Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you would like to send a message to Senator Gillibrand, click here.
News From the Office of US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
New York families and businesses are struggling in this economy and Senator Gillibrand is working in a bipartisan way to provide emergency relief to people who need it most, create jobs and rebuild New York's economy.
Here's the latest:
News You Need to Know
Senator Gillibrand hears from Long Island residents while hosting Senate At Your Supermarket.
Extending Unemployment Benefits and Tax Breaks for First-Time Homebuyers
With millions of New Yorkers still struggling to find jobs, Senator Gillibrand helped extend unemployment benefits into 2010 for New Yorkers who were hit the hardest in this economic downturn.
To continue restoring confidence in our housing market and provide New York families with tax credits to help them buy a home, Senator Gillibrand helped extend the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Read more.
Senator Gillibrand's Agenda for New York
Senator Gillibrand with famous chef Rachael Ray
Improving Childhood Nutrition
Senator Gillibrand teamed up with famous chef Rachael Ray last month at P.S. 89/I.S. 289 in New York City to unveil a new, healthy lunch menu for New York City schoolchildren. New York City has been a model for improving the nutrition of food served at schools. Senator Gillibrand's legislative agenda would ensure schools across New York State can provide healthy food to our children every day. Read more.
Economic Recovery: Gillibrand Jobs Report
Providing Emergency Economic Relief for New York Seniors More than 3.4 million seniors, veterans and people with disabilities in New York will not receive an annual cost of living adjustment from the Social Security Administration next year. Watch Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discuss her effort to provide these New Yorkers with $250 checks to help them during this difficult time. Read more.
Ensuring America's Competitiveness, Creating High-Tech Jobs Last month, Senator Gillibrand launched her Innovation Agenda. Watch Senator Gillibrand discuss her plan to harness all of New York's unique potential to lead in the high-tech economy of the future by sparking new industries, attracting new businesses, creating thousands of new jobs for New York and restoring America's competitiveness in the high-tech global economy. Read more.
Helping Small Businesses Get New Loans To help small businesses recover and create new jobs, Senator Gillibrand is pushing the Obama Administration to set aside approximately $40 billion of unused TARP funds to spur small business lending. Small businesses account for nearly two-thirds of all new jobs and are vital for our economic recovery.
Click Here for all the latest videos of Senator Gillibrand
Visit Senator Gillibrand's Web site to stay up to date on these legislative efforts and continue sending ideas, questions and concerns.
Albany/Capital District Office Leo W. O'Brien Federal Office Building 1 Clinton Square, Room 821 Albany, NY 12207 Tel. (518) 431-0120 Fax (518) 431-0128
Rochester Office Kenneth B. Keating Federal Office Building 100 State Street Room 4195 Rochester, NY 14614 Tel. (585) 263-6250 Fax (585) 263-6247
Syracuse/Central NY James M. Hanley Federal Building 100 South Clinton Street Room 1470 PO Box 7378 Syracuse, NY 13261 Tel. (315) 448-0470 Fax (315) 448-0476
New York City Office 780 Third Avenue Suite 2601 New York, New York 10017 Tel. (212) 688-6262 Fax (212) 688-7444
Buffalo Office Larkin At Exchange 726 Exchange Street, Suite 511 Buffalo, NY 14210 Tel. (716) 854-9725 Fax (716) 854-9731
Long Island Office 155 Pinelawn Road Suite 250 North Melville, NY 11747 Tel. (631) 249-2825 Fax (631) 249-2847
North Country Office PO Box 273 Lowville, NY 13367 Tel. (315) 376-6118
Westchester Office Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Tel. (914) 725-9294 Fax (914) 472-5073
Washington, DC Office 478 Russell Washington, DC 20510 Tel. (202) 224-4451 Fax (202) 228-0282
When I first ran for Congress in 2006, I promised the people of the 24th Congressional District that I would work to reform our nation's health care system. It's been my goal to pass a bill that lowers costs for everyone who already has health insurance. At the same time, I've long recognized the need to pass a bill that provides the millions of uninsured Americans, including more than 139,000 uninsured individuals living in the 24th Congressional District, an opportunity to purchase quality, affordable health insurance.
When an attempt was made to rush a health care bill to a vote back in July, I stood up and said that we were moving too quickly and I would vote against any health care bill until I had a chance to talk face-to-face with my constituents about their health care reform priorities. Since August, I was a part of nearly 30 public forums, including 10 town hall meetings, across the district. I also held countless one-on-one meetings with health care professionals, small business owners and concerned citizens to hear their stories and to learn more about how the skyrocketing costs of health care are plaguing the finances of working families and damaging our local economy.
When I went back to Washington, I fought non-stop to change the original bill based on the needs and priorities of the people and small businesses I'm privileged to represent in Congress.
On Saturday, November 7, 2009, I voted in favor of the Affordable Healthcare for America Act (H.R. 3962), which passed the House of Representatives with bi-partisan support by a vote of 220-215. After reading the bill very carefully, my decision to support its passage was based, in part, on the inclusion of 10 vital provisions, which include:
Click Here to Listen to Congressman Arcuri Discuss His Vote in Support of H.R. 3962
1. Prohibits discrimination by health insurance companies based on pre-existing conditions. No one can be denied coverage or charged outrageous rates because of past medical circumstances;
2. Allows parents to keep their children or dependents on their health insurance until the age of 27;
3. Caps annual out-of-pocket medical expenses, providing financial security for working families and small businesses;
4. Provides much needed choice, with a public health insurance option competing with private insurers, so that individuals, families and small businesses without health insurance can finally afford to buy it;
5. Closes the Medicare Part D prescription drug 'Donut Hole' and allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to lower health care costs for seniors;
6. Creates competition in the private health insurance industry to lower costs for small business owners who provide health benefits for their employees, allowing them to invest in their businesses and create jobs;
7. Cuts out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare, which according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will cut the deficit by $30 billion;
8. Creates incentives for health wellness and prevention programs, lowering health care costs for people who choose to lead healthier lifestyles;
9. Protects working families and small business owners by not taxing high-quality, private health insurance benefits; and,
10. Allows for the sale of insurance across state lines, encouraging competition that will reduce costs.
There is a lot of false information floating around about what this health care legislation does. To be clear, the health care bill I voted for will not increase the federal deficit, will not allow for taxpayer funds to be used for abortion, will not provide heath benefits to illegal immigrants and will not cut Medicare benefits.
I encourage you to take some time to look at the health care reform legislation, which can be found by following the link below:
MICHAEL ARCURI Member of Congress
Washington, DC Office 127 Cannon HOB, Washington, DC 20515 ph: (202) 225-3665 Utica, NY Office 10 Broad Street, Room 200, Utica, NY 13501 ph: (315) 793-8146/8147 (800) 235-2525 Auburn, NY Office 17 E. Genesee Street, Auburn, NY, 13021 ph: (315) 252-2777/2778 Cortland, NY Office 16 Church Street, Carriage House Right, Cortland, NY, 13045 ph: (607)-756-2470
If you wish to contact me, please do so at http://arcuri.house.gov. Please do NOT reply to this message.
If you do not wish to receive future emails from Congressman Mike Arcuri, unsubscribe here.
