Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Joins New York City Officials and Activists to Celebrate the Signing of Sammy’s Law

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul today was joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City officials, and activists to celebrate the passage of Sammy's Law as part of the FY2025 Budget Agreement. After a decade of advocacy, this law will allow New York City to lower its speed limit to 20 miles per hour on nearly every road, which will reduce the risk of death or life-threatening injury in a crash. The legislation was named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old child who died in 2013 after he was hit by a driver in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Thank you, everyone. Good morning. Oh, what an amazing crowd this is. This is really inspiring to know that so many people came together to say no more. No more. We're here today because too many children have been hit and killed by cars speeding through our city streets. We've seen too many tears shed - families shattered. Communities traumatized by too many preventable crashes and accidents.

Today we celebrate, if there can be a celebration amidst all this sadness and memory. But we will celebrate in honor of Sammy - celebrate the passage and the signing of Sammy's law. And this will empower the City of New York to do what I think they should have had the power to do all along. And that's just a personal commentary on what I believe community should have power to do. But New York City will be able to take back its streets. What that means is we're taking back the streets, making them safer for people, slowing down drivers and saving lives. Too many families have lost kids to this violence. It is traffic violence. It's violence. It's a violent scene and they fought so hard right here in Brooklyn to make this reality. I'm so honored to have so many of them here today.

First of all, our Mayor Eric Adams, thank you for being a champion of Sammy's Law, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. En route is one of the sponsors Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Assemblymember Tony Simone, and our Brooklyn District Attorney Gonzales, is here. Did I miss any of our great elected officials? If now, speak now or forever hold your peace. Alright.

We also have incredible advocates, people who never thought to be bonded together in tragedy but realized that they could suffer alone or mobilize together. And what power they harnessed among other people who had that similar experience, that most unnatural of all occurrences, a child passing before the parents. That's not the natural way of life. That's why this hits you so hard. It's a gut wrenching kick in the stomach that lasts forever. They were joined together. These activists, families, Families for Safe Streets Transportation alternatives - God bless every one of you for standing up and being there. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Our principal, Jack Chan, MS 51 is site - Sammy's School - the teachers and others who knew him a decade ago and all of our partners in the State Legislature I recognize. But there's no one fought harder than the indomitable Amy Cohen. Amy Cohen. Without her, none of us would be here today. Please stand up for Amy Cohen. Please stand up. She is the mother of Sammy Cohen Eckstein. That's right, never give up. That's what they'll be saying about Amy forever. She never gave up. And Sammy, who was killed just steps from his home. He was 12 years old. We gather at this school because this was Sammy's school. This was the place where he had friends and teachers, embraced life, hang out with his friends, play some soccer. This is hard for everybody who's ever had a child. Your mom, you have a baby, put the baby in your arms, begins a lifelong love affair with this little person who relies on you for everything. Have that baby stolen away, turns your life upside down.

And all the people behind me who channeled their own pain into this advocacy. And what Amy did founding this great organization, Families for Safe Streets, because she knew she was not alone. She'd heard from other voices. She pulled them together. This group has championed vital legislation meant to protect people on our streets. Other pieces of legislation, but also including this Sammy's Law. She watched time and time again; she'd go plead her case in our State's Capitol. She kept marching, meetings, rallies, hunger strike - there was nothing she wouldn't do to put a spotlight. And how we have the power if we only use it to make our streets safer and question why. Why does it take a decade of effort?

Until this year, when we said, yes, Amy. Yes, to all the parents, yes to all the advocates - we will get it done in our State Budget, and we did. We got it done. So, we owe her, and my partners in government, who champion this, a debt of gratitude.

Last year, 101 New Yorkers were killed by cars on city streets. Hundreds more injured. Every statistic is a life, a story. Someone who now has left an empty chair at the table and their family. In the classroom. It's a mother who won't see kids graduate college. A child who never grows up and realizes their dreams. But you know what we realized in this advocacy effort? It didn't have to happen. These accidents are preventable. We're all in this together. It's been proven over and over again that when you reduce the speed limits, pedestrian crashes leading to serious injuries and deaths go way down. It just changes everything.

New York City, under this law, will now have the power to lower the speed limit from 25 miles an hour to 20 miles an hour on residential streets. Those five miles an hour makes a difference in life and death. And 20 to 15 near schools and senior centers and other slow zones should never have taken so long. And I spent 14 years myself in local government. My view of the world is local government should be making these decisions. You should not have to go all the way to Albany. You should just be able to go to your mayor and your city council like they do all over the State. I was a former council member. I didn't have to go to Albany for all these things. Sometimes we didn't. But I want to empower the localities. We have enough to work on. We have a lot on our plates.

Oh, Senators joined us here. Linda's here too. I acknowledge them, but these are our sponsors. Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Linda Rosenthal. I want to recognize them again. Local leaders and their transportation know the areas, they know the problem intersections, and they know where crashes are most likely to happen. So, giving them control is what I'd say is common sense. I use that phrase a lot because I don't see enough of it. It's a new concept in some places. But not with us. We get it. We understand and that's how you make sense of it - community safer. I want to close with this.

It's not hard to be an advocate when you go to explain your cause, or go to a rally, or talk to someone or talk to a reporter. It naturally reopens the wounds. It gets raw again. You wonder, will my heart ever be bonded back together or is it going to keep getting ripped apart? It takes strength. A strength that perhaps is within every mother, every father who's lost a child - but sometimes you retreat into yourself. You go a little tighter like this. Not these people behind me. They opened up, they found others.

They found the depth of courage that was required to keep willingly exposing themselves to this internal pain. To champion something to save other people's lives. That to me is extraordinary. Extraordinary what they did. It takes heart, takes courage, takes passion. And it takes love of their child that they lost, but love of strangers, children who they've never met - who as a result of their efforts, will be able to keep playing on the playground, going to schools, graduate, because of what these extraordinary people did. So, this is a triumph, a triumph for all of you who never gave up, never surrendered, and fought for the lives of others. You may never know who they are, but I want the world to know it's because of all of you. Thank you.

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