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Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer unveiled a proposal to boost New York's tourism industry, one of the largest drivers of the North Country's economic growth. Schumer's bill, the Travel Regional Investment Partnership Act (TRIP Act), would work to increase U.S. tourism through the creation of a grant program that would bring together government and the private sector to improve parks, build tourism infrastructure and market tourist destinations. Importantly, the legislation will benefit... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer unveiled a new proposal to boost New York's tourism industry, one of the largest drivers of the Capital Region's economic growth. Schumer's bill, the Travel Regional Investment Partnership Act (TRIP Act), would work to increase U.S. tourism through the creation of a grant program that would bring together government and the private sector to improve parks, build tourism infrastructure and market tourist destinations. Importantly, the legislation will... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Congressman Michael Arcuri (NY24) and Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, announced that $639,218 in funding will be coming to the Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties in order to deploy highspeed broadband internet. The investments, which come through a provision in the stimulus bill that Schumer and Arcuri fought to increase funding for, will deploy high speed broadband in rural areas throughout New York State.   "To... Read More

United States Senator Charles E. Schumer is drafting legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to guarantee that any life insurance company they contract with offer lump sum payouts of death benefits as the default payment method for the families of lost soldiers and other federal workers. Reports this week revealed that insurance companies used by VA and OPM are using socalled 'retained asset accounts' and collecting up... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the new Senate energy bill could provide the funding necessary to reverse cuts to state parks and reduce the risk that they would have to be closed in the future.  It would also allow New York State Parks to make critical upgrades and improvements. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), funded through offshore oil and gas drilling royalties has historically been authorized at $900 million per year to help acquire and develop outdoor... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC-Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (DNY), Dianne Feinstein (DCA), Amy Klobuchar (DMN) and Jeff Merkley (DOR) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to immediately make public its findings from an investigation into possible health risks posed by socalled "energy drinks" that combine alcohol and caffeine. Popular drinks such as Four Loko and Joose look nearly indistinguishable compared to energy drinks, yet contain up to 12% alcohol per volume-or, two to three times... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has approved $500,000 for the North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System's Health Information Technology Initiative in the FY2011 Appropriations Bill. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand aggressively lobbied members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the project in this year's spending... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Senate Labor, Health, and Human Services and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee has approved a total of $200,000 for Cazenovia College in Madison County.  The funding will be used to establish the New York State Center for Equine Business Development. Schumer worked closely with members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the project in this year's spending bill "New York already has a strong equinerelated... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee has approved the FY11 Appropriations Bill with includes $100,000 for the Hispanic Foundation. The funding will be used to create a Latino Workforce Training Initiative, which focuses on helping lowincome workers to obtain higher wage and better quality jobs, enabling them to support their families and contribute to the recovery of New... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the full Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY11 Appropriations Bill which includes $750,000 for Chemung County. The funding will be used to construct a truck access road to Route 13 that will help with the development of the Industrial Center at Horseheads. Schumer worked closely with members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the project in this year's spending bill.   "Access to high quality roads and... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the full Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY11 Appropriations Bill which includes $500,000 for SUNY Alfred. The funding will be used to build geothermal, solar, and small wind model installations. The funding will help the region develop clean energy which will foster good paying jobs in an emerging market.   "SUNY Alfred is at the cutting edge of clean energy development and this investment will go a... Read More

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee has approved the FY2011 Appropriations Bill which includes $300,000 for the Monroe County Department of Public Safety. The funding will help law enforcement officials monitor high risk sex offenders through the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The updated protections will allow law enforcement to alert probation officers immediately whenever... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by antidrunk driving law enforcement, elected officials and advocates for increased road safety, pushed Schumer cosponsored legislation to foster research and development of incar technology to fight the scourge of drunk driving.  Schumer's cosponsored legislation was originally introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico and would create a consortium to drastically curb drunk driving by funding a partnership between antidrunk driving advocates,... Read More

Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that a key Senate committee has approved their request for funding for the Midtown Plaza.  The Midtown Rising is expected to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment and create or maintain 1,500 jobs, and will play a huge role in the future of Rochester. The request was approved by the Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee and will be inlucded in the FY11... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee has approved the FY11 Appropriations Bill which includes $1,000,000 for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The funding will be used to make improvements to the campus's physical infrastructure, including traffic reduction, pedestrian access and public safety features. Schumer worked closely with members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer requested that Attorney General Eric Holder open a criminal investigation into allegations that oil giant BP may have engaged in an illegal deal to secure the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset alMegrahi in exchange for access to Libyan oil fields. Schumer said that mounting evidence indicates a possible link between the release of alMegrahi and the completion of long stalled negotiations between BP and the Libyan government. If BP engaged in such a... Read More

WASHINGTON - At a news conference today, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (DNJ), Charles Schumer (DNY), Frank Lautenberg (DNJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (DNY) called on BP to suspend its oil drilling plans in Libya until its role in the freeing of the Pan Am Flight 103 bomber is fully known. Before BP makes money off of drilling there, the senators want to know to what extent BP helped to facilitate the release of Abdelbaset alMegrahi from a Scottish prison in order to finalize and expedite a $900... Read More

Today, United States Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Nubian Directions II, Inc. in Poughkeepsie will receive $283,500 in YouthBuild Grant funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and FY 2009 funding. The funding will be used to provide education and training to disadvantaged young people. This training will include the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic selfsufficiency in occupations in high demand and postsecondary education... Read More

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed that current laws restricting sex offenders' access to children does not restrict pedophiles from working with children in jobs which are not funded by the government. These glaring gaps in federal law allow pedophiles to work as coaches, carnival ride operators, dance and music teachers, and many other occupations that by their nature allow sex offenders to have direct contact with children. Schumer is introducing legislation, which would... Read More

United States Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today to immediately begin selling off unauthorized purchases it made with Asset Forfeiture Fund (AFF) money and return the proceeds to the fund and fishermen who committed no wrong or were excessively fined. A bombshell report issued by the Commerce Department's inspector general's office revealed that over the course of the last four years, forfeiture funds, obtained through fines levied... Read More