Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) spoke last night on the House floor to again urge GOP leadership to address the need to act on the issue of climate change. Tonko pointed to skyrocketing costs and untold human suffering water scarcity imposes on the world, yet the global community continues to operative reactively rather than proactively. Water, Tonko said, cannot be replaced and must be protected to better quality of life across the nation and throughout the planet. Read more »
Sunday, U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko will join with New York State Assemblymember Pat Fahy and unemployed constituents who recently lost their unemployment insurance to call on Congress to immediately extend the program, restoring a critical lifeline to those looking for work. They will highlight local, real-life effects of Congressional failure to extend the program on New Yorkers who… Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko released the following statement after voting in favor of H.J. Res 59, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which eases the burden of sequestration and helps to make future government shutdowns less likely. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko highlighted recent figures released this week that show the Affordable Care Act expands mental health and federal parity protections for approximately 60 million Americans, including more than 1.5 million New Yorkers. This growth in coverage represents one of the largest expansions of mental health coverage in decades. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) took to the House floor this morning to once again urge House Republican leadership to work with Democrats and moderates in their own party to give multiple issues that are top priorities for the majority of Americans – including working with the private sector to create jobs – one final push across the finish line before leaving town for the holidays. A video of Tonko's remarks can be viewed by clicking the screenshot, and a full transcript the remarks can be found below. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) released the following statement in response to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announcement that the benchmark compensation amount for contractor executives and employees will be increased to $952,308. Prior to this increase, government contractors could bill taxpayers as much as $763,029 to pay for their salaries. This increase of nearly $190,000 can be retroactively applied to costs incurred on all contracts since January 1, 2012. The increase is statutorily required, and based on a formula that has allowed the benchmark to rise automatically since 1998. Read more »
Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) today urged first responders and volunteers who participated in the rescue, recovery or cleanup effort after the attacks of September 11, 2001 to apply for benefits from the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. Those who wish to apply can get more information at http://nycosh.org/wtc/or by calling 855-4WTC-AID. The WTC Health Program was established by the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act, which was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2011. Read more »
A bipartisan bill introduced by Congressmen Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) unanimously passed the House of Representatives tonight bu a vote of 384-0, taking legislation that would save local governments in New York's Capital Region and across the country one step closer to becoming law. H.R. 3588, the Community Fire Safety Act, would exempt fire hydrants from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation of lead in drinking water that could force municipalities to replace non-compliant hydrants at a large cost to the taxpayer. Video of Congressman Tonko's floor speech in favor of the legislation can be found here. Read more »
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, is now accepting nominations for the 2014 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense's highest honor presented to civilian employers for exceptional support of their National Guard and Reserve employees. ESGR encourages Guardsmen and Reservists, or family members acting on their behalf, to submit nominations at www.FreedomAward.mil by January 20, 2014. Read more »
