LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim February 17-23, 2013, as Court Reporting and Captioning Week in
the State of New York

WHEREAS, For millennia, individuals have wanted the spoken word trans-
lated into text to record history and to accomplish this task have
relied on scribes; and
WHEREAS, The profession of scribe was born with the rise of civiliza-
tion; and
WHEREAS, In Ancient Egypt, scribes were considered to be the literate
elite, recording laws and other important documents and, since that
time, have served as impartial witnesses to history; and
WHEREAS, Scribes were present with our Nation's founding fathers as
the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights were drafted; and
WHEREAS, President Lincoln entrusted scribes to record the Emancipa-
tion Proclamation; and
WHEREAS, Since the advent of shorthand machines, these scribes have
been known as court reporters and have played a permanent and invaluable
role in courtrooms across the country; and
WHEREAS, Court reporters are present in the New York State Legisla-
ture, preserving the words and actions of its members; and
WHEREAS, Court reporters and captioners are responsible for the closed
captioning seen scrolling across television screens, at sporting stadi-
ums and in other community and educational settings, bringing informa-
tion to millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans every day; and
WHEREAS, Court reporters and captioners translate the spoken word into
text and preserve our history; and
WHEREAS, Whether called the scribes of yesterday or the court repor-
ters and captioners of today, the individuals who preserve our nation's
history are truly the guardians of the record; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim February 17-23, 2013,
as Court Reporting and Captioning Week in the State of New York; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.