January 27, 2012

SLAUGHTER, HOCHUL, SCHUMER & GILLIBRAND PUSH DEPT. OF DEFENSE TO PRESERVE NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION’S CRITICAL ROLE IN OUR NATIONAL SECURITY & WNY ECONOMY

In Light of Dept. of Defense Proposal to Retire Aircraft and Make Major Cutbacks at Military Bases, WNY Lawmakers Urge DoD to Keep Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station An Active Player In Nation's Air Force

NFARS Employs 3,500 WNY'ers & Pours Millions into Regional Economy –Base Is Too Critical to WNY & National Security For These Cutbacks

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Must Remain Active

January 27, 2012

Slaughter and Walz Call on Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor to Hold a Clean, Up or Down Vote on Bipartisan STOCK Act

50 Days After Majority of House Co-Sponsors STOCK Act, bill champions say it's long past time to ban insider trading on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON—Today, in responding to the announcement that the United States Senate will bring the STOCK Act forward for a vote, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, and Congressman Tim Walz (MN-01), lead author of the STOCK Act in the House, called on Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor to hold a clean, up or down vote in the House as soon as possible.

It's now been 50 days since the STOCK received the support of a bipartisan majority of the House. On December 8, more than 218 members of the House, a bipartisan coalition, co-sponsored the STOCK Act. Despite this, Majority Leader Cantor reportedly asked House Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus to postpone the markup his committee had scheduled essentially halting the bill. Today, the bill has 253 co-sponsors including 90 republicans.

"It's been 50 days since a majority of the House said they wanted this bill to become law. How much longer must the American people wait?" said Slaughter. "I've been working on the STOCK Act since 2006 and I say that if the President tells us in the State of the Union that he wants to sign the STOCK Act, then we need to put an end to this delay, get it through the House and send it to him. The American people are angry and expect more from Republican Leadership than continued stalling on a bill that has been around for nearly six years. The best way to prove to the American people that we abhor conduct that allows such injustice would be to stop playing politics and allow a comprehensive bill with the bipartisan support of more than half of the House to move forward."

"No more games, no more delay. I urge Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor to bring the STOCK Act to the House floor for a clean, up or down vote," said Walz. "This commonsense, bipartisan bill would ban insider trading by Members of Congress and help restore faith in government. The American people don't want or need it to be attached to another bill, filled with poison pills, that is designed to fail. They want action. It is time to hold a clean, up or down vote on the STOCK Act as soon as possible."

In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday, January 24, President Obama stated that if the STOCK Act reached his desk, he would "sign it tomorrow." Following his remarks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that he would move the STOCK Act to the Senate floor next week.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, and Congressman Tim Walz (MN-01) re-introduced legislation on March 18, 2011, to ban insider trading on Capitol Hill saying Members of Congress should play by the same rules as everyone else.

The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act, (H.R. 1148) would prohibit Members of Congress and federal employees from profiting from nonpublic information they obtain via their official positions, and require greater oversight of the growing "political intelligence" industry.

The STOCK Act currently has 253 co-sponsors in the House—163 Democrats and 90 Republicans.

The STOCK Act also has a broad base of support from organizations dedicated to government reform including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Common Cause, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG. In a letter to both lawmakers earlier this year, the organizations said, "This measure provides a balanced application of the laws against insider trading to both the private and public sectors and offers the important tool of disclosure for ensuring compliance with the law. The STOCK Act should be adopted by Congress before new scandals arise."

The original version of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act) was introduced in 2006.

BACKGROUND

The Issue:

Day Trading

There have been reports that Members of Congress and Congressional staff may have been engaged in, or were engaged in, day trading of securities. Nonpublic information about current or upcoming congressional activities may be used, or may have been used, in some of these trading decisions. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that from 1999-2000 the Deputy Chief of Staff to then Majority Leader Tom Delay bought and sold hundreds of stocks from his congressional office computer. This information has been confirmed by other Delay aides and in year-end financial disclosure forms.

Political Intelligence

According to additional accounts, there is reason to believe some Members of Congress or their staff may have shared nonpublic information about current or upcoming Congressional activities with individuals outside of Congress working for political intelligence firms. These reports indicate that these individuals or their firms may have used this for investment purposes.

