New York

Bill Strengthens Protections for Homeowners, Tenants and Neighborhoods

November 16, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson and Legislative Leaders today announced passage of the Governor’s Program Bill No. 46, which provides additional critical protections for New York State homeowners, tenants and neighborhoods in the wake of the ongoing foreclosure crisis.

The legislation builds upon Governor Paterson’s landmark subprime lending reform law enacted last year, by assisting homeowners currently at risk of foreclosure and minimizing the negative impacts that foreclosures have on communities.    » read more »

Bill Strengthens New York’s Position to Access $454 Million in Federal Funds for Clean Energy Retrofits

November 16, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson, Congressman Steve Israel, and Legislative Leaders today announced the passage of the municipal clean energy loan program legislation. The Senate and Assembly passed the bill, which empowers communities to launch Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loan programs, today during an extraordinary session of the Legislature.    » read more »

Voices continuing support for the President’s pledge to shutter Guantanamo

November 13, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) expressed his continuing support for the Administration’s pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by January, 2010. In response to the announcement that Khalid Sheik Mohammed -- the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- and four co-defendants will be tried in federal court in New York instead of a military commission, the Congressman issued the following statement:    » read more »

November 16, 2009 – Washington, DC – Congressman José E. Serrano today announced that several local groups had been awarded matching grants by the IRS to fund their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Serrano helped to start and fund this vital grant program when he became chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the IRS’s budget.

Included in the latest funding list are the following Bronx organizations: Food Bank for NYC/Food for Survival, Inc. in the Bronx ($115,000); The NYC Financial Network Action Consortium ($90,000) and SEEDCO ($50,000).    » read more »

$8,000 Tax Credit for First Time Homebuyers, $6,500 for Current Homeowners Purchasing New Homes

November 16, 2009 -- Monroe, NY – U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-Dover) stood with Orange County realtors and a family who will benefit from both an $8,000 and a $6,500 homebuyer tax to detail how an expanded and extended Homebuyers’ Tax Credit enacted by Congress will help new and current homeowners in Orange County and stimulate the local economy.    » read more »

Announces Counties Are Conducting Vaccination Clinics As More H1N1 Vaccine Becomes Available

November 13, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that county health departments across New York are mobilizing to conduct H1N1 flu vaccination clinics as more vaccine becomes available in the State.

“Due to delays in manufacturing the H1N1 vaccine, our statewide vaccination campaign has not been mobilized as rapidly as we had hoped,” Governor Paterson said. “As we move into the middle of November, more H1N1 vaccine is becoming available, and health care providers are receiving more shipments. Some county health departments have already held vaccination clinics, and others are gearing up to hold them in the next two weeks.”    » read more »

Governor signs Executive Order No. 30 Establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee

November 12, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson has signed Executive Order No. 30, establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee. The Committee will raise awareness of the 2010 Census and will work to maximize the participation of all New Yorkers. New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez kicked off the State’s 2010 Census Complete Count Campaign today at an event in the State Capitol.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) joined members of the community to explain that they would receive better health care, more choices and lowered costs thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act passed by the House last Saturday.

Slaughter was joined by members of the labor and faith communities, health care professionals, seniors and students as she emphasized the benefits for all Americans in the historic health care legislation.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Representative of Ground Zero and Lower Manhattan as well as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, issued the following statement on the announcement today by the Department of Justice regarding certain Guantanamo detainees:    » read more »

November 11, 2009 -- Johnson City, NY - As part of his ongoing effort to strengthen the housing market and the overall economy in the Southern Tier, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today held a roundtable discussion with members of the Greater Binghamton Association of Realtors to discuss legislation he recently helped the House pass that extends the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers through April 30, 2009 and creates a new $6,500 federal tax credit for non-first-time homebuyers who have been in their current residence at least five years.    » read more »

11/13/09 -- Washington, DC -- Yesterday, Congressman Tim Bishop (NY-1) and members of the New York Congressional Delegation sent a bipartisan letter to federal, state and city officials expressing outrage over reports that over a dozen Wall Street firms were approved to receive some of the limited H1N1 vaccines available to the public. According to BusinessWeek, these private companies have received as many as 1200 units each in recent weeks as colleges, nursing homes and schools face severe shortages.    » read more »

November 10, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson and Legislative Leaders today announced the passage of two Governor’s program bills. The first provides measures to evaluate the costs of mandates on local governments, helping them to control costs and provide relief to property taxpayers. The second closes a loophole in sentencing laws that allowed some violent criminals to become eligible for parole and medical parole earlier than intended.

Both were passed in the extraordinary session that Governor Paterson called to address both the current-year deficit and additional legislation that was not finished at the end of session last June.    » read more »

Pier Analysis Completed, Rehabilitation Ruled Out As Viable Option

November 9, 2009 -- Montpelier, Vt. – New York Governor David A. Paterson and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas have received a report from their states’ respective transportation agencies which finds that it is not feasible to rehabilitate the Lake Champlain Bridge. Engineers have declared that the 80-year-old span is too unstable to be renovated, and recommend demolishing the bridge for the safety of motorists and boaters.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson has directed that flags on New York State government buildings be flown at half-staff on Thursday, November 12, in honor of an Albany-area soldier who died in Iraq on November 4.

Staff Sergeant Amy C. Tirador, a member of the 209th Military Intelligence Co., 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division, died of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident in Kirkush. The unit is based at Fort Lewis, Washington.    » read more »

Top 10 Ways NYC Benefits from Health Care Reform

11.08.09 -- New York City – Today, Representative Anthony Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens), a member of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Caucus on the Middle Class, released a new study on the impact of the health reform bill which passed the House of Representatives late last night on New York City.    » read more »