Press Releases
With Upstate New York Electricity Bills Expected to Rise This Month, Gillibrand Calls for Investigation of Electricity Market Manipulation
Washington, D.C. - With upstate New York electric bills expected to rise by an average of $30 starting this month, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today called for a thorough investigation of potential electricity market manipulation by power companies this past winter. In her letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Cheryl LaFleur, Senator Gillibrand called for a speedy investigation as well as a timeline for results. "New Yorkers already pay more than the national … Continue Reading
May 20, 2014
Gillibrand, Schumer Press U.S. Energy Secretary to Approve Long Island Forum for Technology’s Bid For $70 Million Federal Grant to Establish National Composites Center, Bolster High-Tech Innovation
Washington, DC - With Long Island Forum for Technology (LIFT) in the finals for a $70 million Department of Energy award, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today urged U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz to approve LIFT's application for a competitive federal grant aimed to bolster high-tech innovation and manufacturing on Long Island. Federal funding would go towards renovating LIFT's high-tech innovation center known as the Composite Prototyping Center … Continue Reading
May 19, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce $43,919 in Federal Funds for Yulan Fire Department in Sullivan County
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $43,919 in federal funding for Yulan Fire Department in Sullivan County. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The funds will be used to purchase new extrication equipment, including a new "Jaws of Life" tool, a large cutter, a small and large ram, and a hose and fittings. Yulan Fire Departments current set of extrication … Continue Reading
May 18, 2014
Gillibrand, NYC Business Owner, Working Parents Call for U.S. To Join Every Other Industrialized Nation in the World by Passing Federal Paid Maternity Leave Bill
New York, NY - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was joined today by New York City working parents and a small business owner in calling on Congress to join every other industrialized nation in the world by passing federal legislation that would create paid maternity leave, in addition to medical leave. Gillibrand's Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act would establish a national, gender-neutral paid family and medical leave insurance program, ensuring that American workers would no … Continue Reading
May 16, 2014
Gillibrand Secures Measures to Strengthen Army Corps Disaster Response in Final Water Resources Bill
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced today that two measures she authored to strengthen the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' disaster response are included in the final Army Corps bill. The measures would authorize the Corps to recommend specific projects to reduce flood risks in areas hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy and provide the Corps with more flexibility to put the necessary infrastructure upgrades in … Continue Reading
May 15, 2014
Gillibrand Secures Funding For Great Lakes Ports and Giving Army Corps Permanent Authority to Prevent Asian Carp from Invading Great Lakes, NYS Waterways in Final Army Corps Bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today announced that the final Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA) includes a measure she worked on to prioritize new funding from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for maintaining Great Lakes ports and harbors, and a measure she authorized to authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to take emergency measures in the event of an imminent threat of Asian … Continue Reading
May 15, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $40,000 for West Stockholm Fire Department in St. Lawrence County
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $40,375 in federal funding for West Stockholm Fire Department in St. Lawrence County. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). "These federal funds will provide the assistance that West Stockholm Fire Department needs to replace critical life-saving equipment. Firefighters are the first people on the scene of a car accident, … Continue Reading
May 15, 2014
Key Senate Committee Passes Gillibrand Measure to Improve Pedestrian Safety on New York Roadways, Reduce Fatalities and Injuries
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, announced today that a key Senate panel passed Gillibrand's measure that would allow the federal government to fully fund pedestrian safety measures through federal highway safety funds. Federally-backed projects such as traffic crosswalk signals, pedestrian sidewalks, and crossing islands in the middle of a highway would incentivize states to put these measures in place. … Continue Reading
May 15, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Urge USDA to Issue Agricultural Disaster Declaration and Expedite Federal Aid to Farms Damaged By Heavy Rains, Floods in Yates County and Nearby Areas
Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, the first New York Senator to serve on the Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, wrote to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue an agriculture disaster declaration for farmland in Yates County and surrounding counties damaged by heavy rain, wind, and flash flooding. Thunderstorms dumped an estimated five inches of rain in four hours causing flash flooding overnight in … Continue Reading
May 15, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $32,300 for Greenville Fire Department in Scarsdale
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $32,300 in federal funding for Greenville Fire Department in Scarsdale. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The funds will be used to purchase a new, state-of-the-art exhaust system for equipment and firefighting apparatuses. The system will clean diesel particulates, fumes and other exhaust from equipment before it enters … Continue Reading
