Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick

Expressed concern about lethal drugs in homes with potentially mentally unstable children and argued the Legislature has failed in its duty to legislate adequate protections.

Expressed concern about lack of Comptroller oversight for $100 million of the Sustainable Futures Program, citing precedent of Buffalo Billion scandal and COVID test payment issues. Questioned why the Legislature would approve $100 million without proper oversight and emphasized need for local community input on renewable energy projects.

Highlighted MTA inefficiencies, noting that the Second Avenue subway cost $900 million in consultants but will cost $2.6-4.3 billion per mile, compared to $160-800 million per mile in other cities.

Opposed Part LL, citing concerns about bypassing home-rule requirements, lack of county executive consultation, state assumption of control while county retains $303 million debt obligation, and potential litigation risks.

As an attorney with 30 years of practice and experience notarizing thousands of deeds, argued the bill will not effectively address fraud because sophisticated fraudsters can forge notary signatures and steal identities. Cited a New York State Bar Association report stating that additional notary recordkeeping burdens will not solve the underlying problem.

While recognizing the need to protect biometric information, argued the bill should exempt collection and retention of biometric data for critical infrastructure security purposes, which she described as critical tools for national security protection.

Voted in opposition to the measure.

Expressed concern that ballots in counties like Nassau will exceed 30 candidates causing voter fatigue and drop-off, noted that three election-related constitutional amendments failed in 2021, pointed to 15+ jurisdictions challenging last year's changes, and questioned whether anyone actually requested this change.

Voted no citing inadequate COLA increases, lack of supervisory staff coverage, and failure to provide support for Nassau University Medical Center despite it serving 1.4 million people and facing imminent closure.

Expressed concern about oversight and safeguards for the $2.4 billion, citing the DocGo contractor problems, and questioned whether controls are adequate to ensure proper spending.

Expressed concerns about local control being undermined by RAPID Act provisions, particularly regarding offshore wind transmission and the override of local regulations. Advocated for stronger protections of coastal communities and local decision-making.

Criticized removal of graffiti from hate crimes list, noting antisemitic graffiti (swastikas) has been a problem in her predominantly Jewish district.

Argued the bill requires notification even if inmates don't want it, criticized the lack of data or statistics supporting the need for the bill, and raised concerns about risk to correction officers during transfers.

Opposed the bill because non-related administrators would have no guarantee to act in the family's best interests, no bond requirement, and public administrators already exist in every county to handle such cases.

Argued the bill weakens family notification requirements by replacing 'reasonable efforts' with undefined 'diligent efforts,' and expressed concern that hospitals would not be required to notify families of emancipated minors in critical situations, characterizing it as anti-family legislation.

As a former deputy mayor, argued that village government is the most efficient form of local governance and that a one-size-fits-all state approach does not work across diverse districts. Removing local decision-making authority undermines communities' ability to determine what is best for themselves.

Expressed concern that unsecured drop boxes could be broken into, causing ballots to disappear, similar to problems she has experienced with FedEx boxes in her business. Noted there would be no surveillance, no way to count ballots in a box, and no way to determine which constituents voted, creating risk that a compromised box could change election outcomes in close races.

Representing Long Beach, objected that her alienation bill (S5364) was incorporated into the sponsor's bill without her consent or consultation. Raised concerns about environmental impacts including whale deaths, transmission line health risks, visual impacts of wind turbines, and inadequate community input. Argued NYSERDA should be involved from the beginning, not after 9,000 megawatts is achieved.

Raised concerns about longer ballots causing voter drop-off, unfunded mandates on counties, and the fact that three election-related constitutional amendments were rejected by voters. Questioned why the bill doesn't apply to New York City and noted the political implications of treating cities differently.

While acknowledging the bill's intent, stated it lacks the guidance school districts need to conduct drills appropriately. Emphasized that mental health issues, not drill frequency, are the root cause and should be the focus.

The bill is overly broad and places an unfair burden on small retailers without providing clear guidance on which products are covered or offering a defense for unknowingly selling covered items. Additionally, the Attorney General is already overburdened and lacks resources to enforce the statute effectively.

Argued that character is critical to practicing law and expressed concern about public safety based on a letter from appellate judges and the Acting Chief Judge opposing the bill's passage.

The bill will chill good Samaritan intervention and create legal uncertainty. She cited a personal example where a customer prevented a bank robbery in progress, arguing such interventions would be discouraged under this law. The bill does not adequately protect victims.

Expressed concern that minors could obtain hormone replacement drugs or contraceptives without mandatory pharmacist consultation with primary care physicians, creating risk of undetected medical contraindications such as blood-clotting issues.

As a 25-year trusts and estates attorney, argued that allowing unrelated, non-distributee adults to act as fiduciaries without bond protections creates a slippery slope for fraud. Noted that public administrators already exist in every county to serve this function and that fiduciary law is rampant with abuse.

The body is being inconsistent in its election security messaging while burdening smaller counties financially without providing implementation funding. Standards should be objective and reviewable, and the state should not dictate requirements without ensuring adequate resources for compliance.

As a former village trustee, cited experience with unfunded mandates and argued that small villages, sanitation districts, fire districts, and water districts in her district cannot afford to divert resources from core services to comply with new reporting requirements.