SYRACUSE, NY – As 2013 comes to a close, U.S. Representative Dan Maffei announced his end-of-year constituent outreach, legislative, and policy action report. Below are the key highlights since Rep. Maffei was sworn in on January 3, 2013.
“I am committed to delivering results for the hardworking families of Central New York and our local businesses,” said Rep. Maffei. “Since taking office last January, I have met with hundreds of community and business leaders across Central New York and secured critical investments that will help create jobs in our region. My office has advocated for nearly 1,300 constituents with casework issues and returned more than $1.5 million to Central New Yorkers seeking the benefits they have earned and deserve. Central New York is the best place in the world to live, work, raise a family, and retire, and I will continue to work with partners on both sides of the aisle to ensure that every Central Yorker has a fair shot at the American Dream.”
Constituent Outreach Focused on Strengthening the Middle Class
· Advocated for nearly 1,300 constituents with casework issues and closed more than 850 cases to date.
· Returned more than $1.5 million to Central New Yorkers seeking the benefits they have earned and deserve, including Social Security checks and veterans’ benefits.
· Announced more than $11.6 million in federal grants, including more than $2 million in grants for local fire departments and first responders and more than $6 million in grants to improve local transportation infrastructure, including Syracuse Hancock International Airport and the Port of Oswego.
· Met with hundreds of community and business leaders and organizations across Central New York.
· Hosted and attended dozens of public events; including roundtables with local businesses and local educators, “Discuss it with Dan” events, a Social Security fair, public safety grants workshops, and tele-town halls.
· Responded to more than 45,000 letters and emails from people across Central New York.
Legislative and Policy Action To Create Jobs, Strengthen the Economy, and Protect Central New York Families
· Met with more than 150 small business owners and economic development leaders across all four counties across the 24th Congressional District to develop a comprehensive jobs plan, “Strengthening Central New York’s Middle Class.” Rep. Maffei drafted and introduced several pieces of legislation to create more jobs in Central New York and strengthen the middle class:
o Introduced the Middle Class Payroll Tax Relief Act to extend the expired two percent payroll tax cut and put more than $1,000 a year back into the pockets of hardworking Central New York families [H.R. 516].
o Introduced the Incentivize Growth Now In Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs Act to establish tax-free investment accounts to help people save to start a small business [H.R. 2558].
o Introduced the Cutting Red Tape, Green-Lighting Small Businesses Act to provide small businesses a tax credit for new hires and exempt new small businesses from burdensome paperwork [H.R. 3127].
· Worked with educators, parents, students, and key stakeholders to introduce a comprehensive plan, “A Focus on Education in Central New York,” to improve education across the region and give students the tools they need to succeed and compete in the 21st Century economy.
· Introduced and recruited more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors for the Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act to create a national historical park at the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn and brings jobs to Central New York [H.R. 664].
· Introduced the Medical Device Tax Elimination Act to repeal the medical device excise tax in the Affordable Care Act to help retain and grow jobs in this important domestic industry [H.R. 1295].
· Introduced the Federal Probation System Reform Act to prevent another case like David Renz by establishing an Inspector General for Probation and Pretrial Services, making it a crime to remove an electronic monitoring device, and establishing national standards for the use of electronic monitoring devices [H.R. 3669].
· Introduced and recruited more than 40 cosponsors for the Military Retirement Restoration Act, which would repeal the cuts to military retiree benefits included in the Bipartisan Budget Act and achieve the same savings by closing loopholes for corporations that abuse foreign tax havens [H.R. 3793].
· Worked with local stakeholders to secure $380 million in funding for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) to help protect hundreds of Central New York jobs.
· Worked with local, state, and federal partners to secure Central New York as one of six national Federal Aviation Administration designated test sites. This test site will help create thousands of jobs in the region.
· Spearheaded a bipartisan initiative with more than 250 Members of Congress to urge the passage of a long-term fix to the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula to provide more certainty to health care providers and protect seniors’ access to the doctor of their choice.
· Joined more than 70 Democrats and Republicans as part of the “No Labels” Problem Solvers group to introduce a landmark legislative package of nine common sense bills to make government more effective and cut waste.
· Voted for the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act to provide critical resources to local domestic violence service providers [S. 47] and announced $650,000 in federal grants for local agencies working to combat domestic and sexual abuse.
· Voted to block a pay raise for Members of Congress [H.R. 273] and voted to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for Members’ of Congress health insurance [H.J. Res 59].
· Voted for the bipartisan “No Budget, No Pay” Act to stop Congressional pay if Congress does not pass a budget on time [H.R. 325].
· Voted against the Ryan Budget, which ends the Medicare guarantee for seniors [H. Con. Res. 25], and spearheaded an effort to urge President Obama to take “chained” CPI’s changes to Social Security off the table in proposed budget cuts.
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