News stories tagged with "congress"

(03/05/12) U.S. Representative Bill Owens says it's a big deal that Saranac Lake was chosen to host a Congressional hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill. Owens says it's a chance for farmers and others to influence re-authorization of federal agriculture policy, which hasn't been done since 2008.

"I feel really, very, very honored that the committee has selected the 23rd district for this type of event. There's only going to be four or so of them around the country. So this is very significant. This is an opportunity for us to talk about the issues that affect the north country."

The Saranac Lake hearing is Friday morning at North Country Community College. The others are scheduled in Illinois, Arkansas, and Kansas in the coming weeks.

Owens says there are good reasons for Congress to choose this location for the northeast meeting:

"That was picked because they were trying to get to a location that was part of a large agricultural district, the 23rd. But also because it is the northeast hearing, you're covering really New Jersey, New York, portions of Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. This is a very significant geographic area, and they tried to pick somewhere that was relatively speaking, centrally located."

The hearing will give Members of the House Agriculture Committee the opportunity to hear firsthand how U.S. farm policy is working for farmers and ranchers in advance of writing the Farm Bill.

(02/28/12) Democratic Representative Bill Owens says President Barack Obama is doing a "very reasonable job." Owens, who represents New York's 23rd Congressional District, spoke about Obama's job performance during a legislative luncheon at the Downhill Grill in Saranac Lake on Friday.

The event was hosted by the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and drew a crowd of about 25 local business owners and officials. Chris Morris reports. more

(01/26/12) As the country buckles down for a lengthy and volatile presidential campaign, voters in the North Country are preparing for another election in New York's 23rd Congressional District.

Two years ago, the Upstate New York Tea Party was right in the thick of things. The group's chairman, Mark Barie, became a major player in the congressional battle between incumbent Representative Bill Owens, a Democrat from Plattsburgh; Matt Doheny, a former Wall Street financier who now lives in Watertown; and Doug Hoffman, an accountant and businessman from Lake Placid.

In March 2011, Barie suffered a brain aneurism and three strokes. Today, in part one of a two-part series, Chris Morris looks at Barie's road to recovery as he prepares to re-enter what's sure to be a big political fight in the 23rd District. more

(11/25/11) North Country Congressman Bill Owens says he's amazed at the resiliency of flood victims who say their property devastated by Tropical Storm Irene. The Democrat from New York's 23rd Congressional District stopped in the Town of Jay this week to hear from local officials about ongoing infrastructure issues and view firsthand some of the problems the community still faces.

(07/27/11) New York state is facing new pressure to scrap tough ballast water regulations that are set to go into effect next year. The rules are designed to stop invasive species from reaching the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes.

But as Brian Mann reports, Republicans in Congress say New York should be stripped of hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal EPA funding if the regulations aren't scrapped. more

(07/20/11) President Barack Obama says congressional leaders will start talking turkey as soon as today on a deal to reduce the deficit and raise the debt limit.

The Republican-controlled House voted last night to slice federal spending by $6 trillion and require a constitutional balanced budget amendment in exchange for raising the debt limit. Senate Democrats and Obama have said that plan is a no-go.

North Country Congressman Bill Owens, a Democrat, voted against the bill.
Owens spoke with Chris Morris yesterday as lawmakers were voting on the measure. more

(07/20/11) The state task force that will draw up new electoral maps in New York State was in Syracuse yesterday to begin a string of public hearings.

New York's losing two congressional seats because of population losses reported in the last Census.

As WRVO's Ellen Abbott reports, the task force, known as "Latfor", heard all about why neither of those seats should come from the districts that span central and northern New York. more

(07/19/11) Lawmakers are voting today on a Republican measure to increase the government's borrowing limit and maintain America's "Triple A" credit rating. The House's GOP majority is backing a "cut, cap and balance" plan that would allow the U.S. to borrow some $2.4 trillion.

But first, politicians must agree to big spending cuts that will go into effect almost immediately. Republicans also want a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. North Country Congressman Bill Owens, a Democrat, says he won't support the plan. He spoke with Chris Morris.

(04/06/11) New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for federal legislation and funding for small businesses. As the Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, Gillibrand says the proposed measures would be targeted at high-tech firms.

(12/22/10) New York State will lose two more congressional seats, as a result of the 2010 census, due to a continued decline in the state's population relative to the rest of the country. Government reform advocates say they hope lawmakers will seek a non partisan solution to changing the districts this time around. Karen DeWitt reports.