October 2008
As this session of Congress comes to a close, I want to update you on some of the important progress we have made this year and the work I am doing on critical priorities for our state and nation. There is no doubt that we face challenges on many fronts, from a growing economic crisis and high energy costs to a health care system that is not working for too many of our citizens. But we also have opportunities to address these challenges and that is what I am fighting to do every day as your Senator. I hope you find this information useful and I invite you to visit my website at www.clinton.senate.gov to learn more or to share your thoughts and concerns. Thank you for your interest and for all that you do to make our great state everything that it is and can be.
Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Economic Crisis:
Protecting Main Street & Fixing Wall Street
Our country is facing the greatest set of economic challenges since the Great Depression, and I have been working in the Senate to prevent the turmoil on Wall Street from completely engulfing Main Street. New York has lost thousands of jobs and thousands more are at risk. Small businesses are struggling to find credit to keep their doors open and inventories stocked. Affordable student loans, car payments, and home loans are all jeopardized. State and local budgets are at risk. We can weather this storm, but we have got to start by righting the ship and enacting policies that will serve the middle class, create jobs, and prevent future financial crises.
As we respond to this crisis, we need to focus on keeping families in their homes, ensuring that small businesses have access to credit, and restoring accountability to our financial system. I have outlined principles and offered a number of proposals to help guide us through this crisis and get our economy back on the right track. I am proposing that we set three big goals: 1) ensuring accountability to taxpayers in the actions to stabilize the markets; 2) rewriting mortgages at risk of default and foreclosure that threaten the housing markets and financial markets; and 3) pursuing broader economic change to prevent future crises, reform Wall Street, and grow this economy by creating new jobs and opportunities for the middle class.
I began calling for measures to address subprime mortgage problems two years ago and now that we are in the midst of an economic downturn, we need to finally address one of the biggest underlying problems in our economy: weakness in the housing market. In April I introduced the Mortgage Enhancement and Modification Act to encourage lenders to seek practical and responsible mortgage modifications for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages.
I have proposed the Homeowners Mortgage Enterprise (HOME), modeled after the Great Depression-era Homeowners Loan Corporation (HOLC), to rewrite mortgages and reset terms so that creditworthy families would be able to keep their homes and make affordable payments. I have also proposed tax incentives that would help to jumpstart the housing market to increase demand and inject liquidity into the credit market.
Following Congressional passage of the market rescue plan, I called on the President and Treasury Secretary to create a $250 billion “Emergency Stabilization Fund” to make emergency loans and establish temporary lines of credit for small businesses, to allow schools and universities to have short term access to funding to reduce the pressure on tuition, to increase direct loans to students as private lending has dried up, and to help stabilize municipal bonds that our state and local governments depend on to function normally.
To read more about my proposals to address the economic crisis, click here.
Meeting Health Challenges
Our health care system is in desperate need of reform. American workers have seen their health care premiums more than double since 1999, far outpacing wages. Deductibles have also soared, especially for employees of small businesses, while benefits have been cut back. Americans are paying more for their health care and getting less at a time of mounting economic challenges. And we still have more than 45 million Americans without health insurance, including more than eight million children. It is now clearer than ever that we urgently need major reforms to reduce costs and ensure quality, affordable health care for every single American.
I am proud of what we have accomplished over the last year to improve health care for children, seniors, veterans and many others. And I will continue to advocate for reforms as we work toward quality, affordable health care for every single American – no exceptions, no excuses, no one left out.
We won a great victory when the Respite Care Act was signed into law. I authored this law to provide competitive grants for states and localities to increase the availability of respite care services for family caregivers regardless of age. For the millions of Americans who provide critical long-term care services for family members, this law will provide the support and resources they need to continue their labor of love. I will continue fighting to secure full funding for this program.
Underserved communities in New York and across the country suffer severe shortages of health care professionals. That is why I introduced a measure to improve access to professional development and training for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). The members of the Corps provide an invaluable service where their work is most needed, and I am pleased that this initiative was recently signed into law.
