Rochester, NY – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, today announced $175,000 in federal funds awarded to groups in Western New York to directly support the work of writers, musicians, dancers, and artists.

The Geva Theatre Center, George Eastman House, BOA Editions, and the Garth Fagan Dance Company are all receiving grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an independent government agency and the largest annual national funder of the arts in the country.

“The arts have an incredible ability to enrich our communities and strengthen our cultural diversity,” said Slaughter.  “But the arts are not just culturally significant, they are economically significant as well, positively impacting our local economy and spurring billions in economic activity.  As Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, I am pleased to see this infusion of support for our talented group of local artists here in Western New York.”

WASHINGTON – House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter issued the following statement today, following a meeting at the White House to discuss trade issues. Slaughter was one of 12 lawmakers invited to meet with President Obama to review the Administration’s recent trade-oriented meetings in Asia and ongoing negotiations on the Korea Free Trade Agreement.

“Today was a constructive and positive meeting to review what I see as a flaw in our current trade policies. I believe we can work toward a better agreement that will accomplish what we all want: creating jobs for Americans and opening markets. That said, I’m glad that President Obama stood forcefully last week against a flawed Free Trade Agreement with Korea drafted by the last Administration. A bad deal is not better than no deal at all. The existing Korea FTA does not provide reciprocal market access for U.S. companies – which should be the starting point for anything we sign. I hope that we use this meeting as a first step for a better trade policy and stand ready and willing to work collaboratively toward that end.”

I want to take a moment to pass along an important piece of news for active members of the US military, veterans and beneficiaries.  

The deadline to apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay has been extended to December 3, 2010. As you may know, the military currently provides Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay to soldiers for each month their service was extended as a result of the miltary's stop loss policy. Please visit:

http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/Retroactive_Stop_Loss_Pay_RSLSP.asp for more information, or 

http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0710_stoploss/ to begin the application process.

The following information comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay.·

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today congratulated the Rochester Institute of Technology and U.S. Department of Transportation for their newly created partnership to study ways to reduce the impact of freight transportation on the environment.

Yesterday, RIT announced the joint research initiative with the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration and RIT’s Lab for Environmental Computing and Decision Making. According to RIT, the initiative will examine intermodal freight options studying transport by rail, ship and truck with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and American dependence of fossil fuels.

“This is another example of the cutting-edge science and research happening at RIT,” said Slaughter. “This initiative will help develop solutions for improved freight transportation that is also not damaging for the environment. Moving goods across the country is an essential part of our economy and moving them quickly and efficiently is even more important – which is one reason that I am such a strong advocate for rail. I have no doubt that because the research will be done here in Rochester that the work will be exemplary. I extend my congratulations to RIT for taking part in this important research and look forward to their findings.”

WASHINGTON – House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter and two colleagues are asking the Food and Drug Administration to ban Triclosan, which they argue is dangerous, may be contributing to antibiotic resistance and is likely leading to higher health care costs. In a letter delivered today, Slaughter and Reps. Raul Grijalva and Betty McCollum encourage FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to take immediate steps to protect Americans from this dangerous compound.

A full copy of the letter is attached below, and can be download by clicking here. 

WASHINGTON – House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter sent the following letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging the USDA to “take additional steps” to strengthen measures to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in livestock production.

Slaughter’s letter comes after months of increased scrutiny in the U.S. and abroad on the public safety risks posed by the increased use of antibiotics in agriculture.  In July, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden warned that there is “a clear link between antibiotic use in animals and antibiotic resistance in humans.”

Slaughter is a longtime advocate for the preservation of antibiotic effectiveness and has introduced legislation that would permit antibiotics to be used only for sick animals and could not be used asa  daily meal supplement in their feed.

The full letter is below, and can be downloaded by  clicking here.  

On this Veterans Day, I want to take a moment to thank our brave servicemen and women, more than 59,000 in my district alone, to whom we all are forever indebted to for their bravery, selflessness, and courage.

As your Congresswoman, it is my duty to ensure that our veterans receive the care and benefits they so rightfully earned and deserve, especially as new veterans return home from our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Over the past four years, Congress led an unprecedented effort to increase access to benefits, care, and job training for veterans.  

