Politics

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Gillibrand Presses DOD To Investigate Rotary-Wing Aircraft Accidents; Push Comes In Wake Of Helicopter Crashes

May 2, 2023 Contributor
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin requesting a review of all rotary-wing aviation accidents that resulted in a loss of life and/or the loss of aircraft. The letter noted recent helicopter accidents in Alaska and Kentucky that resulted in the deaths of multiple soldiers, as well as the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of three officers from the New York Army National Guard.

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US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Senator Gillibrand Pushes To Provide Accessible, Affordable Housing For Older Americans And People Living With Disabilities

April 30, 2023 Contributor
This week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, is pushing for a bill to address the housing affordability and accessibility crisis in the United States. The Visitable Inclusive Tax Credits for Accessible Living (VITAL) Act would increase investment in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and ensure that developers are building more accessible housing units that are designed for older adults and people with disabilities. The bill would also help ensure that new units are located within communities where residents can walk or move around easily in wheelchairs. This bill is led by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Senate And Assembly Republicans: No Budget With “Messages Of Necessity”

April 27, 2023 Contributor
Members of the state Senate and Assembly Republican Conferences today urged Gov. Kathy Hochul and the legislative Majorities not to use so-called “messages of necessity” to bypass the constitutionally-required three-day aging process once budget bills are introduced. This critically-important “aging” provision of the state constitution helps to ensure that the public, the press, and all interested parties have the opportunity to review the budget bills before they are enacted into law.

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US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Gillibrand Announces Legislation To Accelerate FDA Approval Of Drugs To Treat Life-Threatening Illnesses

April 26, 2023 Contributor
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference to announce her bipartisan legislation to expedite provisional FDA approval of drugs intended to treat ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other life-threatening diseases. The standard FDA approval process takes many years to get drugs to market, but patients with rapidly progressing illnesses often don’t have many years to wait. Gillibrand’s Promising Pathway Act would accelerate the FDA’s approval process and help get promising treatments to those who need them. 

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A View of History

Assembly Majority Blocks Transportation Bills

April 26, 2023 Contributor
The Assembly Transportation Committee blocked 11 Minority-backed bills today, which included proposals to keep ride-hailers safe from sex offenders, restore the name of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and reduce costs for commuters and farmers. Also included in the Minority Conference proposals are measures that would honor Gold Star Families, Eagle Scouts and Girl Scouts and make it easier to become a bone marrow donor.

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Assembly Will Barclay

Criminal Justice Reform Must Fix New York’s ‘Career Criminal’ Issue

April 22, 2023 Contributor
New York continues to lag the nation in job recovery but creating the new profession of “career criminal” is not the answer. Crime across the state, and particularly in New York City, has become completely entrenched in our daily lives. While the Assembly Minority Conference continues to push our counterparts and the governor to do something about it, there seems to be no real progress on the issue as we move through 2023.

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US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Gillibrand, Rounds Lead Group Of 41 Bipartisan Senators In Call To Fully Fund U.S.-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation Programs

April 22, 2023 Contributor
This week, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) led a bipartisan group of 41 senators in calling for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs in the Defense Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024. Israel’s missile defense system is made up of four operational layers: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2 and now Arrow 3. In addition to contributing to ballistic missile defense, these systems play an important role in countering hostile unmanned aerial systems. 

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