I was pleased to cosponsor the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which also recently became law. This long overdue legislation will provide full parity for mental health and substance abuse services like the protections put in place for federal employees during the Clinton Administration, extending these protections to millions more Americans.
We made a great step forward in protecting some of our most vulnerable children when the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act became law. I was honored to introduce this bill and advocate for its passage alongside former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and his family, who have been steadfast advocates for newborn screening through their Buffalo-based organization, the Hunter’s Hope Foundation. With this new law, the National Institutes of Health will engage in vital research to improve newborn screening technology and treatment, and we will make these life-saving methods more widely available so that more newborns and families have access to this critical care.
I am also pleased to have secured in law “Michelle’s Law,” legislation I sponsored that will help protect college students battling serious illness. Michelle Morse was a 20-year-old college student being treated for advanced colon cancer who was forced to remain a full-time student for fear of losing her health insurance. This new law will make sure no one has to endure what Michelle experienced; it ensures that college students who receive health insurance as dependents under a parent’s health plan may take up to twelve months of necessary medical leave from college without a lapse in their health insurance coverage.
Recently, I stood up against the Bush Administration’s attempt to slash Medicaid funding for health clinics across New York. More than 400,000 New Yorkers could be affected, and a wide range of health care facilities could be endangered. I will continue fighting the Bush Administration until it abandons its attempts to roll back critical funding.
This year we struck down a barrier that stood in the way of many Americans’ access to health care. New research and advances in genetics hold tremendous potential, but they should not be used to discriminate against people or threaten their rights. The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, which I cosponsored and which is now law, will ensure that personal genetic information cannot be used to deprive anyone of health care.
I am pleased that a bill I cosponsored to protect some of our most vulnerable patients was approved by the Senate Finance Committee. The Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act would put in place a system of background checks and state-federal coordination for the health care professionals who care for elderly patients and nursing home residents. The safeguards in this bill will help ensure that these patients are receiving the best possible care and provide assurances that they will not be abused or exploited.
I have also introduced a bill that will help some of our youngest patients who are recovering from serious illnesses. The Pediatric, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship and Quality of Life Act will support cancer control and monitoring programs, follow-up care, and survivorship clinics so that as we continue the fight against childhood cancer, we can also support the survivors who experience late effects of the disease.
To fix our health care system, we must place an emphasis on prevention to help move us from a system of sickness to a system of wellness. To help us meet that challenge, I recently introduced the 21st Century Wellness Act. My bill will create the Wellness Trust at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to refocus the nation’s health care system on prevention and wellness.
To read more about my work on health care, please click here.
Addressing the Lasting Health Effects of 9/11
Soon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 I sounded the alarm that first responders, workers, volunteers, residents and others exposed to the toxic air that resulted from the World Trade Center attacks could suffer serious health effects and would need help in the days, months and years to come. Since then, I have worked hard with my colleagues from the region to provide monitoring and treatment for the many who have become sick and to ensure we uphold our commitment for the long term.
I was proud to help secure major new funding for Fiscal Year 2008. Thanks to our efforts, $108 million in new funding went toward monitoring and treatment activities administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to help those individuals who were exposed to the environmental hazards released on and after 9/11. We also secured $51.5 million and a requirement that the Department of Health and Human Services, through NIOSH, expand the program beyond responders and recovery workers to entities that would provide services to residents, office and commercial workers, students, and other individuals who were exposed.
We have built on this work for 2009 and beyond, securing Senate passage of a measure to create a reserve fund to address the long-term health care needs of these victims. I also recently welcomed the announcement of $30 million over three years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) to provide medical examinations, diagnostic testing, referral, and treatment for residents, students, office workers, and others in the community who are suffering from the effects of the September 11 attacks.
I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to develop a bipartisan long-term solution for the health needs faced by all who were affected by the World Trade Center attacks.
To read more about my work on the health effects of 9/11, click here.
