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WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee, was selected today to serve as a conferee when the House and Senate work to resolve differences between their versions of H.R. 2, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “Farm Bill.”  “I am honored to have the opportunity to bring my voice to the… Read more »

WASHINGTON – This afternoon, Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Congressman Paul D. Tonko released a disturbing new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing just 43 percent of school districts nationwide tested for lead in their schools’ drinking water in 2016 and 2017, and of those that tested more than one-third (37 percent) found… 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… Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko responded to President Trump’s announcement tonight that he will nominate ideologically conservative Brett Kavanaugh for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. “President Trump’s announcement tonight shows a clear intent to pack the court with extremists to support his hateful policies and to insulate himself from legal accountability in… Read more »

"Military records testify to the sacrifice and valor of each person who has served the U.S. armed forces," said Tonko. "Incorrect or incomplete military records can leave a service member, their family or their descendants without vital documentation or with an inaccurate or incomplete story of their loved one’s service. I am grateful to Roberta Reno for bringing to my attention this critical gap in how we correct and maintain our military records. Thanks to her tenacity and attention to historical detail, I am delighted to sponsor this legislation to help ensure critical errors and injustices like this one can begin to be corrected.” Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) spoke in favor of H.R. 2651: Horseracing Integrity Act, legislation he introduced along with Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY), at a legislative hearing on the bill this morning in the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection. The Horseracing Integrity Act would establish a national, independent Horseracing… Read more »

"Our national response needs to rise to meet the unprecedented scale of this crisis. I am delighted that the House voted this afternoon to adopt my Addiction Treatment Access Improvement Act as part of the legislation passed today. Ensuring patients can access cutting-edge addiction treatment is a matter of life and death for countless Americans and their families." Read more »

"I remain deeply troubled by the total lack of interest from the President and from my colleagues in Congress to offer a serious plan for reuniting the more than 2,300 children separated from their parents by our government under the President’s so-called “zero-tolerance” policy." - Congressman Paul Tonko Read more »

“Individuals could better access mental health and addiction care and have an improved care transition back into the community. By passing this bill, we can allow states to expand innovative approaches to reentry that are already underway in places such as New York." Read more »

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko issued the following statement responding to the President’s order this afternoon to legalize the extended incarceration of migrant children: “President Trump has shown a troubling willingness to use the suffering of children and families to try to gain political leverage for his misguided and un-American immigration policies. He created this crisis… Read more »