"On Veterans Day, we pause to honor the men and women who serve our nation and the cause of freedom as members of the military. This year, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, I am proud to unveil a new statewide initiative that pays homage to exceptional veterans throughout New York - the State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame.

"The first-of-its-kind online Hall of Fame is designed to pay tribute to New Yorkers whose gallantry in the US Armed Forces is complemented by their service to the community and significant accomplishments as civilians.

"This Friday, Nov. 11, I will reveal the names of three inductees from my Senate District who will be included in the Hall of Fame inaugural class of 30 veterans from across New York. I'll be making the announcement at the American Legion Williston Post #144, home to one of my honorees. These outstanding veterans were chosen because they continue to serve with distinction as leading members of their communities and have spent decades advocating on behalf of veterans and their families.

"The Veterans' Day tribute will be accessed through my website www.senatorbalboni.com starting Friday. I urge all who have access to a computer to log on to this site and read more about these outstanding members of our community. As a new Veterans Day tradition, I will be designating additional Hall of Fame inductees each year."

Senator Michael Balboni led a group of state legislators from 22 different states on a rare tour of the NY/NJ HIDTA Intelligence Center and other vital counter-terrorism facilities in the city. The event, sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), provided the out-of-state visitors with an important glimpse into the security measures and information-sharing capabilities of New York State.

"The state representatives who participated in these site tours are top homeland security experts in their own states. They traveled to New York City to learn firsthand how the city works with state and national officials to share homeland security intelligence and protect our citizens. They can apply the valuable information they learned here today to their own states, which play as crucial a role as New York does in the development of a long-term national homeland security strategy," Senator Balboni said.

Senator Balboni is the co-chair of the NCSL Executive Task Force on Homeland Security, charged with investigating homeland security issues affecting all 50 states. As co-chair, Senator Balboni represents New York and the legislatures of the 49 other states and is NCSL's primary contact with Congress on homeland security issues.

The event began with a tour of Ground Zero, including a presentation on what the site looked like the morning of 9/11 and a snapshot of the rebuilding plans given by Stefan Pryor, president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

Next, Task Force members toured the workings of the city's "fusion center," where data from a variety of sources are merged to provide more efficient information exchange to counter crime and terrorism. The visit included briefings by top state counter-terrorism officials - Homeland Security Director James McMahon, State Police Office of Counter-Terrorism Colonel Bart Johnson, Director of Criminal Justice Chauncey Parker and Ken Middleton of the NY/NJ HIDTA Intelligence Center.

MTA Police Department officials also provided a tour of the security and counter-terrorism measures taken at Penn Station. The day culminated with a briefing and tour of the security systems on the George Washington Bridge.

Senator Balboni, an active member of NCSL, also chairs the organization's Justice Information Sharing Advisory Group.