Standing Up for Women’s Health
When reports surfaced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was planning to issue a new regulation that would put ideology over women’s health and threaten access to needed health care, I joined with Senator Patty Murray to sound the alarm. The proposed HHS rule would threaten access to information and health care by for the first time allowing any employee of a health provider that receives federal health care funding to refuse to participate in any way in health care they find objectionable for any reason. We met with HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to voice our concerns that the vague language in the rule would enable providers to deny access to health care, including contraception. We will keep up pressure on HHS to put sound science and women’s health first.
To read more about my work to protect women’s health, click here.
Fighting for Progress on Global Health Needs
With the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) this year, America renewed its commitment to the fight to stop and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS around the world. Women and girls are especially at risk for these diseases, which is why I introduced a measure in that bill that requires the inclusion of programs that will help target the specific vulnerability of women and girls to HIV. I also sponsored an amendment that will help ensure that the most effective efforts receive adequate funding and are replicated in other locations.
In addition to ensuring access to critically needed reproductive health services at home, I am working to ensure that women around the world get the care they need, so that we can reduce maternal mortality and improve the health of women and their families. This year, I introduced the United Nations Population Fund Restoration Act, legislation designed to increase support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its essential women’s health services, including safe motherhood initiatives, infection prevention, and provision of health and hygiene supplies in disaster situations.
To read more about my work on global health challenges, click here.
The War in Iraq & National Security
I have continued to press to begin redeploying our troops out of Iraq and refocus our efforts in Afghanistan. I have been increasingly concerned that we have lost the initiative there, both militarily and diplomatically. It is imperative that the Bush Administration shift its focus and resources to combat terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I have called on President Bush to be clear that the United States will not seek and will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq. I introduced legislation to prevent the President from tying the hands of his successor by unilaterally negotiating a long term security agreement with the Iraqi government. The Congressional Oversight of Iraq Agreements Act would require Congressional approval for any bilateral agreement that would extend the U.S. military commitment to Iraq.
I have also introduced legislation to address the growing humanitarian crisis and potential security breakdown resulting from the influx of Iraqi refugees into neighboring countries. The Iraqi Refugee and Internally Displaced Personal Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement, and Security Act would increase directed accountable assistance to these host countries while facilitating the resettlement of Iraqis at risk.
I have long argued that an Iraq Oil Trust that distributes revenues equally among the citizens, regardless of sectarian divisions or political rivalries, could help bind the fractured nation together and instill in the Iraqi people a sense of collective ownership and promise. I have introduced legislation directing the Bush Administration to present a plan to the Iraqi government for the establishment of an Oil Trust, which will give every Iraqi a share in the country’s oil wealth, speed political reconciliation, combat corruption, and increase transparency.
We face a significant number of additional challenges around the world. Iran’s role in the Middle East, the threat of nuclear terrorism, promoting human rights and equal opportunity, and climate change all have serious national security implications. As New York’s first Senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as the only member of the Senate to serve on the U.S. Joint Forces Command’s Transformation Advisory Group, I am working hard to give our nation the tools it needs to meet these historic challenges.
The threat of nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest we face today. That is why I passed into law a measure requiring a comprehensive plan to eliminate or secure all weapons-usable nuclear material anywhere in the world, including a prioritized list of vulnerable nuclear sites where security upgrades are needed most urgently. I have also introduced a bill to enhance and ensure the security of our nation’s nuclear materials and facilities.
I recently introduced legislation that would create a commission to examine the causes of the conflict between Russia and Georgia and make recommendations with respect to U.S. policy toward Russia, Georgia and other countries in the region.
I am pleased that a measure I authored to require the Department of Defense and the Department of State to report jointly on the planning and implementation of U.S. policy to end the violence in Darfur, including any plans for a no-fly zone, and to ensure appropriate Congressional oversight of U.S. activity in the region, has been signed into law. I have joined a number of my colleagues to introduce a resolution calling for a comprehensive strategy to address the crisis in Darfur. The resolution urges the President, the United Nations, the African Union and other members of the international community to support peace efforts, ensure the deployment of the UN mission and the flow of humanitarian aid, and promote development programs in the region.
