Federal Grants And Appropriations For Local Projects
Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the following: I was proud to bring millions of federal dollars home to local taxpayers. New Yorkers pay more in federal taxes than New York receives in federal funding support, so I worked hard to…
Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the following:
I was proud to bring millions of federal dollars home to local taxpayers. New Yorkers pay more in federal taxes than New York receives in federal funding support, so I worked hard to bring additional dollars back home for local projects, thereby reducing the burden on local property taxpayers.
orange county
Obtained $19.6m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infrastructure upgrades and renovations at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Obtained $4.4m from the U.S. Department of Transportation for improved runway lighting and resurfacing at Stewart Airport, thereby increasing its air traffic capacity. The new lighting improves both energy efficiency and public safety during take offs and landings.
Obtained $3.6m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for repairs and renovations at the Stewart Air National Guard base.
Obtained over $3.5m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency improvements in Orange County.
Obtained $2.3m for the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District, including $1.5m in federal impact aid and $800,000 in federal funding to improve science and technology programs.
Obtained $2m in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to construct a new water filtration plant for the Village of Warwick.
Obtained $1.33m in federal funding to support the Newburgh-Beacon ferry enabling easier access to public transportation for commuters.
Obtained $597,000 from the Department of Homeland Security for five local fire departments, including Greenville Fire Department; the Slate Hill and New Hampton Fire Departments in Wawayanda; and the Johnson and the Unionville Fire Departments in Minisink.
Obtained $564,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for improvement projects at Greenwood Lake.
Obtained $394,000 in federal funding to replace the Hambletonian Water Main in Goshen which improved water quality and saved property tax dollars.
Obtained $245,600 in federal funds for the Hudson Valley Agricultural Viability Program that will create jobs and attract private investment in local farms.
Obtained $110,000 for the Port Jervis Police Department to upgrade their outdated communications system.
Obtained $160,000 in federal funding for the Monroe Police Department.
Obtained $95,300 in federal funding for St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick for their Wound Care Program.
Obtained a $78,683 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant from the U.S. Dept of Justice to improve public safety in Orange County through increased police patrols and improved equipment and technology.
Assisted in obtaining almost $72,000 for Museum Village.
Obtained a $66,500 Department of Homeland Security grant for the South Blooming Grove Fire District.
Obtained $60,000 for the Woodbury Police Department.
Obtained $40,000 for the Quassaick Bridge Fire District.
Westchester County
Obtained over $13m for improvements to I-684.
Obtained $6.75m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infrastructure upgrades and renovations of patient care areas at the FDR Veterans Hospital in Montrose.
Obtained $6.1m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infrastructure improvements at the Camp Smith National Guard Training Site in Cortlandt.
Obtained $5m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a water treatment plant for the Peach Lake community in North Salem. The new water treatment plant will help restore the quality of the lake and create local jobs.
Obtained almost $2m for improvements at the Croton-Harmon train station including flood prevention and infrastructure upgrades.
Obtained $1.96m in federal funding for reconstruction and improvements to Route 6 in Cortlandt.
Assisted in obtaining $1.3m from the Dept of Energy for the Bedford- Northern Westchester Energy Action Coalition.
Obtained over $1.1m for improvements to the Annsville Circle in Cortlandt.
Obtained $665,000 in federal funding to improve the Peekskill Downtown Business District including sidewalk improvements, landscaping, and lighting upgrades on Main Street.
Obtained $332,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Westchester County Forensic Science Laboratory, to improve the quality and timeliness of medical examiner services, thereby reducing the case backlog.
Obtained $325,000 from the federal Drug Free Communities Support Program for programs sponsored by the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Alliance for Safe Kids in Cortlandt Manor, and the Town of Cortlandt.
Obtained over $300,000 for programs at the Yorktown Senior Center.
Obtained $196,000 in federal funding for improvements at the South Salem library.
Obtained $120,000 from the Department of Homeland Security for the Goldens Bridge Volunteer Fire Department.
Assisted in obtaining $115,000 for the Katonah Museum of Art.
Obtained 98,400 in federal funding for A-HOME to build an affordable home for a first responder in Lewisboro, using the most state of the art energy efficient technologies.
Obtained $95,300 in federal funding for the new emergency department at the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco.
Obtained $87,000 for the Katonah Fire Department.
Obtained $70,000 in federal funding for the Pound Ridge Police Department for communications systems that will improve emergency response capabilities.
Obtained $47,000 in federal funding for education programs at the Van Cortlandt Manor historic site in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson.
Dutchess County
Obtained $8.22m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for infrastructure and energy efficiency improvements at Castle Point Veterans Hospital.
Obtained $3.6m from the U.S. Department of Transportation for improvements in public transportation including local busses and bus facilities in Poughkeepsie.
Obtained $2.4m for the development and manufacture of night vision goggles by E-Magin, located in Dutchess County. These goggles improve the safety of our troops in the field, while creating local manufacturing jobs.
Obtained $330,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help retrofit stormwater systems in East Fishkill and Beekman.
Obtained $314,000 for Hudson River Housing in Poughkeepsie to assist in rehabilitating affordable homes and creating opportunities for local financing.
Obtained $196,000 in federal funding for the Village of Wappingers Falls to create Consentino Park.
Secured Dyson Foundation grant funding of $108,000 for Arlington High School's club ACTION students to install solar panels on the roof the High School.
Obtained $98,600 for the Glenham Fire District.
Obtained $86,000 in federal funding for technology improvements at the St. Francis Hospital emergency room.
Obtained $77,000 for the Fishkill Fire Department.
