The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

2007 Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day

Empire State Plaza, Well Of The Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY
Monday, May 21, 2007

My friends, welcome to Albany and welcome to our 2007 Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day.

On behalf of the thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities who could not make the trip to meet with their government leaders today, I commend each and every one of you for being here this afternoon.

Let me take a moment to congratulate our "Doctor Henry J. Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award" winner, Bruce Darling, Executive Director of the Center for Disability Rights, and Organizer for New York State ADAPT.

Let me also praise ALL of the fine artists who won Assembly Member Michael Cusick's "Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day" poster contest:

• Our Kindergarten winner, Nicole Leahy.
• Our First Grade winner, Michael Gianino.
• Our Second Grade winner, Delaney Petito.
• Our Third Grade winner, Christopher McLendon.
• Our Fourth Grade winner, Andrew Milazzo.
• And our Fifth Grade winner, Sarah Schwartz.

Congratulations one and all.

If you have attended this event in the past, then you know this: in the New York State Assembly, you have partners you can count on, beginning with the Chair of the Task Force on People with Disabilities, Assembly Member Michele Titus.

She is one of the bright and rising stars in this state government. I have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead this Task Force, and I know you will be as impressed with Michele's leadership and advocacy as I am.

You also have very important allies in the Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Assembly Member Peter Rivera; as well as public service leaders, such as: Assembly Members Mike Cusick, Dick Gottfried, Harvey Weisenberg, Kevin Cahill, Amy Paulin, Joe Morelle, David Koon, Barbara Lifton, Deborah Glick; the list is endless.

Year after year, we work with your advocates to craft legislation to ensure New Yorkers with disabilities fairness, justice, and opportunity wherever you live in this great state of ours.

In fact, this afternoon, the Assembly will take up - and we intend to pass - our 19-bill Disabilities Awareness legislative agenda to accomplish these goals.

We developed these bills with you, and we're going to get them done today.

We have other partners that must be recognized as well.

Let me start with the Executive Director of our Task Force, an outstanding leader in her own right, Executive Director, Kim Hill. When it comes to the issues that matter most to New Yorkers with disabilities, Kim is the authority.

Thank you, Kim.

Let me ask you a question. Isn't it great to have partners in the Governor's Office once again?

In Governor Eliot Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson, we finally have leaders in the Executive who believe in a government that values every single New Yorker and guarantees opportunity for all.

Already, we have achieved a key victory.

In the enacted state budget, Governor Spitzer provided - and the Legislature supported - an investment of $3.5 million for the Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Waiver.

In addition, the budget agreement set aside $2.5 million to provide housing subsidies for those New Yorkers living in nursing homes, who can - and should have the right - to live independently.

That is partnership. That is the kind of vision and action we can expect thanks to the leadership of Governor Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor Paterson.

Let's not forget that we also have a strong and aggressive champion of social justice in our new Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo.

I know you have legislators to meet with and exhibitors on hand, so let me close by saying this: never forget, the Legislature works for you. The Governor works for you.

No one serving here in the Empire State Plaza is more important than you are. So, don't hold back!

Be loud. Be persistent. Make your voices heard. That's how you get things done in a democracy.

By all means, make this the most successful Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day ever!

Thanks for listening. Enjoy the rest of your day in Albany.