To read more about my work on Iraq and other national security challenges, click here.
Supporting Our Servicemembers and Veterans
The men and women who serve our country in uniform make tremendous sacrifices for our defense and security. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have worked to ensure that our servicemembers and veterans have access to the support and resources they have earned. We should serve those who serve all of us.
I introduced and passed into law measures to improve screening for Traumatic Brain Injury, to smooth the transition between the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Administration (VA) health care systems, and to simplify the disability benefits process.
We also must take steps to support our military families when a loved one makes the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation, and I am proud to have secured into law this Congress measures that I introduced to protect financial benefits for military families and increase burial travel allowances as well as temporary lodging expenses. I also introduced the Veterans Disability Claims Modernization Act to reform and improve the delivery of compensation to veterans, their families and survivors. Key provisions of this bill were signed into law.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to prolonged overseas deployments that have stretched our National Guard and Reserves to the breaking point. Building on my work to improve access to health care coverage for Guard members and reservists, I introduced legislation this session, the National Guard and Reserve Medical Readiness Act, to extend important medical and dental benefits to members preparing for deployment.
Our nation also owes its servicemembers the opportunity to embark on a new career once their service is complete. I sponsored a measure as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, signed into law this Congress, that will establish centers on campuses across the country to assist veteran students with everything from financial aid and veterans’ benefits to academic advising and mental health counseling.
As our country works to resolve the current economic instability, we need to ensure that our men and women in uniform do not fall victim to the housing crisis. The Armed Forces Housing Security Act, which I introduced this year, would put a one-year freeze on foreclosures on servicemembers returning from deployment.
Senator Chris Dodd and I secured into law legislation that extends the benefits provided under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by allowing the families of wounded military personnel to take up to six months of unpaid leave to care for their loved ones during the often lengthy rehabilitation process.
I was also pleased to support funding for military construction projects at Fort Drum, Queenbury Readiness Center, Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Shoreham Army Reserve Center, Niagara Air Reserve Station, Hancock Air National Guard Base, the United States Military Academy at West Point, for construction of the Staten Island Army Reserve Center, and to establish the Army Reserve Center in Kingston.
To read more about my work on military and veterans issues, click here.
Energy: Providing Relief Today
And A New Energy Future for Tomorrow
The challenge we face in energy threatens our economy, our security, and our environment. I have proposed a series of steps to move toward a new clean energy future that will create at least five million new jobs while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and shrinking our contribution to climate change. As part of this proposal, I have introduced a Strategic Energy Fund, to invest $50 billion in an energy revolution, paid for by ending the tax breaks for oil companies and taxing their windfall profits.
As we have seen oil and gas prices jump to record highs, I have called on the President to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), I have been a strong advocate for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), I have introduced legislation to help middle class families struggling with the rising cost of home heating oil, and I have supported weatherization and energy efficiency programs.
LIHEAP helps those most vulnerable to rising home heating oil prices, including lower-income families and seniors. I was pleased to help pass legislation to fully fund this program and secure about $550 million for low-income families in New York for the coming winter, an increase of $200 million over last year’s levels.
I have also proposed a refundable tax credit to help middle class homeowners and renters facing soaring home heating costs. The Home Energy Affordability Tax Relief (HEATR) Act will provide a $500 refundable tax credit for individuals and families who spend more than $1,500 on home heating costs during the coming winter season. Those who spend below $1,500 would receive a credit equal to one third of their heating costs.
We have also made progress by passing the Clean Energy Act. I was proud to support this important bill, which increases fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks from 25 to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, calls for a new target of producing 36 billion gallons of renewable biofuels by 2022, and institutes stronger efficiency standards for residential boilers, dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, dehumidifiers and electric motors.
