WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko cheered House passage of appropriations legislation this week that funds many of his Capital Region and national priorities, which Tonko fought to protect or expand for Fiscal Year 2020: “These funding bills deliver on the values and needs of the American people, including significant wins for our New York Capital Region communities. These include major steps forward in combatting America’s opioid epidemic and the global climate crisis, stopping an unsancti... Read more

WASHINGTON – Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) heralded passage of H.R. 1328: the ACCESS BROADBAND Act in the House by a unanimous voice vote today. This bipartisan legislation would help expand broadband access in underserved areas and create a simpler process for small businesses and local economic developers to access federal broadband resources. “Reliable broadband internet access is an integral part of our American economy and modern way of life,” said Rep. Tonko.... Read more

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko officially reintroduced the PIRATE ACT today with Republican co-sponsor Congressman Gus Bilirakis of Florida. This legislation would increase penalties for anyone caught engaging in unlawful broadcasting, sometimes referred to as ‘pirate radio.’ Pirate signals can pose a significant threat to public safety, oftentimes disrupting Federal Aviation Administration operations, the Emergency Alert System and other tools relied upon by first responders engaged in ... Read more

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko added to his string of recent legislative achievements today as the Energy & Commerce Committee voted this afternoon to advance his broadband reform bill, the ACCESS BROADBAND Act, for consideration by the full House. “Broadband Internet access has become a necessity for Capital Region families, businesses and our regional economy, helping our students keep up with homework, job candidates build toward a new career, doctors read medical scans and entreprene... Read more

CAPITAL REGION – On the 10th annual Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day, Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) urged taxpayers to check their eligibility to take advantage of the EITC. In New York’s 20th Congressional District, almost 50,000 individuals saved more than $105 million using the credit in tax year 2013. Taxpayers can check their EITC eligibility with the IRS’s EITC Assistant. Read more

For four months, House Republican Leadership shuttered the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that supports American exports and levels the playing field for U.S. manufacturers overseas. This ‘politics-over-people’ move led by the extreme wing of the House GOP caucus has already put hard working Americans out of work, including more than 200 in Schenectady, New York, in the district I represent. After months of bipartisan calls for House Leadership to own up to their mistake and bring legislat... Read more