June 1, 2024

Dear Friends,

My top priority as your representative in Congress is supporting our local communities and helping our region grow and thrive.

In a previous newsletter this month, I outlined a unique process that allows my office to deliver that direct support to our Capital Region by allotting federal dollars to vital projects, through Community Project Funding. We are now entering our fourth year of this highly competitive and deeply rewarding process. Since that time, I’ve worked tirelessly to advance impactful local projects in our federal budget, and I’m deeply proud of the success I have had in delivering over $37 million in Community Project Funding to our district since 2022.

Now, I am going to bat for another 15 projects during the Fiscal Year 2025 budget process and, just this week, I held a number of events across the district to speak with project leaders and advocates about the benefits of these worthy projects — which touch a range of issues, from research programs at our local universities, to infrastructure projects that seek to better connect and protect our communities.

Here is a list of projects I will be championing this year, sorted by topic:

Municipal Infrastructure

• Lincoln Park Southwest Gateway Improvements in Albany would complete numerous upgrades for the park, including construction of a welcoming, accessible park entry, resurfacing existing tennis and basketball courts, and other improvements.
  
  
• Essential Building Repair and Updates for Glenville Hill Fire District No. 8 would update an existing 70-plus year aged fire station, improving volunteer firefighter-EMT safety, providing workable apparatus bays, and creating an accessible location to accommodate and meet the needs of residents.
  
  
• Town Hall Expansion for Milton would modernize and increase the capacity of the building with new meeting rooms, offices, and public areas to better and more fully accommodate the growing needs of the community.
  
  
• ADA Transition Plan Sidewalk Improvement Implementation in Ballston Spa would facilitate the installment of ADA accessible sidewalks and the repair of deteriorating sidewalks in an area that surrounds numerous schools and also serves a high senior population.
  
  
• Community Park Improvements in Scotia would make improvements to several parks in the area, addressing repairs, constructing new parking lots and other enhancements that will offer increased safety and public access.

Water Infrastructure

• Phase Three Water Main Replacement in Stillwater would replace old and failing asbestos cement pipe (ACP) water main as well as all existing gate valves and fire hydrants, eliminating service disruptions for hundreds of connections throughout the town.
  
  
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Disinfection Improvements project in Altamont would include the installation of an ultraviolet disinfection system to protect the water quality and health of village residents.
  
  
• South End Neighborhood Water System Improvements in Menands would overhaul the aging water and sewer systems that are critically deteriorated after close to a century of service.
  
  
• Clean Water Resiliency and Village Growth project in Voorheesville would fund final design, and construction of priority sewer collection upgrades and related engineering reports, including replacing and estimated 3,600 linear feet of asbestos concrete pipes.

Quality of Life

• A Building of our Own, Crossroads Center for Children in Princetown would support the construction of their new facility and be a permanent space for their school and ABA Clinic that serves 120 children each year from all over the Capital Region, most with autism, from 2-12 years old.
  
  
• Indoor Air Quality Systems project at Troy Public Library would complete new heating and ventilation as well as extend new HVAC systems throughout the library.
  
  
• Community Corner Creation for Mechanicville Area Community Services Center would establish a “Community Campus” and create a cornerstone of support networks for the greater Mechanicville area.

Higher Education

• Applied Technology Education Center Project at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) would construct a high-tech energy efficient Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Lab and expand academic and non-credit offerings that will prepare individuals for careers in high-demand industries.
  
  
• Quantum Innovations in Computing Knowledge (QUICK) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) would support the acquisition of technology, equipment, and supplies for laboratories to further enable RPI to nurture regional start-ups across industries.
  
  
• CNSE 200mm Wafer Cleanroom Equipment Upgrade Project at University at Albany would fund the purchase of new lab equipment to provide leading-edge capabilities while further enabling the Albany Nanotech Complex and New York industrial partners to fabricate novel materials and devices.

The knowledge I have gained from these visits will help me advocate for the inclusion of these projects in the final FY2025 federal budget. You can read more about each project on my website HERE.

With a combination of visionary leadership and sound investment, we can unleash untold potential across our Capital Region in ways that will support our residents, revitalize our communities, and strengthen our businesses. Next week, I will return to Washington filled with resolve to secure this funding for each project in the federal budget and to continue to ensure our communities receive the investment we deserve.

As always, thank you for reading.

Your friend,

DID YOU KNOW?

My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from federal agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced this week that it will make Direct File a permanent option for filing federal tax returns starting in the 2025 tax season.
  • Building on the success of the limited pilot, the agency is exploring ways to expand Direct File to make more taxpayers eligible in the 2025 filing season and beyond by examining options to broaden Direct File’s availability across the nation.
• Nearly half of Direct File users reported paying for tax preparation the previous year. The Treasury Department estimates that Direct File users saved a total of $5.6 million in tax preparation fees this filing season. Direct File’s users also reported saving time on filing.
• As a permanent filing option, Direct File will continue to be one option among many from which taxpayers can choose. 
• The IRS plans to announce additional details on the 2025 expansion in the coming months.