“I want to thank Gov. Cuomo for listening and doing the right thing for our heroes, the brave men and women who serve to protect us and our freedoms. The governor's actions today help correct the Assembly Majority’s egregious error. When they blocked our bill to provide cost-free tuition to the children of service members who die or become severely disabled in the line of duty, it was an insult to our values and an example of politics at its worst.

“Make no mistake, though, this should not have taken eleven years, and it shouldn’t have taken a public outcry to get this done. I want to thank Assemblyman Steve Hawley, the chief sponsor of this legislation, for his perseverance and steadfast leadership. I also want to stress to residents the importance of signing our petition and urge them to voice their support for this important legislation and tell Assembly Majority memebers to finally pass it and permanently codify this into law. I’m very pleased that the governor supports this action and has found the resources for this year, but let’s not make this dependent on who’s in the governor’s mansion. Let’s pass this bill, get it signed into law and do this right,” said Palmesano.