Congresswoman Tenney's Weekly Newsletter Have questions? Contact Me Here DOJ Must Enforce Key Election Integrity Laws The Civil Rights Act of 1960 requires state and local election agencies to retain documents from all federal elections for a period of 22 months. However, a recently released report revealed that despite the records retention requirement under the Civil Rights Act, many of the most populous jurisdictions across the country are not complying with it. In fact, just six of 100 of the most heavily populated counties were able to provide their actual voter files from the 2020 election as required by law when they were requested! Further, those six jurisdictions that did provide these records demonstrated an average difference between the number of voters and the number of votes cast of 2.89%. Cobb County, Georgia had a discrepancy as high as 8.8%. In response to this concerning report, I sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland demanding his agency enforce the record retention requirements under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. I was joined in this effort by fellow New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as well as Reps. Bill Posey, Andrew Garbarino, Michael Guest, and Louie Gohmert. AG Garland must act to hold these counties accountable for their failure to comply with record-keeping requirements in the 2020 election and act to ensure this important federal law is being enforced today. All states are now on notice, in 2022, this vital information must be preserved in accordance with the law! You can read the full letter here. UPDATE: Farm Overtime Wage Threshold This week, I cosponsored H.R. 8756, the Protect Local Farms Act, to prevent the recent recommendation from the New York State Farm Laborers Wage Board to lower the overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40 hours per week from taking effect. Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) introduced the legislation, and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) is also a cosponsor. The decision to recommend lowering the farm worker overtime threshold from 60 to 40 hours per week is woefully misguided and ignores input from important industry stakeholders. Family farms, who are already struggling with rising costs from diesel to fertilizer and more, could be forced to reduce operations or leave the industry or state altogether. The Board completely failed to consider the overwhelming and passionate comments from farmers, consumers, and farm workers themselves in formulating their policy priorities, deciding to undermine the very industry and workers they are supposed to serve. I am honored to stand up for New York's family farms. The full text of the bill is available here. Demanding Answers from Credit Card Companies About Recent Changes Impacting Gun Purchases This week, I joined with Congersswoman Elise Stefanik and more than 100 of my colleagues in demanding answers from Visa, Mastercard, and American Express about their implementation of a new Merchant Category Code (MCC) for firearms retailers. Anti-Second Amendment advocates have long advocated for a specific MCC for firearms retailers so that credit card companies can flag what they deem to be “suspicious” purchases, potentially infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. As background, on September 9, 2022, the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) announced the creation of a new MCC for firearms retailers. Since then, major credit card companies, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, have announced intentions to adopt the new MCC. With the adoption of the code, liberal elected officials are now urging credit card companies to flag “suspicious” transactions on firearm sales and to file these with law enforcement. This decision by the ISO sets a dangerous precedent, and how credit card companies implement this new MCC will have a great effect on how these transactions are reviewed and flagged for further government scrutiny. As we wrote in our letters, "Of course, there is no accepted, consistent, scientific, or legitimate way to determine from this data what is and what is not a 'suspicious' purchase. A gun control advocate could view any desire to own or obtain a firearm as per se suspicious. Instead, this is a transparent attempt to chill the exercise of constitutionally protected rights and to circumvent existing legal restrictions on the creation of firearm registries by the government.” The full text of the letter to Visa is available here. The full text of the letter to Mastercard is available here. The full text of the letter to American Express is available here. Dangerous Iranian Officials Should Never Be Allowed in the U.S. On Friday, I introduced the Strengthening Entry Visa Enforcement and Restrictions Act, or SEVER Act, to ban Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials associated with the Iranian Supreme Leader from entering the United States. This was done in advance of Raisi’s arrival for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Amid ongoing talks to restore the failed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, the Biden administration is planning to circumvent restrictions that would bar Raisi from entering the U.S. because of mass atrocities he has committed and terrorist activities that he has directed. Raisi has advocated for the assassination of U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iranian President Raisi clearly poses a threat to our national security. Ensuring he stays off U.S. soil should be a no-brainer for anyone tasked with protecting the American people. The full text of the bill is available here. Standing for America's Small Business Community This week, I had the privilege of receiving the "Guardian of Small Business" Award from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) for my work in Congress supporting America's small businesses. NFIB advocates on behalf of America’s small and independent businesses, both in Washington and throughout the 50 states. The "Guardian of Small Business" Award is the organization’s most prestigious legislative award and is presented to lawmakers who consistently vote to support small businesses on key issues. It was my honor to receive this award from NFIB. As a longtime small business owner and member of NFIB for nearly 30 years, I am committed to giving a voice to America’s small business owners in Congress. 94% of workers in New York’s 22nd District are employed by small businesses, which truly are the backbone of our local and state economies. Thank you to NFIB for your tenacious advocacy on behalf of small businesses! Attention High School Students Interested in Applying to a Military Service Academy: Sign Up for Academy Night This week, I announced that I, along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Reps. Elise Stefanik (NY-21) and John Katko (NY-24), will be hosting the annual Academy Night virtually. The session is open to any high school student in New York’s 22nd District who is interested in learning more about the United States Service Academies and the congressional nomination process. This event is a unique chance for interested high school students to speak directly with representatives from each of the five U.S. Service Academies, which include the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, as well as from the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). During the virtual session, you can learn more about opportunities available at each institution. Each year, I can nominate a limited number of students to four of the five service academies. Students who are accepted make a commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. Academy Night is open to all high school students in grades 9 through 12 who reside in New York’s 22nd Congressional District. Their families and school officials are also welcome to participate. Anyone interested in attending should register for the event here. What: Virtual Academy Night When: Wednesday, September 28, 2022 Time: 6:00pm Where: Virtual, RSVP is required Anyone with questions should contact my Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. More information about the Service Academy Nomination process can be found on my website here. RSVP today! September Mobile Office Hours This past week, my team hosted mobile office hours in Cortland County at the Cortland County Regional Training Center Room. Next week, my team of expert caseworkers will be at the Altmar-Albion Municipal Building in Altmar, New York. This is an opportunity for constituents to connect with caseworkers for assistance dealing with a federal agency. If you are interested in attending an in-person mobile office hour session, you are highly encouraged to schedule your appointment in advance by contacting either my Binghamton District Office at 607-242-0200 or the Utica District Office at 315-732-0713. Scheduling your appointment in advance will provide a more expedited casework experience and ensure every constituent is able to receive the help they need. 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]