Strengthening Jobs in New York's Military Sector, Ensuring Defense Department Uses Steel Made in Upstate New York, Restoring Faith in Congress, Protecting U.S. Mail Service

December 23rd, 2011 Unsubscribe WEBSITE | ABOUT | NEWS | ISSUES | AGENDA | SERVICES | CONTACT  As 2011 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been working hard on behalf of all New Yorkers. Over the past year, Senator Gillibrand traveled to all of New York’s 62 counties, holding more than 400 events, meeting with local business leaders, elected officials, community advocates, local law enforcement, educational leaders and everyday New York families. She strongly believes that hearing directly from her constituents is an essential part of doing her job effectively and results in a stronger legislative agenda. Senator Gillibrand looks forward to continuing her work on behalf of New Yorkers in 2012 and wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season!   Gillibrand Jobs Agenda Strengthening Jobs in New York's Military Sector As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Gillibrand helped deliver millions of federal dollars to strengthen jobs in New York- including over $50 million for nanotechnology research, which the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering could apply for, $20 million for a new Army Reserve Center in Schenectady, $57.5 million for construction and facility upgrades at Fort Drum, $1.1 billion for Naval Reactor programs, some of which would be overseen by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in West Milton, and $18.55 million for an Army Reserve Center at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. The Senator also secured passage of a provision that will protect National Guard members' jobs while they are serving our country. Senator Gillibrand with members of the National Guard 42 Infantry Rainbow Division, Troy Photo courtesy of National Guard 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division Ensuring Defense Department Uses Steel Made in Upstate New York This month Senator Gillibrand urged the U.S. Department of Defense to require military vehicles to utilize steel produced by American steel manufactures. This rule change would spur a boost of domestic steel production across the country and bring jobs to upstate New York. Click here for more information. News You Need to Know Restoring Faith in Congress Like millions of Americans all across the country, Senator Gillibrand was surprised to learn that insider trading by members of Congress, their families or their staff, using non-public information gained through their Congressional work, is not already clearly and expressly illegal. She believes the American people need to know that their elected leaders play by the exact same rules that they play by. They also deserve the right to know their lawmakers’ only interest is what’s best for the country, not their own financial interests. Nobody should be above the rules. To fix this, Senator Gillibrand introduced the bipartisan STOCK Act with the support of 24 cosponsors coming from both sides of the aisle. Momentum on the STOCK Act is growing swiftly, as it was recently passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, moving an important step closer to final passage on the Senate floor. To view Senator Gillibrand’s testimony on Congressional Insider Trading, click here. To read Senator Gillibrand’s Op-Ed on Congressional insider trading, click here. Senator Gillibrand Testifying in Front of the Senate Homeland Secutiry and Government Affairs Committee, Washington D.C. Protecting U.S. Mail Service Earlier this year, the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to review its mail processing network, including studying potentially shutting down 3,700 post offices and 252 mail processing facilities nationwide. At Senator Gillibrand’s urging, the U.S. Postal Service announced a five-month moratorium on closing these postal facilities to give Congress more time to enact postal reform legislation. In New York State, this gives a reprieve for 100 post offices and seven Area Mail Processing centers, keeping thousands of New Yorkers employed. Click here for more information. Gillibrand Staff Gives Back to Their Communities in the Holiday Spirit As New Yorkers celebrate the holiday’s this season, Senator Gillibrand and her staff took some time to give back to their communities throughout the state. For Thanksgiving week, the Senator joined the Southwest Community Center in Syracuse to help with their annual winter clothing drive where they passed out Thanksgiving turkeys to hundreds in the community. In Rochester, Senator Gillibrand read books to children and helped to sort food, clothes and other donations for Thanksgiving baskets at the Wilson Commencement Park. In Buffalo, she joined WNY Heroes Co-Founder, Chris Kreiger, representatives from the VA Hospice Center, and local youth to make holiday cards for soldiers and VA patients at the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo. Last week, Senator Gillibrand’s staff volunteered across New York State, spending time at local non-profits, food banks, and soup kitchens. New York City staff volunteered at City Harvest’s mobile market in Washington Heights, Long Island staff volunteered at 1 in 9, the Long Island Breast Cancer Coalition in Hewlett, Westchester staff volunteered at United Way’s Hudson Valley 211 in White Plains, Albany staff volunteered at Equinox Community Service Agency’s food drive, Syracuse staff volunteered at the Food Bank of Central New York, Rochester staff volunteered at St. Peter’s Soup kitchen, Buffalo staff volunteered at the Response to Love Center, and North Country staff volunteered at the Lowville Food Pantry. Click here for more information. Members of  Senator Gillibrand's Staff Volunteering, New York City   Office Locations 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 Hudson Valley Office PO Box 893 Mahopac, NY 10541 Tel. (845) 875-4585 Fax (845) 875-9099 Washington, DC Office 478 Russell | Washington, DC 20510 | Tel. (202) 224-4451 | Fax (202) 228-0282 Unsubscribe - Privacy Policy

Fighting for Those who Fight for Us, Securing Federal Aid for Damage Caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, Upstate Works, Cutting the Red Tape for New York's Apple Producers

