Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here Fighting to Protect the Second Amendment Despite a monumental victory in the NYSRPA v. Bruen Supreme Court case at the end of June, the Second Amendment continues to face fierce opposition from Democrat politicians in Washington and Albany. Following the ruling in the case, New York Democrats, led by Governor Hochul, passed legislation to ensure our state's conceal carry permitting process remains arbitrary and onerous, making it difficult for New Yorkers to properly exercise their constitutional rights. When asked about the data she had to back up her claims about allowing New Yorkers to conceal carry, Governor Hochul even responded that she "does not need to have numbers." Instead, it seems she’ll just keep relying on lies and fear tactics to push policies that have no basis in fact and will only infringe on New Yorkers’ rights. The New York State Sheriff's Association called the legislation "thoughtless" and "reactionary," while pointing out that the package was rushed through without any input from those who would be enforcing the laws. President Biden also used last weekend's tragic violence as an excuse to push for more gun control legislation at the federal level. These calls from President Biden and the actions of New York Democrats are a knee-jerk reaction that do not address the root cause of violence. They fail to keep us safer in any meaningful way. The horrific violence plaguing our communities is part of a broader and tragic trend of rising crime, fueled by pro-criminal policies and the failure of many elected officials to do their jobs. We must support the police and enforce the law. Those who terrorize our communities must face consequences. We must also invest in quality mental health services for those in need. In response to this recently passed legislation, I released the latest in my Myth vs. Fact series, where I debunked many of the common talking points spouted by Governor Hochul and other anti-gun activists. You can read the full document here. I am committed to setting the record straight, and I will always support New Yorkers' Second Amendment rights. Reducing Barriers and Expanding Broadband Access In today's world, access to a quality internet connection is critical. Students need internet to enhance their learning experiences, many workers need it to complete their daily tasks, and some rely on it for important tele-health appointments. Unfortunately, many of our communities still lack access to quality, affordable internet connections. That's why I continue to work in Congress to reduce regulatory barriers and expand access to broadband across NY-22. This week, I joined with fellow New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and other members of the New York congressional delegation in a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to take action to expand access to broadband in rural areas by easing the burdensome permitting process for providers who build out fiber optic cable lines needed for quality broadband connections. The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) lays out significantly more onerous and burdensome requirements for fiber optic projects along a state right-of-way than for any other type of project. This is a significant burden to rural fiber broadband providers, oftentimes costing between $5,000 to $15,000 per mile in build-out costs and lengthening the permitting timeline and approval process. This significant barrier radically increases the cost of laying fiber, driving down the ability of internet providers to serve rural communities. These fees make it especially expensive for smaller providers to enter the market since they have less access to capital and cannot afford longer returns on investment. This policy disproportionately impacts rural residents and providers. It's time for the Governor to change it! You can read the full letter here. Election Integrity Update: Cosponsor Alert Last year, President Biden signed Executive Order 14019, titled "Promoting Access to Voting," through which he aimed to turn federal agencies into partisan political operations to do the Democrats' bidding in advance of the midterms. This is outrageous, which is why I co-led a letter with Election Integrity Caucus co-chair Congressman Mike Garcia, as well as Congressman Ted Budd, demanding answers about President Biden’s unilateral attempt to federalize elections through an Executive Order (EO) that empowers unrelated federal agencies to craft and execute plans related to voting and elections, as well as possible involvement by far-left third-party organizations. We still have not received a response to our letter, so I am stepping up to put an end to it altogether. I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 7984, which was introduced by my colleague Congressman Alex Mooney of West Virginia and would nullify Biden's Executive Order. We must work to restore faith in our elections, not undermine it by stacking the resources of the federal government in favor of one party over another. Update on Community Project Funding This week, I announced that the House Appropriations Committee, as part of the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Community Project Funding (CPF) process, selected 14 projects totaling over $27 million, from New York’s 22nd Congressional District. In May, I submitted these projects to the Committee for consideration after in-depth consultations with community leaders and a thorough review of each submission. The selected projects will benefit communities across New York’s 22nd District by supporting local police, ensuring access to clean water infrastructure, improving facilities for mental health services, and much more. The CPF process allows localities and non-profits to submit requests for federal funding for high-priority community projects in New York’s 22nd Congressional District, bypassing the ordinary bureaucratic federal grants processes that too often benefit larger cities and metropolitan areas. Importantly, the CPF process does not increase federal spending, since the projects awarded come from existing federal grant programs. Now that these projects have been approved by the