Dear Friends,

It is my greatest honor to represent you in Congress. As always, my mission is to advocate for Upstate New York and the North Country’s priorities at the highest levels of government. Here is a look at my last week working for you in Congress.
I led the New York Republican delegation in sending a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul calling on her to remove the state fiber fee preventing broadband buildout throughout the state in the final New York State budget.

This devastating fee has continued for too long, adding additional expenses for broadband buildout and preventing access for families in Upstate New York and the North Country.

While the state continues in their incompetence at the expense of our rural communities, I am proud to continue pushing for results until every family in Upstate New York and the North Country can access affordable high-speed internet from their homes, schools, and businesses.
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy in the North Country. On Monday, I hosted a virtual roundtable to hear concerns related to issues impacting small businesses in Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties. We spoke about issues relating to inflation, supply chain challenges, and labor shortages. I will always be an advocate for our small businesses and workers against burdensome regulations and Far-Left policies that hurt working families.
Our family farms and small businesses are essential to communities in Upstate New York and the North Country. I cosponsored a bipartisan resolution recognizing the important role of the stepped-up basis in preserving family-owned farms, ranches, and small businesses.

The stepped-up basis is a long-standing provision in the tax code that protects heirs from paying capital gains taxes on inherited assets such as land, equipment, or buildings. Joe Biden has proposed changes to this provision that would increase the tax and devastate a generational change in family farms or family-owned small businesses.

Repealing this critical provision would be devastating to keeping farms and small businesses in the family. I will continue to stand up for our farmers and small businesses against taxes and regulations.
Learning in the twenty-first century happens well beyond the classroom walls. Empowering today’s workers requires shifting away from valuing their abilities based solely on the degrees they hold. Instead, we must look at the skills and competencies they bring to the table. That is why I introduced the Validate Prior Learning to Accelerate Employment Act. This legislation will accelerate job seekers’ return to and advancement in the workforce by more effectively identifying and validating their existing skills gained through prior work experience, military service, life experience, or education.

My legislation modernizes the workforce system by updating the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to enhance the use of assessments that measure prior learning and skills to award industry-recognized certificates or credit towards a postsecondary credential. The legislation also supports employers seeking to implement skills-based hiring, reducing the reliance on college degree requirements in the hiring process.
This week, I presented two legislative solutions that I led to equip workers and support job creators at a markup of workforce legislation.

Under the current Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) too few out-of-work Americans currently receive the workforce education needed to enhance their skills and make them attractive to employers looking to hire. With a shortage of skilled labor and over 11 million unfilled jobs, equipping Americans to excel in the workforce should be a top priority.

Unfortunately, the Democrats’ WIOA proposal is a missed opportunity and fails to disrupt a status quo that has left too many workers behind.

But my two bills, the Employer-Directed Skills Act and Validate Prior Learning to Accelerate Employment Act, were proposed as solutions to make this legislation better to help workers succeed and businesses grow. They were included in the Republican substitute that makes these much-need reforms to reskill America’s workforce and deliver for America’s job creators, which I urged my Democrat colleagues to consider.
This week, I questioned Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on HHS’ forced masking of Head Start toddlers.

I have heard from several constituents. And the science is clear that children under the age of five are the least at-risk of COVID-19. And studies have proven that masks hurt children’s development. I questioned Secretary Becerra on what science HHS is following and why it is different than the CDC’s recommendations.

I will always push for answers on behalf of families in my district!
Under Joe Biden’s failed leadership and open border policies, there have been over two million illegal crossings of our southern border. Now, it will only get worse as Joe Biden ends Title 42.

I joined her colleagues in sending a letter expressing deep concern with the White House’s announcement that it will eliminate Title 42 on May 23, 2022.

Title 42 is currently the most effective tool at the disposal of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to deter migrants from attempting to cross the border illegally.

Border security is national security, and we must secure our border instead of incentivizing illegal immigration.

Announcements and Events
I met with Whitehall High School students at the Library of Congress to answer their questions and give them an inside look at their government and answer their questions on mental health in schools, broadband, and Ukraine.

These students have bright futures ahead of them!
I had a great meeting with some NY-21 members of the New York State Association of Letter Carriers.

Their work with the postal office is essential to receiving mail and medications, and I am grateful for their hard work!
I joined Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy to discuss what the United States should be doing to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia and how Joe Biden and House Democrats’ inflation and energy crises are hurting Americans in the North Country and across the nation.
I had the privilege of meeting with the American Building Materials Alliance to discuss my work addressing workforce, inflation, and supply chain challenges, including my legislation, the Employer-Directed Skills Act.
I joined House Republican Leadership in a press conference to discuss President Biden and House Democrats’ energy crisis that is causing gas prices to skyrocket across the country for every family in New York’s 21st District. This is crushing families’ budgets.

We must release American energy dominance!
This week, I announced that The Wild Center, the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, in Tupper Lake is a finalist for the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ National Medal.

The Wild Center is an Adirondack gem, and I congratulate them for this recognition of their work to showcase the North Country’s natural treasures.

The North Country’s pristine environment is a defining feature of many of our communities, and I am proud of The Wild Center’s efforts to honor the rich environmental history of our district and equip visitors with the knowledge they need to protect our environment for generations to come.
In The News
This week's top news stories:
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I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your representative in Congress.

As part of my commitment to transparency, I post all of my votes to my Facebook page every Friday on weeks that the House of Representatives has votes, which you can find here.

Please know I am here to serve you. Never hesitate to reach out to my offices.  

Sincerely,
Elise
Washington, D.C.
2211 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202)-225-4611
Fax: (202)-226-0621
Glens Falls
5 Warren Street, Suite 4
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Phone: (518)-743-0964
Fax: (518)-743-1391
Watertown
88 Public Square
Suite A
Watertown, NY 13601
Phone: (315)-782-3150
Fax: (315)-782-1291
Plattsburgh
137 Margaret Street
Suite 100
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Phone: (518)-561-2324
Fax: (518)-561-2408