The increase in the number of political intelligence firms suggests that the leaking of nonpublic congressional information occurs regularly. What started out as a handful of firms in the 1970s, political intelligence firms have grown into an industry that brings in an estimated $100 million a year.

What the STOCK Act Does:

Prohibits Members, their staff, Executive branch employees, and any other person from buying or selling securities, swaps, or commodity futures based on congressional and executive branch nonpublic information; It also requires more timely disclosure of financial transactions above $1,000 for those Members and staff that are already required to file annual financial disclosures;

Amends House ethics rules to prohibit Members and their employees from disclosing any non-public information about any pending or prospective legislative action for investment purposes;

Requires firms that specialize in "political intelligence", who use information obtained from Congress to make financial transactions, to register with the House and Senate – just like lobbying firms are now required to do.

Why the STOCK Act is Needed:

There is no oversight authority on Congressional insider trading

Insider trading is the buying or selling of financial instruments on the basis of material, nonpublic information in violation of a duty of confidentiality – either to the issuing company or to the ...

January 27, 2012

Slaughter and Higgins Say $67 Million Contract for CUBRC is Further Proof of Good Things to Come for Medical Campus

Buffalo, NY – Reps. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) and Brian Higgins (NY-27) today joined with dozens of employees from CUBRC to celebrate the research institution's largest federal contract to date. This new arrangement will help create a dozen jobs at one of the Medical Campus' most promising companies.

January 27, 2012

ALERT: Avoid Telemarketing Scams

Have you been receiving suspicious calls from telemarketers?  Many of them will start with prerecorded message such as "This is Rachel, from Card Member Services" and you will be told that you can lower your interest rates by talking to someone on the phone.  When you speak to a real person, they ask you for your credit card information, and Social Security number. Often, you will receive these calls, even if you are registered on the National Do Not Call Registry.

If you have any feeling that you are a victim of a scam, DO NOT provide your personal information. 

The simple fact is that, by law, businesses now need your written permission before they can call you with prerecorded telemarketing messages — also known as robocalls — regardless of whether you already have a relationship with the business. 

Some prerecorded messages still are permitted under these rules — for example, messages that are purely informational. That means you still will receive calls to let you know your flight’s been cancelled, reminders about an appointment, or messages about a delayed school opening. But the business doing the calling isn’t allowed to promote the sale of any goods or services. Prerecorded messages from a business that is contacting you to collect a debt also are permitted, but messages offering to sell you services to reduce your debt are barred. Other exceptions include political calls and calls from certain healthcare providers. For example, pharmacies are permitted to use prerecorded messages to provide prescription refill reminders. Prerecorded messages from banks, telephone carriers and charities also are exempt from these rules if the banks, carriers or charities make the calls themselves.

However, if you receive a prerecorded telemarketing message that you believe is a scam, file a complaint immediately with the Federal Trade Commmission at donotcall.gov or by phone at 1-888-382-1222.

Many of these marketing scams are executed by international crime rings. Con artists reach out to potential victims by phone, email, postal mail, and through the Internet, and then trick them into sending money or giving out personal information.

Below are some tips, provided by the Federal Trade Commission, about how to avoid international scams.  To report a possible telemarketing scam, please click here.  The FTC is actively investigating multiple scams, and remain vigilant in protecting you from these dangerous phone calls.  If you receive a "robocall" from any business or organization whom you did not explicitly allow to contact you, please file a complaint by going to www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.

Here are 10 things you can do to avoid a scam from an international crime ring (courtesy of the FTC):

1. Keep in mind that wiring money is like sending cash: the sender has no protections against loss. Con artists often insist that people wire money, especially overseas, because it's nearly impossible to reverse the transaction or trace the money. Don't wire money to strangers, to sellers who insist on wire transfers for payment, or to someone who claims to be a relative in an emergency (and wants to keep the request a secret).

2. Don't send money to someone you don't know. That includes an online merchant you've never heard of — or an online love interest who asks for money or favors. It's best to do business with sites you know and trust. If you buy items through an online auction, consider a payment option that provides protection, like a credit card. Don't send cash or use a wire transfer service.

3. Don't respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial information, whether the message comes as an email, a phone call, a text message, or an ad. Don't click on links in the message, or call phone numbers that are left on your answering machine, either. The crooks behind these messages are trying to trick you into giving up your personal information. If you get a message and are concerned about your account status, call the number on your credit or debit card — or your statement — and check it out.