May 14, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $121,000 for Central New York Fire Departments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $121,649 in federal funding for Central New York Fire Departments. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). "These much-needed federal funds will provide the assistance that Central New York fire departments need to replace critical equipment like fire hoses and new breathing equipment. First responders are our primary line of … Continue Reading
May 14, 2014
Gillibrand Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Ensure Health Coverage for Military Children with Developmental Disabilities
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that uniformed services families' health plans provide adequate coverage for children and loved ones with disabilities. The Caring for Military Children with Developmental Disabilities Act of 2014 requires TRICARE, the Department of Defense and retiree health program for members of the uniformed services and their families, … Continue Reading
May 13, 2014
With New York Grads Saddled By Over $60 Billion in Federal Student Loan Debt, Gillibrand Continues Push for Legislation Allowing Grads to Refinance Loans, Boost Economy
Washington, DC - While New York graduates are saddled with an estimated $60 billion in student loan debt, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is continuing her push for legislation that would help tens of millions of graduates refinance their federal student loans. National student loan debt is now approximately $1.2 trillion, surpassing auto loan and credit card debt, and New Yorker's hold a sky-high average of more than $27,000 per graduate. Senator Gillibrand's proposal to allow graduates to … Continue Reading
May 12, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce ‘Brand USA’ Is Ramping Up Its Efforts to Promote Tourism In Niagara Falls & Buffalo – New Push Will Bring More Foreign Visitors & Tourism Dollars to WNY
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that Brand USA, a federally-funded entity that promotes U.S. tourist destinations to foreign travelers, has increased its efforts to promote the Niagara Falls/Buffalo region. Brand USA recently published comprehensive travel journals specifically targeted to travelers from the United Kingdom and Germany that included extensive information about the Niagara Falls/Buffalo region. In addition, Brand USA is also paying for 15 … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Gillibrand Joins Senate Colleagues Urging FCC to Promote Net Neutrality, Reverse Proposal to Create Internet Toll Lanes
Washington, D.C. -In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, along with nine of her Senate colleagues, called for the FCC to protect net neutrality and reject efforts by big cable companies to extort businesses for the right to provide content at the fastest Internet speeds. Net neutrality - the principle that all Internet traffic travels at the same speed, regardless of its source - governed the Internet for decades, to the benefit … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
With Gillibrand’s Push, Ithaca Homeless Youth Center Awarded Nearly $200,000 HHS Grant
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $184,010 grant for The Learning Web, a youth development agency in Ithaca. This federal funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children & Families' Transitional Living Program through the Family and Youth Service Bureau and will be used to expand housing and support services to accommodate more homeless youth. In February, Senator Gillibrand sent a letter to HHS … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Nearly $500,000 Manufacturing Technology Grant for SEMATECH in Albany
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $498,825 grant from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for SEMATECH in Albany. This funding will support SEMATECH's Semiconductor Supply Chain Roadmapping initiative as part of NIST's new Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) program, which creates manufacturing roadmaps to help the nation's manufacturers become more globally competitive. "There are hundreds of … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce More Than $200,000 for Finger Lakes Fire Departments
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $212,420 in federal funding for Finger Lakes Fire Departments. The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). "These much-needed federal funds will enable Finger Lakes fire departments to purchase critical firefighting equipment like oxygen tanks, high-performance masks and state-of-the-art radios. First responders safeguard our … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Schumer, Gillibrand Introduce Bill That Preserves And Improves the Delaware River Watershed
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced they introduced legislation that would improve and preserve the overall wellness of the Delaware River watershed. The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2014, cosponsored by Sens. Tom Carper, Chris Coons (both D-Del.), Cory Booker and Robert Menendez (both D-N.J.), and Robert Casey (D-Penn.), strengthens the environmental health of the watershed while also spurring the Delaware River watershed region's economy. "The … Continue Reading
May 09, 2014
Gillibrand Announces $1.5 Million Grant for Stony Brook University to Improve Response to Coastal Hazards
Long Island, NY - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a $1,576,133 grant for Stony Brook University's Research Foundation, which is part of the National Sea Grant College Program network. This funding is provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) and will be used to carry out research and education training for issues critical to New York's coastal communities, including flooding due to storm surges, hazard resilience, fisheries, and water … Continue Reading
