SUFFOLK COUNTY LEGISLATURE GENERAL MEETING FIFTH DAY MARCH 24, 2009 MEETING HELD AT THE WILLIAM H. ROGERS LEGISLATURE BUILDING IN THE ROSE Y. CARACAPPA LEGISLATIVE AUDITORIUM 725 VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY SMITHTOWN, NEW YORK MINUTES TAKEN BY LUCIA BRAATEN AND ALISON MAHONEY, COURT STENOGRAPHERS [THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 4:03 P.M.] P.O. LINDSAY: Okay. Mr. Clerk, could you call the roll, please? MR. LAUBE: Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. Presiding Officer. MS. ORTIZ: Good morning? (Roll Called by Mr. Laube, Clerk) LEG. ROMAINE: Present. MR. LAUBE: Just feels like morning. LEG. SCHNEIDERMAN: Here. LEG. BROWNING: Here. LEG. BEEDENBENDER: Here. LEG. LOSQUADRO: Present. LEG. EDDINGTON: Here. LEG. MONTANO: Here. LEG. ALDEN: Here. LEG. BARRAGA: Here. LEG. KENNEDY: Here. LEG. NOWICK: Here. LEG. HORSLEY: Here. LEG. GREGORY: Here. LEG. STERN: Here. LEG. D'AMARO: Here. LEG. COOPER: Here. D.P.O. VILORIA-FISHER: Here. P.O. LINDSAY: Here. MR. LAUBE: Eighteen. P.O. LINDSAY: Could everybody rise for a salute to the flag, led by Legislator Losquadro? (*Salutation*) Please remain standing, and I'm going to ask Legislator Losquadro to introduce our visiting Clergy. LEG. LOSQUADRO: Thank you. It's my pleasure today to introduce to you Father Ignace Loleke. He has been with St. Louis deMontfort Roman Catholic Church for the past year-and-a-half. He'll be here with us for another year-and-a-half. He is a visiting clergy from the central most region of the Congo in Africa in a small town -- excuse me, I don't want to get this wrong, it's Nkamba. He has a Masters Degree in Theology, and next year he'll be attending Stony Brook University to obtain his second Masters in Sociology. He was thirteen years old the first time he entered a church. And all the parishioners that I've spoken to in St. Louis deMontfort, which is a very large parish in my District, really have the same thing to say about him and they say, "To know him is to love him." He is a wonderful part of our community, and it's my pleasure to introduce to you Father Ignace. (Applause) FATHER IGNACE LOLEKE: I thank you very much, and thank you mostly for this privilege, this honor to be today before you, to pray with you before your General Meeting. We come to pray because you believe that there's nothing that can be beyond you in which, if we work together with faith and the confidence in God and in each other. So, as servants of the people of God in Suffolk County, we ask God's special grace to give you the grace of serenity, to accept the things that you cannot change, and through the grace of courage, to change the things that you can, and mostly the grace of wisdom, to make good decisions as you trust that God will always make everything right for the sake of his name and for the good of his people. So let us pray. Almighty God, our Father, we come before your presence today to give you thanks for the gift of our lives, for your work of creation, and mostly for subjecting the Earth to the care of human person whom you choose to make in your own likeness. Lord, we thank you because you have been our help in times past. And we pray because you are our hope for years to come. Lord, our God, we pray for all groups as civil, political and the religious leaders, that with your divine assistance, they may continue to seek the well-being of the people they serve to eliminate poverty and to achieve peace in all human family. Lord our God, we ask you to grant the light of your word, to give all around the world who decide and who make laws. At this time, especially, we pray for your servants of Suffolk County, all here together in mutual respect, trust, and care. They love you, oh, Lord, and they desire nothing but to love you and to serve you by serving your people of Suffolk County. For them, Lord, our God, we desire your wisdom above everything that can be desired, because we do not compare anything to your wisdom. For them, oh, Lord, we ask you the courage to accept and confront the challenges in meeting the needs of your people in Suffolk County. Lord, help them to respond quickly, wisely and effectively to each situation. God, our Father, you give freely your wisdom to those you ask as you give to the King, your servant, Solomon. Help today our lawmakers to lean not into their own understanding, but in every occasion to acknowledge your presence among them, so that they may always make good decisions, decisions