I believe that investing in clean energy has the potential to create millions of new American jobs in the next decade, but we must ensure that our workers possess the skills required by these new technologies. I helped secure into law a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act that authorized new programs to train workers in green collar jobs and have urged my colleagues to support the Green Collar Jobs Initiative and invest in green job creation.
Additionally, I have introduced the Green Hospitals, Healthy Hospitals Act to support green hospital construction and renovation, and the Greening the Health care Workforce Act to help hospitals training employees in environmentally sustainable practices.
To read more about my work on energy issues, click here.
Combating Climate Change
and Protecting Our Environment
Global climate change is one of the great challenges facing our nation and our planet today. We must take immediate steps to reduce global warming pollution for the sake of our environment, our economy and our national security. As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, I was honored to cast a vote in that committee for the most comprehensive global warming bill ever considered by Congress. Although that bill did not pass the full Senate, I was able to secure passage of a separate measure requiring the Department of Defense to consider and plan for the national security risks posed by climate change. I have also introduced legislation to examine strategies and technologies to reduce soot emissions, which scientists increasingly believe are a major factor in global warming.
As a member of the EPW Committee, I have also worked on a wide range of initiatives to protect our natural resources and combat pollution. I have introduced a bill to shift the burden of funding the Superfund program, which cleans up the most contaminated toxic waste sites in the country, from the taxpayers to polluters. Passing this bill would replenish the trust fund of the Superfund program, and reverse the drastic drop in the number of toxic waste sites cleaned up under the Bush Administration.
I am also proud to have passed a number of bills through the EPW Committee in recent months. The committee passed legislation that I authored to recommit the federal government to the pursuit of environmental justice. The health burden of pollution falls disproportionally upon minority and low-income communities. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has failed to act on this problem, and that is why I have introduced legislation to ensure accountability for the federal government’s efforts to ensure that these disparate environmental impacts are addressed.
The Committee also passed my bill to require the Environmental Protection Agency to set tougher regulations to protect the public from exposure to the carcinogenic chemical Trichloroethylene (TCE), which is one of the most widespread industrial water contaminants in the nation and is found at many sites across New York. Finally, the Committee passed legislation to reduce lead poisoning by improving cleanup standards that apply to renovation of housing and apartments that contain lead paint.
I am also proud to have cosponsored two pieces of legislation signed into law this Congress to protect the Great Lakes: a bill ratifying the Great Lakes Compact to protect the Great Lakes through better water management, conservation and public involvement, and the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008, which supports the cleanup of contaminated stretches of the lakes and areas of concern including Buffalo River, Eighteen Mile Creek, Niagara River, Rochester Embayment and St. Lawrence River at Massena.
To read more about my work on the environment, click here.
Fighting for Working Families
To create new, good-paying jobs here at home, we must ensure that our workers receive the training and support they need to meet the demands of the modern economy. This year I helped to pass legislation that will enhance manufacturing training and help keep the American workforce up-to-speed with the skills required for 21st century jobs.
I introduced legislation to improve the enforcement of the Davis Bacon Act, which requires contractors for federal projects to pay their workers no less than the wage rates prevailing in the local area. The Bush Administration has worked to undermine Davis Bacon. I also reintroduced legislation to link Congressional pay increases to increases in the federal minimum wage. And I am pressing for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation I introduced, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislation I cosponsored, to help close the pay gap and end the inequities that have shortchanged women and families for far too long.
I have long championed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which has helped more than 60 million Americans since President Clinton signed it into law in 1993. I have proposed steps to make the law stronger and introduced legislation to ensure that airline flight crews qualify for FMLA benefits, correcting a technicality that penalizes pilots and flight attendants by not counting their non-flying hours toward their total hours of service.
To read more about my work on behalf of working families, click here.
Protecting Our Children and Strengthening Families
I have worked for more than 35 years to secure a brighter future for our children and to support parents and families. Every child deserves the chance to achieve his or her God-given potential.
