July 3, 2021
Dear Friends,
As the nation prepares to celebrate the 244th anniversary of our independence, Congress has been hard at work building solutions for the greatest challenges we face today. This week, my colleagues and I in the House of Representatives responded to the urgency of this moment to advance bold, lasting investments in some of America’s most critical systems that are at the greatest risk of failure—and the communities who depend on them.
Most notably, we voted to advance the bipartisan Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act that will create new jobs, deliver critical resources into our communities and make the American people safer and more prosperous.
This must-pass legislation includes critical investments and other priorities important to our Capital Region and for all Americans, including:
- My AQUA Act of 2021, signature legislation I authored to fix America’s failing drinking water systems including replacing every one of the estimated 10 million lead service lines still in use—400,000 of which remain in schools and childcare facilities
- $19,955,000 I requested and pushed to secure to support FIVE Capital Region T&I member designated projects, including:
- $6,000,000 for Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) for the Purchase of Eight Electric Buses for Use in Emerging Markets
- $5,700,000 for the City of Troy for the Route 2 Multi-Modal Connectivity Project
- $4,500,000 for the City of Amsterdam for the Multi-Modal Phase I/Pedestrian Connector Project
- $2,700,000 for the City of Schenectady for the Craig Street Corridor Project
- $1,055,000 for the Town of Clifton Park for the NY 146 and NY146A Bicycle & Pedestrian Access Improvements
- My extended reauthorization of federal support for 32 National Heritage Areas including our Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Corridor
- Lifesaving limousine safety measures that I wrote with the help of the families of victims of the tragic Schoharie limo crash on October 6, 2018 that took the lives of 20 souls and an earlier limousine crash on Long Island
- Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure investments I pushed for that build a national network of publicly accessible EV charging stations, which are critical to achieving our clean energy future and meet the needs of EV drivers by providing charging options that align with where people are expected to charge—their offices, their grocery stores, and convenient locations along their everyday driving routes
Investing in America is about more than fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, it’s about building our nation’s most sustainable, competitive economy ever—an economy that will work for, and lift up, millions of Americans today and for generations to come. The infrastructure needs of our communities and nation will only grow greater and more urgent, and the longer we delay these critical investments, the higher the costs will rise and the farther we will fall behind the rest of the world.
The passage of our INVEST in America Act in the House is a great step forward to bring our Capital Region and our national infrastructure into the modern era, helping move local infrastructure projects forward, strengthen our drinking water systems to make them safer, cleaner and more sustainable, and rebuild a stronger, cleaner, more resilient and more just American economy for all.
This is encouraging progress but our work to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure is far from over. I will continue pushing to ensure this vital legislation makes it to the President’s desk without delay.
Have a safe and joyous 4th of July celebrating our nation’s independence!
And, as always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
p.s. careful readers will notice my reference at the top that this year we celebrate the 244th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence—meaning that America will be 245 years old as of July 4th, 2021!
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind here is some information from the National Passport Agency that may be of interest to you:
- Due to the recent influx of requests and delays in the mail, the National Passport Agency has extended the expected timeline for processing passport applications.
- Routine service can take up to 18 weeks from the day an application is submitted to the day a new passport is received.
- Expedite service can take up to 10-12 weeks from the day an application is submitted to the day a new passport is received.
- If you have urgent travel, you can only make an appointment by using the agency’s Online Passport Appointment System or by calling 1-877-487-2778 or TDD/TTY 1-888-874-7793. Available 24/7.
- To ensure you receive your passport on time, the National Passport Agency recommends you apply six months before planned travel. Due to limited availability for urgent travel appointments, it is not guaranteed you can receive in-person service at a passport agency or center. Visit the agency’s Passport Agency and Center page to learn more.
