D 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.