with knowledge, with understanding, with wisdom, with impartiality and justice, because, Lord, you desire justice for all. Let your Holy Spirit come upon them today, remain with them, and enlighten them. Let your Holy Spirit guide them with his wisdom and support them with his power, for your Holy Spirit shares your glory and the glory of your son, Jesus. Lord, our God, may divinely inspired decision be on the lips of your servant today, and may they decide only what is right in your sight. Lord, our God, grant that the time, every time, every minute, every effort, every word today bring about unity of purpose, for the cause of your people of Suffolk County as they choose today to use your wisdom and to work with your wisdom. Thank you for being Almighty God, thank you for being our wonderful counselor. This we ask in the name of your son, Jesus, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. P.O. LINDSAY: Could we all remain standing for a moment of silence? Over the last month, former Legislator and Presiding Officer, Anthony Noto, passed away. Legislator Noto served the Babylon area from 1974 to 1982, and as Presiding Officer from 1979 to 1980. And let us also remember all those men and women who put themselves in harm's way every day to protect our country. (*Moment of Silence*) Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I know that we have a large crowd here tonight. There are some seats. Anybody out in the lobby, there are some isolated seats. Please, come in and find a seat. Unfortunately, I can't have anybody standing in the aisles because of fire codes; all right? But there are some seats, and after some of the proclamations, I'm sure some people will be leaving, so keep an eye on everything. First up, we have a number of proclamations. First is Legislator Losquadro; will present proclamations to the Rocky Point High School Cheerleaders. LEG. LOSQUADRO: Thank you, Mr. Presiding Officer. These young ladies have received a lot of recognition for what they've done, but we're asking them to come back up one more time here, the representatives that are here from the Rocky Point Cheerleading Squad. Where'd they go? Apparently, we were a little too full up, they all couldn't get seats. We're getting them to come back in now. Come on up here, Ladies. (Applause) I didn't even tell you guys what they did yet. They just look good. Well, if you remember from the last meeting, to my colleagues, I had the cheerleaders here from the Mount Sinai School District who placed eleventh in the nation. Well, these young ladies gave some serious bragging rights to the Sixth Legislative District, because they did a couple better. These young ladies placed ninth in the nation in their competition. (Applause) There was the UCA National Cheerleading Championship held in February in Florida. They won the Northeast Regional Championships, and they won six out of the seven local competitions between the Regionals and the Nationals. These young ladies were on ESPN with the competition, and I just want to say congratulations to them for a wonderful achievement, and we expect great things from you. Thank you. (Applause) P.O. LINDSAY: And while Legislator Losquadro is there, you're going to present proclamations to the students from the Shoreham-Wading River School District. LEG. LOSQUADRO: Yes, Mr. Presiding Officer, I have a few individuals. I'm not sure who is -- I didn't get a confirmation yet, so I'll just call up the next individual who I know is here. And I apologize, I certainly don't hope, with a last name like Losquadro, that I mess this up, but Tom Luchsinger? All right, not bad. Tom, if you'd come here, please. Tom is a senior at Mount Sinai. He's with the Three Village Swim Club, and Tom set two New York State record times in the 200 yard free style, finishing in 1 minute 37.12, and in the hundred meter butterfly in 48.37, breaking the State record. And, you know, with all the stuff in the newspapers, I got a little worried when I read that. He did all of this with a swimsuit malfunction. I didn't want to know exactly what was going on, but apparently his zipper broke, and even with his suit getting water in it and not being streamlined as it should, he still broke that State record, and we're very proud of his achievements, to have him right here in Suffolk County. Congratulations, Tom. (Applause) And, yes, Mr. Presiding Officer, I believe both of the individuals from Shoreham-Wading River School District are here.