We Advanced a Build Back Better Agenda for the People! November 20, 2021Dear Friends,This week marked a historic moment for the American people. On Monday, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. This legislation:Repairs our crumbling roads and bridges with the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system itselfInvests strongly in public and transit railExpands broadband to ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internetSecures $55 billion to replace our water system including $15 billion to replace lead pipes and deliver clean water for our children and communities I was also honored to announce that my limo safety provisions were passed with this infrastructure bill. I worked for years to make these lifesaving reforms law alongside the families of those lost in the tragic Schoharie limousine crash that took the lives of 20 people on October 6, 2018. It is thanks to the perseverance and advocacy of these families that this legislation—three years in the making—is now the law of the land. This was a powerful achievement that will have lasting benefits for decades on our infrastructure, jobs, and our economy. But we would not truly be delivering our full Build Back Better agenda without sound investments to support American kids and families, bolster our health care system and tackle this climate crisis with the urgency it requires.The House just took that critically needed action.Yesterday we voted to advance the Build Back Better Act, a once-in-a-generation investment in our communities that drives down costs for hardworking families, fights against inflation, and is fully paid for by making billionaires and the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share. This legislation:Puts more money in the hands of hardworking parents to help buy groceries, pay rent and afford child care, extending the Child Tax Credit, a vital benefit supporting thousands of families in our own Capital Region and helping cut U.S. child poverty IN HALFSets up our kids for success by delivering free pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old in AmericaEnshrines my Medicaid Reentry Act into law to provide addiction treatment and other critical services for incarcerated individuals transitioning back into their communitiesGuarantees four weeks of comprehensive paid family and medical leave for workersLowers health care costs, negotiating lower drug costs for seniors and expanding the ACA to make coverage more affordableDelivers more than $550 billion to support clean energy development and fight climate change, including $320 billion in clean energy tax credits that support the growth of good family-supporting jobs, domestic manufacturing, and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructureMakes generational investments in higher education, workforce training, affordable housing, nutrition assistance and moreEach and every one of these critical investments will be paid for without taking a single dime from any American making less than $400,000.For months I have pushed to advance this transformational legislation to meet the needs of our Capital Region as well as communities across our region. I could not be more proud of the work we got done this week, and I look forward to the swift passage of this bill through the Senate and onto the president’s desk so that we can create a bright future for our children, our economy and our planet. As always, thank you for reading. Your friend, DID YOU KNOW?  Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest local, state and federal updates and recommendations. With that in mind here is some information from USPS that may be of interest to you:  The United States Postal Service has announced major anticipations for the 2021 holiday peak delivery season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day- with the expectation of delivering between 850 million and 950 million packages. The United States Postal Service plans all year for the holiday season and expects heavy traffic to begin December 6, 2021. Key changes includeExpansion of Sunday delivery beginning November 28,2021;Expected leasing of 7.5 million square feet of additional space across more than 40 annexes to handle anticipated package increases;Opening of 40,000 seasonal positions to process and deliver mail; andA temporary price increase of the Forever Stamp to 58 cents from 55 cents.Any additional information and news including all domestic, international and military mailing  and shipping dates can be found HERE.