4. Don't play a foreign lottery. First, it's easy to be tempted by messages that boast enticing odds in a foreign lottery, or messages that claim you've already won. Inevitably, you'll be asked to pay "taxes," "fees," or "customs duties" to collect your prize. If you send money, you won't get it back, regardless of the promises. Second, it's illegal to play foreign lotteries.

5. Don't agree to deposit a check from someone you don't know and then wire money back, no matter how convincing the story. By law, banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks. You are responsible for the checks you deposit: When a check turns out to be a fake, it's you who is responsible for paying back the bank.

6. Read your bills and monthly statements regularly—on paper and online. Scammers steal account information and then run up charges or commit crimes in your name. Dishonest merchants sometimes bill you for monthly "membership fees" and other goods or services you didn't authorize. If you see charges you don't recognize or didn't okay, contact your bank, card issuer, or other creditor immediately.

7. In the wake of a natural disaster or another crisis, give to established charities rather than one that seems to have sprung up overnight. Pop-up charities probably don't have the infrastructure to get help to the affected areas or people, and they could be collecting the money to finance illegal activity. Check out ftc.gov/charityfraud to learn more.

8. Talk to your doctor before buying health products or signing up for medical treatments. Ask about research that supports a product's claims—and possible risks or side effects. Buy prescription drugs only from licensed U.S. pharmacies. Otherwise, you could end up with products that are fake, expired or mislabeled — in short, products that could be dangerous. Visit ftc.gov/health for more information.

9. Remember there's no such thing as a sure thing. If someone contacts you promoting low-risk, high-return investment ...

January 18, 2012

UPDATE: #StopSOPA (and PIPA)

UPDATE: Thank you to all of you who have written in, called, tweeted or facebook'ed me about SOPA. I've received a flood of comments this morning! Keep them coming. To clarify, I oppose both SOPA and PIPA. Both bills undermine the open access and freedom of the internet. We can protect copyright and intellectual property without the overreaching measures contained within these bills.

ORIGINAL POST:

Today, thousands of websites, including Wikipedia, have shutdown, denying access to millions of Americans looking to learn, share and collaborate through the power of the web. Like these websites, I am opposed to H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) as currently written. SOPA is intended to target "rogue" foreign websites engaging in copyright infringement. Combating online copyright infringement is a goal I strongly support. However, if enacted as currently written, SOPA would muzzle free speech and stifle innovation and economic growth.

If enacted, SOPA would overturn laws relating to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor provision, and would allow any government or corporation to block a website, remove it from a search engine, and/or cut it off from payment processors or advertisers, due to a simple allegation that the site posted infringing content, or accusation that the site contained links to infringing content. As a result, sites like Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube could be required to monitor for any "banned" links, resulting in delegated proactive censorship of the Web, not to mention significant additional operating costs. These sites and others that rely almost entirely on user-generated content would struggle to stay afloat under these rules, and the internet – engine of innovation that we now know – would be irreparably changed for the worse.

The internet has revolutionized the world. It has created countless opportunities for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and individuals from all walks of life. It has only done so because of the open access that consumers and businesses have enjoyed. I believe Congress must enforce our copyright laws while protecting that access, so that the internet remains the great innovator that we know and ...

January 13, 2012

Protect Your Family from Lead Poisoning

Make sure you and your children are safe from the dangers of lead poisoning.  Take advantage of regular blood testing being conducted by the Anthony Jordan Health Center. With or without health insurance, you will be tested to make sure you are free from lead poisoning. For those with insurance, a standard co-pay will be charged.  For those without insurance, you will NOT be turned away. For a schedule of the next free test, please visit: www.letsmakeleadhistory.org. You can also call the Jordan Health Link office (585) 454-2630 or call (585) 224-3125.

The major source of lead exposure is lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust found in deteriorating pre-1978 buildings. Lead is a neurotoxin and can cause serious health risks in both children and adults including brain damage, behavior issues, hearing loss, kidney damage, and high blood pressure. To learn more, visit

January 12, 2012

My office can help

January 6, 2012

WNY Ports Are Vital to Jobs