House Committee, they will continue to make their way through the legislative process and still need to pass the full House and Senate. This year, my office received more than 100 funding requests from applicants across the 22nd District for a range of projects, making the selection process for 15 available slots extremely competitive. Final submissions were chosen based on a range of factors, including a demonstration of community support as well as how well they fit with the terms of the available federal funding programs. The projects approved by the Committee are listed below, each of which fall into one of three categories: (1) water infrastructure improvements; (2) research and economic development; and (3) health care services and public safety. For any award that may be granted, my office and I will work closely with all recipients to ensure federal funds are spent appropriately and in the interest of the American taxpayers. As with any federal program, Community Project Funds must be held to the highest standards of accountability. FY23 CPF Requests Approved by the Appropriations Committee: $864,078 for Binghamton Community Policing and Crime Prevention; $2,850,000 for City of Norwich Water Main Replacement; $3,000,000 for City of Rome Park Drive Revitalization Project; $2,995,000 for Cortland Rural Mental Health Facility Capital Project; $3,000,000 for Griffiss Institute Smart-X Internet of Things (IOT) Living Lab; $1,000,000 for Oneida Health System Behavioral Health Services; $1,580,628 for Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District Upper Susquehanna Watershed Community Resiliency; $2,351,200 for Town of Orwell Water System Improvements; $1,000,000 for Town of Schuyler Graham, Brown and Newport Road Water District; $227,400 for Town of Whitestown Buy-out of Repetitive Flood Loss Properties; $734,014 for Utica University Crime Lab; $2,000,000 for Valley Health Services Skilled Nursing and Neurobehavioral Care Facility; $1,507,605 for Village of Canastota South Canal, Commerce and State Street Sewar Separation; 4,152,000 for Village of Oneida Castle Sanitary Sewer Collection System. In the News: My Weekly Discussion with Talk of the Town On Thursday, I joined Talk of the Town to discuss many of the pressing issues facing our country, including the recent Supreme Court decisions in cases such as NYSRPA v. Bruen and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Listen to my interview at the link here or above. As a reminder, I join Talk of the Town for a weekly discussion during the Thursday morning commute, where I discuss my work in Washington and across NY-22 on behalf of our communities, as well as pressing national issues. Be sure to tune in next week! MVHS Hospital Visit This week, I toured MVHS’s Wynn Hospital. Construction is continuing, and I was impressed with the progress. I am looking forward to the completion of this soon-to-be state-of-the-art facility. A special thanks to Mark Freije, Paul Miller, and Dave Conklin of Matco Electric in Vestal for showing me around! Don't Forget: Upcoming Mobile Office Hours Don’t forget to check out upcoming mobile office hour sessions! Last week, my team hosted virtual office hours for everyone across NY-22. Thank you very much to those who attended to seek assistance with a federal agency! This week, my team of expert caseworkers will be in Chenango County at Greene Town Hall. If you need help with a federal agency, then I encourage you to call to schedule your appointment! Not sure if we can help with your issue? Call my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713 or my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 for more information! It's Not Too Late: Schedule Your DC Tour Today! As our nation returns to normal and reopens, it is my pleasure to share that tours of the White House and Capitol Building have made their long-awaited return! While tours have resumed at several locations, sites such as the U.S. Capitol are doing so incrementally. As such, we are still limited in how many constituent tours we can host each week. At present, tours of the Capitol Building have been restricted to one appointment per office per week. Please note, the White House requires 21 days minimum notice to accommodate any tour requests. Availability for both of these tours is extremely limited. I urge you to reach out to my office as soon as possible regarding all future tour requests. You can do so by accessing my tour request portal here. While my office may be unable to secure a Congressional tour for all the sites you have selected given the high demand and currently limited availability, there are a number of locations that remain available for public tours. I urge you to visit house.gov for more information regarding these opportunities. Such locations include the Supreme Court and the National Archives, which you can view here and here. You may also wish to register to receive your very own reader registration card through the Library of Congress, which you can do here. I would also suggest you contact your U.S. Senators, as they too have been successful in accommodating tour requests. You can submit a tour request to Senator Schumer's office here, as well as to Senator Gillibrand here. I believe strongly that our Nation's Capitol Building should be opened, which is why I have joined my colleagues in numerous public letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to reopen the Capitol for tours. Although tours have started to return, there are still far too many restrictions in place. The American people deserve full access. Rest assured that my office will do all it can to accommodate as many requests as possible. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and wish all visitors a safe and pleasant trip to Washington. Have news or updates to share? Email me! If you have updates regarding events in the community or other news to share from across New York's 22nd District, please visit the "Contact Me" page on my website to share it with me. My team will try to include as many of your updates from around #NY22 as we can each week. ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. Tenney | 1410 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]