We restored the promise of a full, four-year college education with the passage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, covering the cost of a college education at a public university in the greatest overhaul of the G.I. bill in over 20 years.  This fall, nearly 300,000 veterans are enrolled in college as a result of the law, and more than $2.9 billion in education benefits have been paid to veteran students.  

See how the Post-9/11 GI Bill is helping veterans achieve their goals.As our nation’s economy continues to recover, veterans will help us secure long-term economic prosperity of the country they defended, as well as their own future, through the power of education.  In the meantime, as part of the Recovery Act, Congress provided nearly 2 million disabled veterans a $250 payment to help make ends meet.   

Although the country was involved in two major conflicts from 2003 to 2006, VA health care funding did not increase, co-pay increases were proposed, and investment in much-needed research to provide the best care for veterans suffering from unknown injuries languished.  

So Congress went to work to ensure that the cost of the war included the cost of the warrior and fought for budgets that honor the sacrifices of our service members and veterans.  Since then, we have provided nearly $23 billion for veterans’ health care and services.  Our veterans and their families deserve the very best benefits to ensure peace of mind.  There are 9.5 million veteran caregivers across the nation; 96% of them are women family members – wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters. It is important for us to acknowledge and support these valiant homefront heroes too.

To further ensure this piece of mind, this year for the first time ever, Congress issued funding for medical care for veterans one year in advance, providing a stable and uninterrupted source of funding not subject to political delays.  This landmark legislation guarantees that the VA can better prepare for the health care needs of America’s veterans.     

This day and every day, let us honor their service with actions that fulfill our commitment to our troops, their families, and our veterans – and that are worthy of our grateful nation.  

It is an honor to represent you, and the most effective way for me to do my job as your elected representative is to keep in touch with you. Please contact me at (716) 853-5813 in Buffalo or (585) 232-4850 in Rochester if you have questions regarding federal legislation or if you need help navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

WASHINGTON – House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter today released the following statement ahead of President Obama’s meetings in Korea on pending trade deals.

“Right before President Obama departed for Asia, I talked with him by phone and encouraged him to ensure that any trade deal he agrees to creates jobs here in the United States, protects the interests of U.S. workers and opens markets to American goods. Any deal that doesn’t do that is going to be met with strong opposition from many members of Congress who are concerned about the economy and do not want any part of a Trade Agreement that was negotiated by the Bush Administration and doesn’t help domestic industries. American jobs and workers must come first.”

Rochester, NY – Today Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Founder and Chairwoman of the Upstate Congressional Caucus, spoke with U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari and told him that New York State would like to receive a portion of the high-speed rail funding that was previously awarded to Wisconsin and Ohio.

Governor’s-elect Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio made clear during their campaigns that they would not accept federal funding for the development of high-speed rail in their states.

“If other states don’t want their high-speed rail money, New York will take it because we understand that high-speed rail is an essential element to our transportation system and a good rail system is an important element of our national security,” said Slaughter, New York’s high-speed rail champion. “I’m asking the Department of Transportation and Secretary Ray LaHood that as much as possible of the funding be allocated to New York.”

For more on Slaughter’s work to bring high-speed rail to New York, click here.

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that assists low income households in meeting the high costs of heating. As winter approaches, many Western New Yorkers will face rising heating bills. My office can assist you with questions you may have about applying for aid from this program.

The program is structured in a way that higher benefits are provided to those households that have a larger percentage of their income spent on energy costs, contain a vulnerable individual and have the lowest income. Vulnerable individuals are defined as children under the age of 6, adults aged 60 or older, or disabled individuals.

If you need help applying for assistance, please check the sites below, or contact Jeffrey Sheridan at (716)-853-5813.

• NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance:
  http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/heap/default.asp
• Erie County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.erie.gov/depts/socialservices/heap.asp
• Monroe County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.monroecounty.gov/hs-assistance.php
• Niagara County Department of Social Services:
  http://www.niagaracounty.com/socialservice/heap.asp
• Orleans County Department of Social Services:
  http://orleansny.com/HumanServices/DepartmentofSocialServices/tabid/150/Default.aspx

2010-2011 HEAP Benefit Gross Monthly Income Guidelines

Your total gross monthly income for your household size must be at or below the following guidelines:

Effective 10/01/10-9/30/11