NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8602
SPONSOR: Brook-Krasny TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the highway law, in relation to dedicating a portion of
the state highway system to "Victor Topaller"
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To designate a section of State route 908H in Kings county as the Victor
Topaller Memorial Highway
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section One: Dedicates a defined portion of State Route 908H to Victor
Topaller.
Section Two: Directs the Commissioner of Transportation to effectuate
this provision, while clarifying that this dedication is ceremonial.
Section Three: Includes the effective date
JUSTIFICATION:
Victor Topaller was born in Moscow, on July 13, 1958, and after an
extensive and varied career in print, radio, and television media in
both the old Soviet Union and in Israel, he emigrated to the United
States in 2000. Upon arrival Victor Topaller settled in South Brooklyn,
where he became a familiar and well-respected figure in the Russian and
Jewish communities of South Brooklyn. In 2002 he was recognized as the
"Person of The Year" for achieving the status of "the most popular
Russian-speaking mass media personality".
Simultaneous with his television work, Topaller created and hosted a
variety of radio shows across Russian-language US radio stations. For
years, Topaller's opinion column "Ricochet" was published weekly in the
"Jewish World". Starting from 2000 and until May 15, 2017, Mr. Topaller
hosted his TV program "In New York with Victor Topaller" on RTVi.
In 2014 Topaller was named "Person of the Year in Russian-speaking Amer-
ica" in the "Media" category for "outstanding achievements in the field
of mass-media". He was a guest speaker at many Jewish community events
in Southern Brooklyn, including September 11. Memorial at Shorefront
YM-YWHA, Jewish Heritage Celebration at the Jewish Center of Brighton
Beach on Ocean Parkway, and Yom Hashoah Commemoration at Manhattan Beach
Jewish Center. Topaller also played a major role in helping tens of
thousands of Russian speaking Southern Brooklyn residents become engaged
residents of their adopted homeland.
Tragically, Victor Topaller died on January 10th, 2018 in New York after
a short-lived battle with lung cancer, and the silencing of his voice
represented a serious loss to the community that he served and loved.
Given Victor Topaller's accomplishments, and significant contributions
to the people South Brooklyn, it is more than fit and proper to name a
section of road in that neighborhood in his honor
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024, HELD in Veterans Affairs
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8602
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 22, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BROOK-KRASNY -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the highway law, in relation to dedicating a portion of
the state highway system to "Victor Topaller"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The highway law is amended by adding a new section 344-r to
2 read as follows:
3 § 344-r. Portion of the state highway system to be dedicated to
4 "Victor Topaller". All that portion of the state highway system consti-
5 tuting state route 908H in the county of Kings, beginning at its inter-
6 section with Surf Avenue and terminating at its intersection with
7 Neptune Avenue, shall be dedicated to "Victor Topaller".
8 § 2. The commissioner of transportation shall provide for the instal-
9 lation and maintenance of adequate signing of the state highway system
10 as dedicated pursuant to section one of this act. However, to avoid
11 confusion and to limit any possible disruption of commerce, the dedi-
12 cation called for pursuant to section one of this act shall be one of
13 ceremonial nature and the official name of such highway shall not be
14 changed as a result of this act.
15 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13193-01-5