Obtained $66,000 in federal funding to install solar panels on the Beacon Municipal Building.
Obtained $61,750 from the Department of Homeland Security for the Wappingers Falls Fire Department.
Putnam County
Obtained $1.9m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a water treatment plant for the Peach Lake community in Southeast. The new water treatment plant will help restore the quality of the lake and create local jobs.
Obtained $1.6m for upgrades to roads in Kent.
Obtained $400,000 in federal funding for Putnam Valley for their Lake Oscawana Management and Restoration Plan, saving money for local property taxpayers while improving water quality.
Obtained $192,000 in federal funding for Putnam Hospital Center's comprehensive cancer care program.
Obtained $190,000 from the Department of Homeland Security for the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department.
Obtained $145,000 for the Carmel Police Department for a police vehicle video system.
Obtained $125,000 from the federal Drug Free Communities Support Program for programs implemented through Putnam's Council for Alcoholism and Other Drugs.
Obtained $106,000 for equipment for the Kent Fire District.
Rockland County
Obtained over $15m for improvements to the Palisades Parkway.
Obtained $2.5m for road improvements in downtown Haverstraw.
Obtained $383,000 in federal funding for the Stony Point Ambulance Corps.
Obtained $352,500 in federal funding for youth gang prevention programs.
Helped obtain $297,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for the North Rockland Central School District.
Obtained $188,000 for the Thiells-Roseville Fire District.
Obtained $66,000 for the Stony Point Police Department to maintain a full time school resource officer at the James A. Farley Middle School.
Constituent Services
Casework: One of the aspects of the job that I find most rewarding is the ability to assist local constituents with individual problems. In many of these cases the constituent needs assistance cutting through the federal bureaucracy to get the attention they need to their individual situation. Although I believe that people shouldn't need to turn to their Congressional office in order to get their cases resolved, I am happy to be able to assist when such instances occur.
My Congressional office resolved thousands of constituent service cases, which included providing assistance to Veterans, Seniors with Medicare and Social Security concerns, foreclosure and mortgage assistance to homeowners, families seeking adoptions, and expediting passports. The Congressional office provided assistance to constituents trying to reach family members during natural disasters overseas such as Haiti and Chile. In many of these cases our assistance made a real difference in people's daily lives.
Some specific examples of the hundreds of successful results achieved by the Congressional office are described below.
Veterans: Obtained well over $2 million in retroactive payments and benefits for individual local veterans earned but never received from the Veterans Administration due to administrative backlogs and errors. These awards ranged from a few dollars to over $100,000 depending on the type of injury, level of disability, and length of the VA delay in processing the case.
Successfully assisted many local Veterans in receiving long over due combat medals such as medals from World War 2 for a Mahopac veteran and several Purple Heart recipients.
Awarded the prestigious Air Medal to former flight crewmembers of the 336th Medical Detachment, and Army Reserve Helicopter Ambulance unit in a ceremony at Stewart Airport. The 60 men and women of the 336th Medical Detachment, trained as Medevac pilots, helicopter crew chiefs and medics, evacuated sick and wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Due to adverse field conditions and administrative oversight, the unit's flight crews did not receive their Air Medals until my office intervened on their behalf.
Social Security: Assistance was provided to constituents such as explaining eligibility for disability benefits; facilitating communication between beneficiaries and local SSA offices; assisting in setting up payment schedules for overpayments to beneficiaries' accounts; reinstatement of disability benefits that were incorrectly stopped; expediting appeal hearings, expediting the processing of retroactive checks in favorable disability cases that included amounts in excess of $100,000; removal of overpayments that were mistakenly put onto beneficiaries' records; and assisting with the appeal of an overpayment waiver request.
For example--
Expedited a Social Security appeals hearing for a constituent who suffered major spinal injuries, was unable to work and facing bankruptcy. The case was found fully favorable to the constituent.
Expedited a retroactive payment in a Social Security disability case for $79,000.
Helped get a Social Security disability appeals hearing for a woman suffering from a tick-borne illness similar to Lyme's Disease. The appeal was expedited and she was awarded more than $1,800 in monthly benefits and more than $65,000 in retroactive benefits, and found eligible for Medicare.
Medicare: Facilitated reimbursement for Durable Medical Equipment and other services.
Helped remove surcharge on Part B, premium and processing of retroactive payment.
Internal Revenue Service: Expedited processing of refund and economic stimulus payments.
Helped change filing status for taxpayer.
Department of Labor: Challenged denial of prescription coverage for a drug that was in a beneficiary's plan.
Assisted in having overpaid monthly COBRA premium credited toward future monthly premiums.
Assisted with having COBRA premium reduction applied to several beneficiaries who did not initially receive it.
Federal Trade Commission: Worked with constituents and relevant credit agencies to fix mistakes on credit reports.
Visiting Washington DC: When constituents, school groups, and local organizations visit Washington DC, my office helps arrange tours, and can help with other aspects of the visits. I make every effort to personally greet local visitors. In 2009 my office arranged and gave over 700 tours of the Capitol to local families, school classes, and other visitors from the 19th Congressional District. The office also assisted with information including assistance in arranging for tours of other significant sites in Washington.
Service Academy Nominations: Each year my Congressional office submits nominations of local students to our nation's military service academies including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA), Naval (USNA), Air Force (USAFA), and Merchant Marine (USMMA) Academies. I consider it a great honor to be able to nominate top local students who will become the next generation of military leaders. During my two terms in office, I was proud to serve on the U.S. Military Academy's Board of Visitors.