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AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today released his 2020 District Office scorecard detailing constituent services he provided for Capital Region communities and residents this year, including COVID-19 resources and services, small business assistance, help with federal agencies and much more.

“This COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives in countless ways,” Congressman Tonko said. “Like so many others, my team and I have had to reimagine the job, but through it all my top priority has remained serving and supporting our Capital Region and the American people. Now more than ever, our nation needs public servants who are dedicated to the hard work of delivering vital services and fighting for the basic rights of our citizens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am blessed to have an incredible team of dedicated staffers behind me who are just as passionate as I am about lifting our Capital Region and helping the people and communities we serve. I am deeply proud of the people, businesses and organizations of this region who have stayed strong in the face of one of the hardest years in our nation’s history, and I am grateful to my team and everyone who worked with us for everything we have achieved in and for our district, even in the midst of this COVID-19 challenge. I remain most grateful to the people of this region for their continued faith and resilience, and I am eager to get back to Washington in January to continue the fight for our nurses, teachers, first responders, small businesses, working families and all of our friends and loved ones as we renter the final stretch of this pandemic.”

Congressman Tonko’s extensive scorecard contains accomplishments including:

• Completing more than 1,900 cases for constituents ranging from assisting with stimulus checks, social security, veterans affairs, immigration, and much more.
  • Responding to more than 1,000 calls of NY-20 residents with IRS issues, helping them to receive their economic impact payments and tax returns.
• Addressing more than 350 requests for COVID-19 assistance from businesses, nonprofits and community organizations, helping to find resources and apply for grant opportunities and loan programs.
• Securing $1,605,564 to meet the needs of first responders and fire departments through AFG, SAFER, and COVID Supplemental programs.

Congressman Tonko’s strong dedication to community service is reflected in his legislative record, with several pieces of legislation developed out of direct conversations, advocacy and engagement with Capital Region constituents. This includes the limousine safety package, where he worked directly with the families of the victims of the tragic Schoharie limo crash in October 2018 and developed and advanced this legislation to prevent another tragedy. Congressman Tonko also worked alongside local heritage leaders to protect Upstate New York’s historic Erie Canalway by extending authorization of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission. The legislation was passed out of the House in December, 2020.

Most recently, he advanced the Artificial Intelligence Education Act out of the House, a bill inspired by former Shaker High School student, Nathan Wang, who worked with the Congressman to help K-12 students access STEM learning of A.I. technologies. The bill was advanced in the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act and is expected to become law.

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