This year, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act became law, legislation I introduced to help reduce the number of tragic, accidental deaths of children in and around vehicles. The Act is named for two-year-old Cameron Gulbransen, a Long Island boy who was killed when he wandered behind the SUV his father was backing into the driveway. This new law will ensure that America’s cars are properly equipped with safety technology to prevent unintentional harm to our children so we can have safer cars and safer children in New York and across the country.
I have introduced several new pieces of legislation to improve our child welfare system and support foster youth. The Focusing Investments and Resources for a Safe Transition (FIRST) Act would provide foster youth financial support for critical independent living needs as they age out of the child welfare system. I also introduced the Adoption Improvement Act, which would improve the retention of adoptive parents for foster children. Additionally, I sponsored the Child Welfare Workforce Improvement Act to strengthen the child welfare workforce by expanding access to training resources for child welfare professionals.
In New York 400,000 children live in households headed by a grandparent or otherrelatives. That is why I reintroduced the Kinship Caregiver Support Act and was pleased to secure key provisions in law as part of the recently enacted Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. This is a real victory for our most vulnerable children and the kinship caregivers who take on the responsibility—physically, financially, and emotionally—of raising them. This new law will provide support and resources, including a new Kinship Navigator program, to help these unsung heroes meet their unique challenge, which in turn will benefit the millions of children who rely on their care and devotion.
In addition to working to improve the child welfare system, I have also fought to support working families who are struggling—now more than ever—to make ends meet. I have reintroduced my Choices in Child Care Act which would give families the option to stay home with their infants when there is no child care available to them. I also introduced the Quality Child Care for America Act, which would strengthen child care quality by investing in workforce development.
I have led efforts to help keep our children safe from environmental health hazards. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that the Bush Administration has been negligent toward children’s environmental health. In light of these disturbing findings, I introduced legislation that would reinstate an interagency Task Force to recommend federal strategies for protecting children’s health. I also recently introduced the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act, which would make it easier for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to take action when unsafe levels of lead are detected in its properties. Additionally, the Senate EPW Committee approved my measure that would improve the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rules for lead removal. I also cosponsored legislation to ban the potentially harmful chemical BPA in children’s toys.
To read more about my work on children’s and family issues, click here.
Investing in Our Schools and Our Students
We need to make public education work for every student in America and expand access and affordability to college.
All students, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to go to college. That is why I fought to make sure that the Higher Education Opportunity Act, signed into law this session, included measures to expand student aid and protect young people from abusive lending practices. This new law includes provisions from my Student Borrowers Bill of Rights that will help ensure students receive accurate information on their loans and are not burdened with unaffordable monthly payments, and provisions of my Non-Traditional Student Success Act that will make Pell Grants more widely available, develop new ways to support part-time students, and provide greater educational resources for youth aging out of foster care. This law also includes a measure I introduced to place well trained school leaders in underserved communities. Through this initiative, qualified and effective teachers will be brought to schools and communities where they are most needed, and will receive help paying off student loans.
As part of my ongoing commitment to fix No Child Left Behind, I cosponsored the Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act to create training opportunities for school counselors, social workers and psychologists, as well as incentives for professionals to perform this work in low-income schools.
I am committed to helping New York tackle the high school dropout crisis. I have recently joined with Senator Murray to introduce legislation to help increase graduation rates and prepare America’s next generation of highly skilled workers. The Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act will help ensure that we continue to prepare our young people for the highly skilled jobs that are key to success in a changing global economy.
I continue to champion early education so our children can arrive in the classroom ready to achieve. I became the Democratic lead sponsor of the Education Begins at Home Act, a bill that will give many more children a quality early childhood experience with the help of home visitation services that enhance child development from birth to beginning kindergarten. I also introduced legislation to promote universal voluntary pre-K. The Ready to Learn Act will provide funding for states to establish high-quality early learning programs to help four year olds prepare for school.
