U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, joined by other Senators, has introduced bipartisan legislation to create a taskforce conduct a comprehensive investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 9/11 Commission-style task force would investigate the origins of the pandemic, the U.S. response, availability of medical supplies and other resources, public health messaging, the government’s role in the development and distribution of vaccines, and more.

The task force would have the authority to hold hearings, take testimony and issues subpoenas. It would be comprised of 10 members, 5 appointed from each party. The task force would submit an interim report to Congress and the president within one year, and a final report within 20 months of its initial meeting.

The National Task Force on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act is led by Senators Gillibrand, Roger Marshall, Dianne Feinstein, and Joni Ernst and is co-sponsored by Senator Bob Casey.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announces broadband access expansion funding for NYS (March 29, 2023)

New York State is receiving $100 million for broadband access expansion.

The new federal investment comes from the $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said getting the American Rescue Plan act passed was one of his first acts as majority leader and that the fruits of that labor are being realized, “New York will receive $100 million in federal funding to help expand broadband and close the digital divide for communities across our great Empire State. It’ll connect over 100,000 families, homes, and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said investing in the internet can create enormous economic opportunity, “It has lifelong impacts, especially for kids. Research suggests that it leads to business creation, lowers unemployment rates, creates jobs, raises property values, and improves life and health outcomes in our communities. One study found that every dollar invested in rural broadband could generate $3 to $4 of local economic impact.”

New York’s Affordable Housing Connectivity Program is a competitive grant program designed to fund high-speed, reliable broadband infrastructure to and within low-income housing buildings.

CPF funds will be used to upgrade internet access in affordable housing units. New York has submitted its plan to the U.S. Department of Treasury for review.

Last year, New York enrolled a record one million qualifying households in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, a nationwide subsidy to expand broadband access to low-income households. The federal program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides discounts of up to $30 a month toward internet service for eligible low-income households.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has announced her ideas for improving nutrition and addressing food insecurity ahead of the 2023 Farm Bill.

More than 33 million people in the United States live in households that are food insecure, with roughly 2.9 million people in New York relying on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Gillibrand’s priorities to combat food insecurity and increase access to nutritious meals in the Farm Bill include strengthening SNAP benefits, expanding the SNAP program to people living in Puerto Rico, and ensuring disadvantaged populations always have a pathway to food.

Gillibrand’s announcement follows her questioning of USDA officials at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing where she pushed experts on the importance of maintaining adequate SNAP benefits, improving the SNAP Employment & Training program, improving the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, and more.

With the current legislation set to expire on September 30, 2023, Congress is working to draft a new, five-year Farm Bill with congressional hearings already underway to determine public and private stakeholders’ priorities for the reauthorization.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has reintroduced her Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act as part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill negotiations.

The Farm Bill is re-visited and needs congressional approval every five years.

With nearly 3,500 dairy farmers, Gillibrand noted that the state is the fifth-largest producer of milk in the nation and the largest producer of yogurt and cheese.

The Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act would give dairy farmers the ability to review proposals, which could change the class one milk pricing for things like skim and whole milk. Currently, milk is separated into four classes – milk used for beverages is Class I; milk used for products like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, frozen desserts, sour cream, yogurt and other foods is Class II; milk used for cream cheese, spreadable cheeses and hard cheese or shredded, grated or crumbled cheese is Class III, and Class IV is milk used for butter, evaporated or sweetened condensed milk.

If the bill is passed, it would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to hold public hearings within six months.

Gillibrand is also asking the U.S. trade representative to review what she says is Canada’s failure to uphold its dairy trade obligations.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the legislation, passed in December, will enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to complete several risk management studies on flooding and start new projects that are key to New York’s water restoration, waterway resiliency, and emergency flood protection.

It also includes provisions to prevent invasive species from accessing New York’s waterways, including the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

WRDA has recently been passed every two years and authorizes water resource studies and projects and sets policies for navigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, water supply, and emergency management for the Army Corps.

Social Security benefits

The Social Security Administration announced that the 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023. Increased payments to more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2022.

On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month.

The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Administration announced other adjustments that take effect in January are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $160,200 from $147,000.

Social Security and SSI beneficiaries are normally notified by mail starting in early December about their new benefit amount. People may also find out their information before then by creating or accessing an account online at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

U.S. Senate Aging Committee member Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued a statement on the cost-of-living increase, saying, “Today’s Social Security Administration announcement of an 8.7% increase in benefit checks, the largest increase since 1981, is fantastic news for more than 70 million Americans who are struggling with skyrocketing drug prices, prohibitive housing costs, and the rising cost of living.”

The request comes as Canada allowed its COVID-19 entry restrictions to expire on October 1. Those restrictions included random testing and vaccine requirements.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Brian Higgins have repeatedly urged the administration to prioritize the reopening of the land border.

Both said the Canadian land border closure placed severe economic strains on the supply chains of New York businesses, hospitals, and medical equipment providers that rely on travel across the northern border to produce essential goods and services.

In October 2021, the Biden administration announced that it would reopen the U.S.-Canada land border to fully vaccinated travelers from Canada.

Earlier this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it was ending its country-specific COVID-19 travel advisories. Gillibrand and Higgins point to this as further acknowledgement of the changing dynamics of the pandemic and justification for the U.S. to also proceed with the lifting of northern border travel restrictions.

The funding was allocated by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which aims to fight the substance use disorder crisis across Appalachia.

Schumer and Gillibrand issued a media release saying the grant will provide recovery support, pre-employment development, and vocational training to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and establish partnerships with local employers to help these individuals re-enter the workforce.

MHA plans to hold an announcement on September 20th to further detail how the grant funds will be used.

Governor Kathy Hochul announces new child care assistance eligibility (August 30, 2022)

Nearly 400,000 children in New York State are newly eligible for child care assistance.

Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand launched a statewide campaign Tuesday to ensure eligible families access expanded child care assistance.

Eligibility was expanded this month in New York State to include families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level, which is up from 200%. A family of four earning up to $83,250 is now eligible for child care assistance when previously, the threshold was $55,500 or less.

Families can learn more by visiting OCFS.ny.gov/ccap.

Hochul also announced expanded eligibility for a second round of federally funded Child Care Provider Stabilization grants. As of Tuesday, all school-age child care programs and more than 900 providers that were licensed by January 1, 2022 can apply for these grants.

Eligible providers can access more information at https://ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/ccap/

Jamestown Airport

The Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown is receiving over $1.3 million in Federal funding.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced the funding was allocated through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP). That program was bolstered by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will be used to conduct repairs and enhance airfield safety.

The Jamestown Airport will receive $311,228 to acquire snow removal equipment and $1,021,500 to install perimeter fencing.