's election timelines. If voters are casting ballots earlier, it absolutely does make sense that they should be able to view their ballot earlier as well. I think that's a reasonable update, and I think most of us would support addressing that issue. But the bill does not simply fix the timing issue. It goes further. Because today, sample ballots are already available to voters. They can be mailed. They can be posted online by the board by the County Board of Elections as we just heard. Voters already have access to the information that they need. So, what this bill does is creates a new centralized statewide system requiring every county to transmit full ballots, standardize those formats, and rely on a state run searchable database. Again, something that may already be in place, but we're putting a greater burden on our counties. And in doing so, it introduces this requirement that still seems rather ambiguous. For example, the bill mandates that embedded security tool to prevent tampering and printing, but we still don't know what the tool is, And we still aren't really I understand that we were trying to get some answers on who and how it would be implemented. But if we can't explain it, we aren't really sure how we're gonna expect the board of elections to understand how to implement it as well. So we're writing a law in writing into law a requirement that remains undefined, unscoped, and still I question how a smaller board of elections is gonna be able to manage it. It doesn't clarify whether the same standard must be used across the state, raising the possibility of inconsistent systems from county to county. Because remember, our individual county board of elections, they have the ability to implement their own voting machines. They have their ability to implement their own printing contracts. And so, it's still there's no uniformity there that's that may be required. And we don't have to speculate on what happens when election law lacks clarity because we've seen it recently right here in our state. We have candidates who've been denied access to public financing system over technical requirements that were newly imposed and not clearly communicated. In some cases, millions of dollars in matching funds were denied, not because of fraud, not because of wrongdoing, but because the rules weren't clear and the process didn't provide a meaningful opportunity to cure. That's exactly why precision matters when we're legislating in this space, in the election law. We also need to consider the practical realities facing our boards of elections. These are professionals who are already operating under tight timelines, especially when it comes to early voting. This bill takes effect in ninety days, potentially requiring the rollout of a new system, as we heard, for the midterm elections. As we still don't have clarity on whether these requirements are expected to be in place as soon as practical. The kind of uncertainty that kind of uncertainty is exactly what we should be avoiding when it comes to election administration because that creates risks. And when it comes to elections, we should be minimizing risk, not introducing new variables without clear guidelines. There's also a question of accountability. And I raised an issue about centralized databases, and if there's incorrect information or outdated information to voterize that information, what happens next? So I I understand the purpose of the bill. I appreciate the sponsor answering my questions. I was just hoping that we have a little bit more detail on some of the aspects that were raised today. Thank you very much, madam speaker.

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

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

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Party vote has been requested. Miss Walsh.

[Assemblymember Mary Beth Walsh]: Thank you, madam speaker. The republican conference will generally be in the negative on this piece of legislation, but if there are affirmative votes, now would be the time for members to cast the member seats. Thank you.

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

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: Thank you, madam speaker. The majority conference will support this bill. For those that would like to vote differently, they could do so at their best.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you. The clerk will record the vote.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, 94. Noes, 41.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The bill is passed. Page 44, calendar number three thirty four, clerk will read.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Assembly number 9209 a, calendar three 34. Mister Conrad, an act to amend the vehicle and traffic law.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: An explanation has been requested. Mister Conrad.

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Yes. Thank you madam speaker. This bill is in order to ensure safety uniformity. Businesses that are selling or leasing bicycles with electric assist or electric scooters must equip the devices with front and rear lighting prior to the sale or lease.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Gandolfo.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Thank you madam speaker. Would the sponsor please yield for just a few questions.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Will the sponsor yield? Yes. The sponsor yields.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Thank you. So, I really just have a couple of clarifying questions on this bill before. So, just first, current law requires that for e bikes or e scooters to be operated at night, there must be lights affixed to them? Correct. Okay. So now this is expanding it to any bike that is bought, sold, leased. And I guess a lease would include something like a a city bike in New York City or some of the bicycles we see around Albany. Is that correct?

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Of the e bike. Of the bike. Yes.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Okay.

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Yes. It would.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Okay. So there that would require all of them to have the proper lights affixed, red or amber in the back, normal white headlight in the front?

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Yes. I believe the front light up to 500 feet, the rear up to 300 feet.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Okay. And how does that apply to like a private reseller? If if I owned an e bike and I wanted to list that on Facebook marketplace, would I be subject to this requirement? It

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: it applies to businesses. So, you know, I I I believe it would also apply to them.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Okay. So, if I were to own it, could retrofit the bike with the light myself. Would that be permitted?

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Yes. Okay.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: Yeah. That's perfectly fine. Is there any I guess, requirement of how it's affixed to the the device? Like, can I duct tape or zip tie it to the front or the back?

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Well, if your business is willing to sell that product like that, mister Gandolfo, I I think it would be okay.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: We try to keep costs down, but Yeah. Alright. I I do appreciate the clarification. That's all I have. Thank you to the sponsor. Madam speaker, briefly on the bill.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: On the bill.

[Assemblymember Jarett Gandolfo]: I appreciate the sponsor answering some of these clarifying questions. I was just a little concerned on whether or not this would apply to private resale to avoid any ambiguities with someone who might have an e bike or an e scooter sitting in their garage that they wanted to sell on a private marketplace. Maybe it's not their business, but they just want to make a little extra cash and grow and get rid of a device that they no longer use. So, anyone out there who is watching session at 05:00 on a Monday, if you want to sell your e bike on Facebook marketplace, just make sure that you duct tape some lights to it. Thank you, madam speaker.

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

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: This act shall take effect on the three hundred and sixty fifth day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: The clerk will record the vote.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Conrad to explain his vote.

[Assemblymember William Conrad III]: Thank you, madam speaker. I know this is part of the debate, I I do wanna raise a point from our previous comments. If you're engaged in a private business sale transaction person to person, this isn't applicable. This is only applicable if you're in the business of that resale. So I'll leave it at that. But I do want to explain why how this came about. This bill came from a town hall meeting in my community which education, teachers, students, parents and leadership from around the county because of the issues that we've had with e bikes and e scooters. Most of those have to do with wattage and other issues about what we would really consider e motorcycles. But there has been unfortunately many deaths. We've seen an increase on the roads especially at night where they're much more severe. And in one case, it was just reported last April at Stony Brook Hospital, they saw a 900 increase in major injuries to children that were operating these vehicles. And just today in the news, a parent is being arrested for letting her 14 year old operate one in which he killed someone, and she is being arrested as the parent because he is a minor. So not in this state, but it is an issue. This is one of many bills that I have, and I will be voting in the affirmative. Thank you.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Thank you, mister Conrad in the affirmative. Are there any other votes? Announce the results.

[Assembly Reading Clerk]: Ayes, one thirty five. Nays, zero.

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

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: Madam speaker, do we have further housekeeping or resolutions?

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

[Assemblymember Charles D. Fall]: I now move that the assembly stand adjourned and that we will reconvene at 2PM, Tuesday, April 5, tomorrow being a session day.

[Acting Speaker (Presiding Officer)]: Mister Fall's motion, the house stands adjourned.