The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

Empire State Pride Agenda - Equality And Justice Day

E.S.P. Convention Center, Albany, NY
Monday, May 8, 2006 [11:30 A.M.]

Thank you, Ross [Levi] for those kind and generous words and thank you, my friends, for that warm reception.

Duffy Palmer. Will Trinkle. Alan Van Cappelle. Carmen Vasquez . Ross Levi. Members and Friends of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

On this important Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality and Justice Day, I bring you the greetings and the best wishes of the New York State Assembly.

If I might, let me take a moment and acknowledge some of the many influential friends and advocates you have in the Assembly Majority, including:

• Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell, who addressed you a little earlier.

• Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, the Chair of the Committee on Health;

• Assembly Member Helene Weinstein, the Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary

• Assembly Member Deborah Glick, the Chair of the Committee on Social Services;

• And many more of our Assembly colleagues, some of whom have joined us here this afternoon.

On their behalf, let me thank you for traveling here to Albany from all over this state to stand up for equality and justice - not just for yourselves - but for the thousands of New Yorkers who wish they could be here fighting the good fight of equality and justice side by side with you.

If you know your state government, then you know that the Assembly is the People's House of the New York State Legislature.

Whether the issue is civil rights or economic justice, education or health care, human services or government reform, your Assembly leaders are waging the People's fight for fairness, equity, and security every day, in every city, every town, and every county across New York State.

The Assembly leaders who are sitting amongst you right now are your champions in this government. They have earned your support and they deserve your applause!

The fact is that long before the Governor or the Senate were prepared to act, the Assembly Majority was passing legislation to make bias-related violence and intimidation a distinct crime in New York State.

It took us 11 years of passing the legislation in the Assembly, but today, we have a Hate Crimes Law in the State of New York.

Long before the Governor and the Senate were prepared to act, the Assembly Majority was passing legislation in support of the Communities of Color program.

In this year's budget, the Assembly provided three million dollars for the Communities of Color Program.

For twelve years, we've battled this Governor and restored millions of health-care dollars to fund community agencies that provide vital services to citizens across this State including the LGBT Health and Human Services Network.

In his twelfth and final budget proposal, the Governor provided $2.37 million dollars for LGBT health and human service programs. With our leadership, the Legislature added nearly $1.37 million more.

The leadership of the Assembly Majority is not limited to budget negotiations.

Recently, the Assembly passed legislation sponsored by Assembly Member Deborah Glick, that allows the cost attributable to domestic partner benefits to be deducted from taxable income for state purposes.

Based on a state law authored by Assembly Member Dinowitz - a law which establishes the right of spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, siblings, and court appointed administrators to control the disposition of a decedent's remains - the Assembly has passed legislation earlier that will create a written instrument allowing an individual (before he or she dies) to name a person who will carry out the decedent's expressed written wishes regarding the disposition of their remains.

Both Houses of the Legislature have now passed this bill.

Since the 2000 legislative session, we have passed - and will continue to pass - the Dignity for All Students Act, currently sponsored by Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell.

Last session and again in this session, the Assembly has passed legislation - sponsored by Assembly Member Dan O'Donnell - to require insurers that provide family health insurance coverage to also offer coverage to the domestic partner of an insured person.

In 2004, working with you, we gained enactment of a law ensuring the hospital visitation rights of domestic partners.

In 1993, we began passing legislation to prohibit discrimination in insurance underwriting based upon sexual orientation. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, was passed by the Assembly again in February.

Hopefully, someday soon, we'll have a governor and a legislature that believe this legislation is important enough to enact into law.

We passed legislation in April of this year which expands the definition of "family" to allow domestic partners access to Family Court.

With all of our action, with all of our victories, we are still lacking the kind of leadership we need from the Executive.

Fortunately, in roughly 238 days, there will be - as they say on television these days - an "extreme makeover" in the policies and attitudes coming out of the Governor's Office.

That doesn't mean we should wait. Together, we must keep on fighting to ensure equality and justice for all who are being denied.

Let's work together to set the foundation for a progressive democracy in which we can all take pride.

Let's make each and every one of the next 238 days count!

Thank you.