I believe strongly that national service should be a component of education in our country. This year, I introduced two new pieces of legislation to expand AmeriCorps program. The Coaching Our Adolescents to College Heights Act (COACH Act) creates a pilot AmeriCorps program to recruit, train and place recent college graduates in high schools to help to prepare low- and middle-income, high-performing high school students for success in college. The Senior Year Community Service Act would promote community service among high school seniors by connecting them with service opportunities within their schools and communities. I also reintroduced the Public Service Academy Act, my legislation to create an undergraduate institution, designed in the image of the nation's military academies, focused on building a corps of individuals trained to serve in the public sector post-graduation. I also introduced two new initiatives in support of national service, the Supporting Mentors, Supporting Our Youth Act to forgive student loans for college students who volunteer to serve as mentors for at-risk children, and the Serve America Act, legislation I cosponsored that will enlist 175,000 more Americans in public service.
To read more about my work on education, click here.
Promoting New York Agriculture
and New Markets for Our Farmers and Producers
I have worked hard to continue to promote New York agriculture. In September, I was proud to host the seventh annual New York Farm Day in Washington, DC, showcasing award-winning wines, farm-fresh produce, outstanding seafood and restaurants from across New York on a national stage.
I also helped pass a comprehensive Farm Bill that helps New York farmers and families. I fought to ensure that the final bill included provisions based on legislation I introduced—including the Rural Investment to Strengthen our Economy (RISE) Act, the Food Outreach and Opportunity Development (FOOD) for a Healthy America Act, and the Rural Broadband Initiatives Act—which will increase the availability of locally produced foods to underserved communities, increase fruits and vegetables in school meals, and bring broadband to rural areas. I also advocated for critical provisions which were included in the Farm bill, including changing the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program to make it work better for New York dairies, including factoring in more of the cost of production. I also pressed for inclusion of a provision to strengthen and properly implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat and produce. To build on these labeling requirements, I have introduced legislation to require country of origin labeling for dairy products.
I am working now to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) properly implement the 2008 Farm Bill so that it works for New York producers as intended, including a proper safety net. As part of these efforts, I have been pressing the USDA to quickly deploy the new crop disaster program to help New York farmers who have been hit hard this year by hail storms and other extreme weather that has damaged apples and other crops across the state.
Building on my Farm-to-Fork initiative to help connect upstate farmers with restaurants and markets downstate and Farm-to-Schools initiative to bring fresh, locally produced food to our schools, I announced new legislation to create a Farm-to-Hospitals program to connect our farmers with New York hospitals, VA health centers and nonprofit nutrition organizations. I also secured funding for Cornell Cooperative Extension and Foodlink of Rochester to help overcome the logistical hurdles of storing and shipping upstate agricultural goods to downstate markets. In addition, I announced a holiday gift basket project to link New York farmers with companies that purchase large numbers of gift baskets around the holiday season.
I am committed to keep our vital agricultural community growing and was deeply honored this Congress to receive the American Farm Bureau’s “Friend of Farm Bureau” award for my work on behalf of New York Agriculture, the National Farmers Union’s Golden Triangle Award and the United Fresh Produce Association’s Congressional Leadership Award.
To read more about my work on agricultural issues, click here.
Transportation: Keeping New York Moving
New York puts the mass in mass transit. We have 130 public transit systems. Our rails, buses and subways carry nearly one third of the nation's transit passengers. I have introduced the Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act to invest $1.7 billion in federal funds, including $237 million for New York, to help our mass transit systems expand and prepare for increasing numbers of commuters.
Amtrak operates more than 140 routes in New York and employs more than 1,900 people. It is a critical component of New York’s transportation infrastructure, and I have fought the Bush Administration’s efforts to roll back funding and privatize Amtrak. This year the Federal Rail Safety Improvement Act, which I cosponsored, became law. The legislation will support and reform Amtrak by investing $12.9 billion over five years in passenger rail, requiring a new Amtrak board of directors, and putting in place new measures to ensure accountability, service, and efficiency. The bill will also modernize the high-traffic Northeast Corridor which will include vital safety work in the Hudson River Tunnels. The funding allocated under this legislation will allow Amtrak to implement a comprehensive plan that will enhance rail security, reduce train delays, and improve customer service.
