• My Reaction to the State of the Union
• Let’s Make New York a Better Place for Investment in Infrastructure
• New York Post: Scaffold Law ties the hands of do-gooders
• Blythedale Children’s Hospital Tackles the Most Complex Health Challenges
• Checking in with Local Advisory Committees

My Reaction to the State of the Union

President Trump delivered a unifying address which proposed ideas and initiatives the nation can rally around. I am encouraged that the administration is planning to aggressively invest in needed transportation and broadband infrastructure along with plans to significantly improve the state of our military readiness. 

While differences will remain between Democrats and Republicans over the path forward, it is my hope that we can resolve our differences and enact a positive agenda for America. 

Let’s Make New York a Better Place for Investment in Infrastructure

With infrastructure legislation on the agenda, now is the time to fix New York's antiquated Scaffold Law which unnecessarily increases costs and doesn’t contribute to workplace safety in our state. H.R. 3808, which was reported favorably by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, would preempt New York's law on federally funded projects. This law increases project costs by an average of 7 percent. This bill would ensure that ever dollar of federal funding goes to build roads, bridges, and other needed projects and is not wasted on unnecessary liability insurance premiums.

We need to stop wasting taxpayer dollars and join the 49 other states utilizing a comparative negligence standard. This will lower costs in New York State and allow us to build more projects by making federal dollars go further.

New York Post: Scaffold Law ties the hands of do-gooders

The New York Post wrote an editorial highlighting why New York’s burdensome Scaffold Law hinders the mission of charitable organizations and others trying to make a positive impact. This law makes it more difficult to build affordable housing across the state. With infrastructure legislation coming, we need to make New York a better investment for federal dollars. I’m happy to be leading the charge on this issue in Washington.

Blythedale Children’s Hospital Tackles the Most Complex Health Challenges

I had the opportunity to visit Blythedale Children's Hospital to learn more about the unique care and programs the facility and staff offer to patients.  This Westchester-based facility serves as the only freestanding specialty children's hospital in New York State. The children and their families at Blythedale face complex medical challenges and Blythedale is uniquely equipped to tackle those challenges. Thank you for inviting me to take a tour and visit with the patients and their families residing in New York 19. 

Checking in with Local Advisory Committees

This past weekend, I held meetings with two of New York 19’s local advisory committees.

First, with the Farm Bill coming up later in 2018, I met with the 19^th district’s Agriculture Advisory Committee to consider legislative priorities. Among other topics, we discussed the need to substantially fix the Dairy Margin Protection Program and provide our farmers the resources they need to support on-farm conservation practices. The agriculture industry is extremely important to the Upstate economy and I look forward to fighting for our local farmers as this legislation moves through the House. 

Additionally, I held a meeting with my Veterans Advisory Committee to receive an update on local veterans initiatives along with strategizing how we can improve care through federal efforts. Specifically, we discussed the Veterans Choice Program and other concerns such as access to the new Veterans ID Cards. I plan to address these and other veteran-related matters with my colleagues in Congress.  On February 9^th, I will be hosting another Veterans Resource Fair in Kingston. Further details will be made available soon.