“As families across the state celebrate the holiday weekend, I hope all New Yorkers will join me in remembering the finest among us. It is important for all of us to say thank you to those who serve. Without the sacrifice of those in uniform, it would be impossible to conceive of the America we enjoy today.

“Memorial Day is a special day to remember our nation’s service members who have died in the line of duty. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t always be inspired by their memory and their legacy. Their legacy is inherent in the country we have become today, the most free and prosperous in the world.

“I am pleased the bill I supported granting free college tuition to the dependents of fallen service members has passed. When service members give their lives to secure our freedom, the least we can do is secure their children’s education in return.”