January 11, 2010 | NEWS ARTICLES
Schumer Completes State Tour
The Post-Journal | Link to article
With his visit to the Schenectady County Proctors Theatre recently, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-New York, completed his 62-county tour of New York for the eleventh consecutive year.
Among Schumer's work this year was a provision included in the stimulus package that sent billions of dollars directly to New York's county governments to stave off layoffs and property tax increases; enacting into law his legislation to provide middle class families with a $2,500 college tuition tax credit; securing millions of dollars for New York families devastated by storms; saving thousands of jobs by convincing General Motors to repurchase two Delphi Automotive parts plants; securing almost $300 million in direct aid for the nation's dairy farmers who are struggling through one of the worst crisis in recent memory and keeping open the Hickey Freeman franchise in Rochester and saving hundreds of jobs in the process.
Schumer's 2009 tour of New York included 13 trips to Albany; 16 to Erie; 17 to Monroe; 14 to Onondaga; and 22 to Westchester and Rockland counties. He also made a total of 11 trips to the North Country, 12 trips to the Southern Tier, 25 trips to the Capital Region, 25 trips to Western New York, 47 trips to the Hudson Valley, 26 trips to Central New York and 25 trips to the Rochester-Finger Lakes.
"As a state and nation, we all worked hard this year to make our way through tough times. This year certainly had as many challenges as it did milestones, but without a doubt my highest accomplishment is visiting all 62 counties in New York for the eleventh year straight," Schumer said. "What I am able to achieve in Washington is directly related to my county visits. Meeting the people and seeing firsthand what they're going through is a vital part of how I go about working to solve problems in their communities. Next year will be a great year and I can't wait to kick off the 12th annual tour in 2010."
In March, Schumer secured almost $10 billion dollars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for county governments and school districts. Schumer authored the provision enacted into law as part of the stimulus bill that sent billions of dollars directly to county governments, thereby avoiding crushing property tax hikes and layoffs of cops and firefighters. The Recovery Act also sent billions of dollars to local school districts to avoid teacher layoffs and bridge massive budget gaps.
In August, Schumer succeeded in his efforts to help bring Yahoo! to Niagara County. After speaking with Yahoo! officials, the company announced they would be locating a $150 million data center to Lockport. Schumer helped break an impasse between Yahoo! and Verizon over the cost of local access to broadband that was among the final hurdles in sealing the deal. Schumer touted the region's well-educated, talented, and affordable work force, as well as its clean, cheap power, to entice the Yahoo! to the region. Construction will begin this coming spring and once completed, the facility will employ nearly 125 people.
In September, Schumer secured millions in FEMA assistance for flood victims after floods devastated Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Erie counties. Schumer successfully secured funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Following Schumer's urging, President Barack Obama formally amended the Presidential Disaster Declaration for the area to include individual assistance for people affected by the flooding. Individual assistance funding by FEMA will help to pay for housing for those affected and also help them recover costs to replace items damaged by the floods. Schumer also succeeded in securing assistance for businesses and municipalities affected by the floods.
Schumer also secured an increase in MILC payments for dairy farmers. Schumer sponsored an amendment providing $290 million in direct aid, up to $40 million of which will go to New York, plus another $60 million in market supports. The U.S. Agriculture Department has announced its method for distributing the direct payments, which will benefit states with predominantly smaller dairy farmers. As the USDA considered methods to distribute the funding, Schumer fought, through letters and personal phone calls, to ensure the funds would go to the nation's smaller farms where it was needed most, and pushed to have the aid delivered by Christmas. Both of these requests were accepted and incorporated into the USDA's payment method.
