Bill Text: NY J00400 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commending former Senator Velmanette Montgomery upon the occasion of her designation as the first ever recipient of the Senate Majority Leader's Legislative Legacy Award

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 43-20)

Status: (Passed) 2021-02-23 - ADOPTED [J00400 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-J00400-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 400

BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS

        COMMENDING  former  Senator  Velmanette Montgomery
        upon the occasion of her designation  as  the  first
        ever  recipient  of  the  Senate  Majority  Leader's
        Legislative Legacy Award

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize  and
commend  those  individuals of outstanding purpose whose lives have been
committed to public service and the pursuit of excellence in the conduct
of the legislative process in this noble Empire State; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  tradition,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud to
reflect upon those extraordinary individuals who have  made  everlasting
contributions  on  behalf  of  their  fellow men and women and have left
their mark on this great Empire State; Senator Velmanette Montgomery  is
one  such  individual;  she  truly  devoted  her  life  to  serving  her
government with integrity and commitment for the sole purpose of serving
the needs of others; and

  WHEREAS, Senator Velmanette Montgomery was first elected to the  New
York State Senate in 1984; after that, she was re-elected 17 consecutive
times; and

  WHEREAS, Senator Velmanette Montgomery was the second Black woman to
be  elected  to  this  Legislative  Body, first elected more than twenty
years after the first Black woman to  be  elected  to  this  Legislative
Body, paving the way for a new generation of diverse Senators; and

  WHEREAS, Senator Velmanette Montgomery represented District 25 which
includes  Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset
Park, Gowanus, and Park Slope, among other neighborhoods located  within
the borough of Brooklyn; and

  WHEREAS,  Senator  Velmanette  Montgomery  was  the  longest serving
Democratic Senator in New York State history, and was the first  Senator
to  give birth to a child while serving in office; through her work, she
made New York a better place to live, to work and to raise a family; and

  WHEREAS, She served as the long-time secretary of the New York State
Senate Democratic Conference and served  on  the  Conference  Leadership
team  for  over a decade; in 2019, she was appointed Majority Conference
Secretary; and

  WHEREAS, As a trailblazing  legislator  and  State  leader,  Senator
Velmanette  Montgomery  was  well-known for her effective leadership and
steadfast commitment to her constituents; during her career, she  worked
tirelessly  as an advocate for youth, public education, criminal justice
reform, environmental preservation and civil rights; and

  WHEREAS, During her distinguished tenure in this  Legislative  Body,
Senator Velmanette Montgomery sponsored numerous bills that were enacted
into  law  and have made deep and lasting changes to better the lives of
the residents of New York State; among these  important  accomplishments

are  laws prohibiting the use of shackles on pregnant women (Chapter 411
of 2009 and Chapter 570 of 2015),  allowing  youth  in  foster  care  to
remain in care past their eighteenth birthday (Chapter 342 of 2009), and
ensuring  fair and equal pay for public employees (Chapter 741 of 2019);
and

  WHEREAS, As  the  Chair  of  the  New  York  State  Senate  Standing
Committee  on  Children  and Families, Senator Velmanette Montgomery was
dedicated to helping young  people  achieve  positive  outcomes  through
reform  of  the  State's juvenile justice, foster care and adoptive care
system; and

  WHEREAS, Senator Velmanette Montgomery's dedication to improving the
lives of young people led her to be a statewide champion of  YouthBuild,
an  organization that provides opportunities for young people to realize
their full potential, her support helping to achieve millions of dollars
in state assistance and bicameral support for the program; and

  WHEREAS, Her passion for supporting children's health and well-being
led Senator Velmanette Montgomery to  lead  the  fight  to  school-based
health  clinics,  helping to secure significant state fiscal support for
health-services for schools in an innovative community-based model; and

  WHEREAS, Senator Velmanette Montgomery was known for her championing
of incarcerated persons and understood the critical  need  to  create  a
pathway  for  second  chances;  her  commitment  to  restorative justice
included her often lonely but ultimately successful crusade to Raise the
Age of criminal liability; and

  WHEREAS, In acknowledgment of her longtime advocacy on the issue  of
kinship  care,  Senator  Velmanette  Montgomery  was  the  recipient  of
numerous awards  including  the  auspicious  Barbara  M.  Clark  Kinship
Champion Award; and

  WHEREAS,  Senator  Velmanette  Montgomery was not only known for her
success  as  a  legislator,  but  for  her  passion  for  mentoring  new
legislators, staff, and others, leaving a lasting impression on the next
generation of leaders and lawmakers; and

  WHEREAS,  Prior  to her service in public office, Senator Velmanette
Montgomery  worked  as  a  teacher,  adjunct  professor,  and  day  care
director;  furthermore,  she was the co-founder of the Day Care Forum of
New York City, and served as president of Community School Board 13; and

  WHEREAS,  Velmanette  Montgomery  obtained  a  master's  degree   in
Education  from  New  York University before becoming a Revson Fellow at
Columbia University; in 1991, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of  Law
from St.  Joseph's College in Brooklyn; and

  WHEREAS, In light of her many accomplishments and historic impact on
the  State  Legislature and the Empire State itself, the Senate Majority
Leader has established a new award to honor her legacy on this state and
her beloved community on the occasion of her retirement, and this  award
shall  make  Senator  Velmanette  Montgomery the first recipient of this
newly established Senate Majority  Leader's  Legislative  Legacy  Award;
now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend former Senator Velmanette Montgomery upon the  occasion  of  her
designation  as the first ever recipient of the Senate Majority Leader's
Legislative Legacy Award; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Velmanette Montgomery.