The law also takes steps to improve rail safety by requiring positive train control (PTC) technology on rail main lines by 2015, limiting the continuous work hours of train crews, regulating the use of cell phones and other distractions in locomotive cabs, requiring risk-based safety programs for all major railroads to prevent deaths and injuries, and creating a National Transportation Safety Board office to assist families of passengers following rail disasters. After a series of train derailments, this legislation is critical to ensuring New York’s railroads are safe.
Anyone who has traveled by air recently knows that our air traffic system is also in need of reform and modernization. New York City’s airspace is some of the most congested in the country. I have joined with my colleagues from the region to press the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address congestion and delays in New York and New Jersey’s airspace. We secured into law two measures to reduce flight delays and ease congestion in the New York/New Jersey airspace. I pushed legislation to end the cronyism and close the revolving door between FAA inspectors and the airlines that has raised serious safety concerns and caused cancelled flights due to ignored aircraft inspections. I have also urged the FAA to modernize its equipment, adequately staff its control towers and other facilities, and expedite new technology to increase airport capacity. And I have opposed the FAA's risky and unproductive scheme to auction off arrival and departure slots at our region's airports.
To read more about my work on transportation issues, click here.
Restoring Accountability and Transparency in Government
As revelation after revelation of contractor waste, fraud and abuse has come to light, I have fought to hold the Bush Administration accountable.
To make needed changes, I introduced the Oversight of the Performance and Effectiveness of National (OPEN) Contracting Act, legislation that would require accountability for government contractors, restore competition and transparency in contracting, and ban federal contracts for companies that organize in offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes. I also secured into law a provision to stop the administration from downsizing the Federal Protective Service, the agency tasked with securing federal buildings. The proposed downsizing plan would have affected the security at government buildings in New York State, many of which are considered high-risk facilities. The facility locations include Lower Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Champlain, Plattsburgh, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, and Syracuse.
Corruption and waste continues to be a major problem in Iraq. That is why I introduced a measure to place a one-year moratorium on the unchecked and wasteful no-bid and limited competition federal contracts which cost taxpayers more than $200 billion in 2006.
I also secured into law an amendment to put a stop to the disgraceful practice of giving bonuses to Homeland Security contractors for shoddy work or even work never performed, which has been allowed to happen throughout the Department of Homeland Security and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.
To read more about my work on accountability issues, click here.
Keeping Our Communities Safe
Our first responders need the training and equipment to respond quickly to disasters and our communities need the resources to ensure public safety and the assurance that help will arrive when it is needed.
We took an important step this year toward ensuring that our emergency response systems keep pace with the development of modern information technology when the New and Emerging Technologies 9-1-1 Improvement Act, which I sponsored, was signed into law. When someone calls 9-1-1, emergency responders should have the information they need to locate that person and bring help. This measure will improve Emergency 9-1-1 systems by ensuring more reliable 9-1-1 service for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone users.
The Flood Insurance Bill, which passed into law this year, will help homeowners in New York and across the country by updating flood maps and making assessments of threats to communities. A measure I introduced will further help homeowners by requiring the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to notify, educate, and fully inform homeowners of their options when their homes are placed in flood zone after remapping.
We were also able to secure the pre-deployment of critical hurricane supplies to Long Island this year. At my urging, FEMA placed four disaster supply containers in Suffolk County, so that in the event of a hurricane, Long Island residents will be able to receive the assistance and goods they need in the immediate aftermath.
I have pushed for measures that will help ensure that our emergency response personnel are equipped and ready to offer assistance when it is needed. I led a bipartisan group of senators to introduce legislation that would provide more bulletproof vests to law enforcement officers who need them. I also introduced legislation to help mobilize volunteer construction workers who want to serve their country alongside first responders in the event of a national emergency.
To read more about my work on public safety issues, click here.
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For more information or to contact my office, please visit my website at http://www.clinton.senate.gov. To read my message following the first session of the 110th Congress, click here.
