S440

The New York State Senate passed Senate Print 440, sponsored by Sen. Skoufis, an act to amend the Executive Law. The bill received 53 affirmative votes and was approved without opposition. The measure, which carried Calendar Number 257, is set to take effect immediately upon enactment. No debate was recorded during floor consideration.

The New York State Senate unanimously passed legislation designating the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, with all 59 senators voting in favor of Senate Print 440. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Skoufis, honors the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneering Black pilots and ground crew who served in World War II despite facing severe racial discrimination both during and after their military service. Multiple senators spoke passionately about individual airmen from their districts, including Herbert Thorpe of Upstate New York, who turned 100 in January; Dabney Montgomery of Harlem, who later served as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s bodyguard; and Verdelle Louis Payne of Ithaca, one of the first Black licensed pilots from upstate New York. Sen. Skoufis stressed the urgency of passage, noting that fewer than 10 of the approximately 1,000 Tuskegee Airmen remain alive, with some estimates suggesting only three survive. Sen. Borrello expressed frustration that the bill has been introduced multiple times over the past three or four years without passage in the Assembly, urging the lower chamber to finally enact the legislation while surviving airmen can still be honored. The Senate's unanimous vote sends the bill to the Assembly for consideration.