June 12, 2021
Dear Friends,
This week the House of Representatives took several major steps toward repairing and improving America’s crumbling infrastructure and making long-term investments in our local communities and the basic systems on which we all depend.
Most notably, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced a major, “must-pass” surface transportation bill to the House floor: the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, I’m delighted to report that this bill includes several of my top priorities including the first set of local infrastructure projects I have been pushing to get federally funded.
Here are the five Capital Region projects I submitted to the Committee in April and that I have been pushing for in Congress over the past several weeks:
- $6,000,000 for Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) to purchase Eight Electric Buses that would provide zero emission public transit service in the “emerging markets” of Montgomery County and the City of Amsterdam.
- $5,700,000 for the City of Troy for its Route 2 Multi-Modal Connectivity Project, which would create a continuous bicycle and pedestrian route along the Congress Street Bridge that will connect the Cities of Watervliet and Troy.
- $4,500,000 for the City of Amsterdam for its Multi-Modal Phase I/Pedestrian Connector Project, which would create a nexus of transportation, development, and open space in the heart of downtown north of the tracks while linking to existing open spaces on the waterfront.
- $2,700,000 for the City of Schenectady for its Craig Street Corridor Project, which would construct multimodal elements and safety infrastructure to build a physical and social bridge to strengthen bonds and empower access in the Mont Pleasant and Hamilton Hill community.
- $1,055,000 for the Town of Clifton Park for NY 146 and NY146A Bicycle & Pedestrian Access Improvements, which would expand and improve these popular bicycle and pedestrian paths.
Every one of these worthy projects would not only improve the lives of the people who use and rely on them, they would also bring forth new jobs, help grow our regional economy and connect our communities. This was a competitive process and I am proud that I was able to secure funded for them in this must-pass transportation legislation. This work would not have been possible without the vision and dedication of many local leaders and organizations who helped identify these critical needs and opportunities in our region and develop a bold vision to address them.
My heart also pours forth at the news that several major provisions from my bipartisan limousine safety reform legislation also made it into the bill. These reforms were inspired and shaped by the families of the victims of the tragic Schoharie crash that took the lives of 20 of our beloved friends and neighbors—many of them from my own hometown of Amsterdam, New York—in October 2018. This legislation will raise the bar on limousine safety nationwide and create incentives for states to get unsafe limos off the road—limos like the one that caused that terrible crash.
As millions of vaccinated Americans start returning to a new normal, I expect many will start hosting or attending weddings, sending kids to school dances and traveling for other celebratory events. I want to make sure the vehicles that you—and more importantly your kids—ride in are safe. And with the inclusion of these measures in this major legislation, I have never been more optimistic that we will get this legislation advanced through the House and Senate and signed into law by the President.
Our work rebuilding and strengthening America’s critical infrastructure is far from done. I’ll continue to do all in my power to ensure that these vital measures are signed into law without delay.
As always, thank you for reading. And stay safe.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations on any and all COVID-19 related topics. With that in mind here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- This week, 11 new pop-up vaccination sites across New York State are opening in areas where zip code data shows the vaccination rate is significantly lower than the statewide average.
- NYS will expand on the program and open additional sites in the coming weeks.
- All sites are open for walk-in vaccinations on a first come, first served basis
- The new Capital Region pop-up site:
- Coeyman's Hollow Volunteer Fire House
1290 NY-143 Coeyman's Hollow, NY
Opened: Thursday, June 10
- Today's announcement builds on the effort in New York State to bring the vaccine to underserved communities across the state through pop-up vaccination sites.
- Since January 15, more than 250 community-based pop-up sites have administered more than 90,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.