December 1st, 2011 Unsubscribe WEBSITE | ABOUT | NEWS | ISSUES | AGENDA | SERVICES | CONTACT U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been hard at work for New Yorkers. The number one issue is rebuilding our economy, and Senator Gillibrand is fighting to sustain and create jobs statewide as well as to secure aid for New Yorkers effected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Senator Gillibrand also fought hard on behalf of military servicemen and women, and veterans to make sure that they have full and easier access to all of the benefits they deserve.  Gillibrand Jobs Agenda Upstate Works In order to put New Yorkers back to work and create an environment for a strong and growing upstate economy, Senator Gillibrand announced the Upstate Works Act. The bill retools New York’s manufacturers for the clean energy economy, provides tax relief for family farms to diversify and expand their production, provides resources to assist students and working adults in getting the training they need for jobs in the future, connects upstate businesses with new markets by expanding broadband to every corner of the state and gets construction workers back on the job rebuilding New York’s highways and water infrastructure. Click Here for more information. Senator Gillibrand visiting Lumetrics Inc., Rochester Putting American Heroes Back to Work Senator Gillibrand has been hard at work on behalf of our veterans. At Senator Gillibrand’s urging, the President signed into law legislation to help veterans and servicemembers find jobs in these tough times.  The passage of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 gives employers a tax credit of up to $9,600 for unemployed veterans. Furthermore, the bill would improve current benefits for veterans which would include the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) mandatory, providing returning troops career counseling and equip them with better job search skills. The bill also provides additional training benefits for disabled veterans through the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program. Click here for more information.  News You Need to Know Fighting for Those who Fight for Us New York State is home to approximately 25,000 full and part-time members of the National Guard and Reserves. These men and women serve bravely to protect Americans both home and abroad; however, these servicemen and women do not have the same access to military benefits as active duty service members. Senator Gillibrand recently announced her plan to protect civilian jobs of Guard members who have been deployed, and strengthen the network of support services including health care services, marriage and financial counseling, and substance abuse treatment among other services. Senator Gillibrand’s plan also fights for an increase in access to mental health benefits for those returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Click here for more information. Senator Gillibrand with members of the National Guard 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division, Troy Photo courtesy of National Guard 42nd Infantry Rainbow Division Securing Federal Aid for Damage Caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee As many communities throughout New York State work to recover from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, Senator Gillibrand is fighting to secure disaster aid to help New rebuild. This month, Senator Gillibrand Announced over $2.5 billion in secured federal dollars for disaster relief. This includes $123 million for the Emergency Conservation Program, $216 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, $1.66 billion for the Federal Highways Administration Emergency Relief Program, $400 million for Community Development Block Grants, $200,000 for the Economic Development Administration. Nearly $40 million is reserved just for New York to assist small businesses and farmers get back on their feet. In addition, New York will receive a total of $7 million in emergency relief money from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to repair washed out roads and bridges, damaged roadway surfaces, remove debris deposits on roadways, and other issues that have plagued New York’s infrastructure caused by this past summer’s storms. Click here for more information. Senator Gillibrand speaking to reporters about storm damage in upstate New York, Catskill Cutting the Red Tape for New York's Apple Producers With New York State being the second largest producer of apples in the country, Senator Gillibrand fought to cut bureaucratic red tape for apple producers of New York State by easing their insurance regulations. Senator Gillibrand worked closely with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency to change the way that Approved Insurance Providers assess apple produces for insurance policies. Under the old system, farmers were required to keep track of their fresh apple crop in “Sales By Unit” terms. This was a process that proved to be highly complex, costly, and inefficient for many of New York’s farmers. Under the new regulations, apple producers will be able to be insured based on their records of total production rather than “Sales By Unit” which will ease the burden on many of New York’s apple producers. Click here for more information. The Gillibrand Agenda New Website for Service Members, Veterans, and Families This month, Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, launched a new comprehensive government website to provide a one-stop shop for New York’s men and women in the military, veterans, and their families. The website aims to support those that serve and have served us bravely by locally equipping them with federal resources across a wide range of topics including federal job listings, career counseling, education benefits and scholarships, small business grants, housing assistance, health services, resources for women veterans, wounded warriors, and family and caregiver assistance. To assist New York military servicemen and women, veterans, and their families, Senator Gillibrand’s site maps resources in contacts in each of New York’s 62 Counties. Click here for more information. You may visit the website directly, here. Senator Gillibrand greeting soldiers at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn Celebrating the Holidays with Community Service To Kickoff the Thanksgiving Holiday, Senator Gillibrand made stops in Syracuse,  Rochester, and Buffalo to participate in events that gave back to the local communities. In Syracuse, the Senator joined members of the Syracuse community at the Southwest Community Center and helped them organize their annual winter clothing drive and pass out Thanksgiving turkeys to hundreds in the community that signed up. In Rochester, Senator Gillibrand read books to children and helped to sort food, clothes and other donations for the Thanksgiving baskets at the Wilson Commencement Park. Senator Gillibrand, joined by WNY Heroes Co-Founder, Chris Kreiger representatives from the VA Hospice Center and local youth to make holiday cards for soldiers and VA patients at the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo. Click here for more information. Senator Gillibrand reading to children at Wilson Commencement Park, Rochester Office Locations 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 Hudson Valley Office PO Box 893 Mahopac, NY 10541 Tel. (845) 875-4585 Fax (845) 875-9099 Washington, DC Office 478 Russell | Washington, DC 20510 | Tel. (202) 224-4451 | Fax (202) 228-0282 Unsubscribe - Privacy Policy