Sen. Michael Gianaris

The bill is necessary to curtail foreign government meddling in U.S. elections by preventing foreign-controlled entities from influencing political spending. The legislation targets business entities with foreign control, not 501(c)(4) organizations, and represents a principled distinction between protecting people versus foreign corporations.

Sponsor argued the bill addresses gross underrepresentation of people of color on the judiciary in Western New York, where the Fourth Department has only 2 Black judges, zero Asian judges, and zero Hispanic judges out of 67 total. The individual components have been under consideration for years, and the Office of Court Administration expressed support for the goals of the legislation.

Added words of appreciation to Desha's family for joining the Senate and sharing their pain to make the legislation productive.

Argued New York's horseshoe crab population is in more dramatic decline than other Mid-Atlantic states and that New York is the only state rated "poor" by the Atlantic States Commission for controlling excessive harvesting. Noted abundant horseshoe crab supplies exist in Delaware for biomedical purposes.

Sponsor argued the bill establishes an innovative 'abuse of dominance' standard used throughout the world, modernizing antitrust law that is a century old and whose court interpretations have not kept up with the modern economy. He stated the bill targets large companies that operate in New York and would not impact Native American casino compacts.

Defended the provision as necessary protection against politically motivated prosecutions, noting courts have broadly interpreted existing law to cover actions that appear personal but are taken in retaliation for official duties. Emphasized the fund applies only to investigations related to state employment or exercise of duties.

Explained that the LIRR is the most subsidized part of the MTA system at only 15% farebox recovery, and that cutting MTA funding would result in higher fares for Long Island riders.

Voted yes, clarifying that the extender contains no language about gubernatorial powers and that detailed budget debate would occur next week when bills are printed.

Praised the bill as a tremendous reform and expressed satisfaction that the majority has the votes to pass it, while defending the majority's record on reversing prior policies.

The bill properly recognizes Middle Eastern and North African New Yorkers as a distinct group rather than classifying them as white, providing better data for state services and standing with immigrant communities of color during a time of fear.

Sponsor argued the bill makes it easier for qualified voters to register by using the DMV, the most frequently used state agency, and Medicaid offices where applicants must attest to citizenship. Defended the bill as expanding democratic access and noted that citizenship screening would occur through existing processes.

The bill balances scales of justice for sexual offense cases by allowing prior bad acts evidence, mirroring federal law upheld as constitutional for 30 years. The bill includes judicial discretion to weigh probative value against prejudicial effect, and addresses the undercharging of sexual crimes by helping juries determine credibility in cases often involving one person's word against another.

The bill simply extends existing lobbying disclosure requirements to judicial nominations on a prospective basis. If transparency is good for legislative lobbying, it should apply equally to nomination lobbying, and all groups—left or right—would face the same disclosure obligations.

Agreed to return the bill to the noncontroversial calendar after the amendment was ruled out of order.

The sponsor argued the new map corrects constitutional flaws in the IRC proposal, including repairing county splits in Orange and Rensselaer counties, restoring the North Shore district on Long Island as it existed for many years, and addressing communities of interest in the North Bronx such as Co-Op City. He stated the map was a collaborative effort between Senate and Assembly and that while deviations from the IRC map exceeded the 2 percent statutory rule, the bill supersedes that statute and constitutional compliance takes precedence.

Argued that local senators do not have ultimate say over projects with statewide implications and noted the bill only permits the project to continue, not mandates it. Criticized colleagues for hypocrisy, noting they had opposed his stance against Amazon on similar grounds.

Defended the bill as addressing postal service failures to postmark ballots and noted the proposal was sanctioned by both the RNC and DNC. Argued the absentee ballot cure provisions protect voters from disenfranchisement due to postal errors and questioned the practical value of the election fraud scenario Sen. Walczyk described.

Objected to the motion to lay the bill aside, stating it was not intended to be laid aside and requesting restoration of the bill.

Sponsor clarified that the bill relates to early voting, not absentee balloting, distinguishing it from the defeated 2021 constitutional amendment.

The current law is absurd and anachronistic, allowing private citizens to kill someone to prevent escape after any crime. New York has 30,000 police officers and does not need to empower 20 million people to act as law enforcement. Georgia repealed similar laws after a racially motivated killing, and New York should follow suit.

Criticized Senator Tedisco for selective history, noting that the four latest budgets in New York history were under Republican control (1997-2004), with the 2004 budget 133 days late. Argued the Democratic supermajority was elected to govern and is doing its best for constituents.

Defended the bill as standard budget procedure and corrected the record on late budgets, noting Republicans controlled the Senate for much of the last century with late budgets being the norm. Characterized opposition as wanting to 'puncture the hull of the ship' and sink the state.

Sponsor argued the bill closes a loophole allowing foreign nationals to circumvent federal restrictions by giving through corporations. Emphasized the bill addresses foreign election interference and that individuals can still give directly under their own names.

Moved to restore the bill to the noncontroversial calendar for expedited consideration.

Argued that legislatures exist to set parameters and rules for state administration and elections, noting that the Democratic majority has improved New York's election laws from worst to first in the nation. Defended the bill as a legitimate exercise of legislative responsibility.

Characterized the bill as making it harder to bring frivolous lawsuits to disenfranchise people, contrasting it with Republican efforts to make voting harder and litigation easier.