This Wednesday was National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the enormous health benefits, both physical and mental, that girls and women gain from participation in sports.  From combating obesity, to preventing heart disease, to promoting mental health, regular physical activity has an undeniably positive effect on the health status of girls and women.  We need to make an investment in the public health by ensuring that regardless of age or socioeconomic background, girls and women are afforded the opportunities they need to engage in physical activity, whether in school, or their communities.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) thanked the Administration for agreeing to her request to withdraw a proposed rule that would have hurt wine makers and distributors in Western New York and elsewhere. The decision means that they can continue to compete on a level playing field with wineries in other countries. A formal announcement from the Administration is expected shortly.

“Across the country, wine exports have grown to total $1 billion in sales and this growth is due to the drawback program that we saved today,” said Slaughter. “Upstate New York’s wineries are a treasure and we need to do everything we can to protect them. The drawback program levels the playing field so American wineries can compete.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) praised the passage of legislation that would improve cybersecurity in the private and public sectors by training the next generation of security professionals.

"There’s no question that we’re living in a digital age and as we’ve become more dependent on IT we’ve become more vulnerable to vital information being compromised,” said Slaughter. “The information we learn from this research and coordination will better protect everything from your online bank statements to our federal government databases.”

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (NY-28) said that new records show more than $329 million in funds from the Recovery Act were invested in her district during the last 3 months of the year.

The 28^th Congressional district is one of four Congressional districts in Western New York and encompasses parts of Erie, Niagara, Orleans and Monroe Counties.

“This new data reinforces what we have known for months, the Recovery Act has done Western New York a lot of good.  I encourage every single one of my constituents to take the time to visit www.recovery.gov, and enter his/her zip code to see a sampling of the incredible projects that have been funded in his/her community,” said Slaughter. “The plethora of new information available displays the real life impact that this funding has had at home.”

The entirety of Erie County has received $383,790,763 in grants, contracts and loans since the enactment of the Recovery Act. Niagara County has received $102,078,294. In Orleans County, $12,710,586 has been awarded and Monroe County received $338,191,964.

For a list of New York projects funded in the 4^th quarter of 2009, click here.

To search by zip code, click here.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26), and Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) released the following joint statement regarding the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) findings and safety recommendations on the Flight 3407 tragedy that claimed the lives of 50 people on February 12, 2009:

“This report confirms many of the troubling revelations that we heard during the initial round of NTSB hearings this past May. These disclosures were a shock to everyone but especially for families who now know that this horrific tragedy may have been preventable. If there is any consolation, it’s that the investigation exposed flaws within the regional air carrier system for operation and training pilots. The failures that led to the Flight 3407 tragedy must be corrected. Being an airline pilot cannot be an entry level job. Our pilots in the cockpit must have the strongest possible training and experience. We need stricter rules in place to combat pilot fatigue, and we need to ensure we have an efficient electronic pilot records database so airlines have all the tools they need to hire truly experienced pilots.

“Now that the final report has been given, it is time for the FAA to step up and do its part to strengthen oversight of the regional air carriers and finally implement the NTSB’s most-wanted safety recommendations. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the culture of corner-cutting that has left passengers at risk.

“Thanks to the courage and strength of the Flight 3407 families, we have worked to enact bipartisan meaningful airline safety reforms in the House of Representatives. While the House has done its part, the Senate needs to move beyond talk and finally act on these changes we need and airline passengers deserve.

“We have watched our community come together this past year to provide support to the victims’ families and rally around their pursuit of answers as to why this horrific accident occurred. We hope that the findings and recommendations we heard today will encourage the FAA and Senate leaders to act quickly to ensure that a tragedy like this never occurs again.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) applauded investments in job growth, education, high-speed rail and funding for the Great Lakes outlaid in the FY2011 budget submitted today by President Obama.

“The budget is the most moral document we put together as a government because it shows what we truly value,” said Slaughter. “This year I believe our priorities are in the right place. This budget focuses on creating jobs and increasing education funding to train the next generation in the jobs of tomorrow. It also has much-needed funding for the Great Lakes. As the President and Democratic Congress move forward with this fiscally responsible spending blueprint, it is important to mention that this budget gives an accurate picture of our nation’s spending by including the cost of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m also pleased to see another $1 billion for high-speed rail.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) praised the decision from President Obama to award New York State $151 million to help build high-speed rail across Upstate New York.

“This announcement in high-speed rail funding is a victory for New York,” said Slaughter. “High-speed rail will bring 12,000 new jobs to our state. It will connect Upstate to New York to Cleveland and Chicago to the west, to Toronto and Montreal to the north and make travel across the state much easier. That connection will strengthen the economies of all of our cities and the entire region. In short this is good for New York’s businesses, our workers, our universities, our partners in trade and it’s good for the environment.”

“History has shown us that when we allow for greater movement of people and goods, economies grow. In New York we learned this with the Erie Canal. High-speed rail is the next revolution in transportation and New York is getting on board. This is one of the most important things I’ve done in my career,” said Slaughter. “It will have a lasting effect on our state and give every New Yorker the ability to enjoy more of what our state has to offer."

Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) released the following statement after a new report from the non-partisan Guttmacher Institute revealed that pregnancy rates among 15-19-year-olds rose 3 percent from 2005-2006. This marks the first year that teen pregnancy rates increased since 1990.

“A decade of abstinence only education, costing $1.5 billion, has clearly gotten us nowhere. When teenage childbearing costs the taxpayers billions of dollars a year, how can anyone honestly advocate for pouring more money into abstinence only education programs that just do not work? We need common sense, medically accurate, sexuality education programs to combat this alarming rise in teen pregnancy rates. My legislation, the Prevention First Act, will establish teen pregnancy prevention programs whose effectiveness has been scientifically proven,” said Slaughter.

A summary of the Prevention First Act is below.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) announced that Niagara County’s Head Start program will receive more than $2.6 million to provide early education and day care services for 3 and 4-year-olds in Niagara County.

“Every child should step into Kindergarten ready to learn and Head Start helps children get the early advantage they need to be successful as soon as school begins,” said Slaughter. “With this grant of $2.6 million, hundreds of Niagara County’s preschoolers will have the resources they need to step into the classroom ready to learn.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26), and Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging the quick implementation of much-needed aviation safety improvements contained in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill. Many of these needed provisions were included in bipartisan legislation the trio of Western New York Representatives introduced that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in October of 2009. Their legislation, H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act, includes a number of long overdue reforms that address aviation safety and restores passenger confidence in the wake of the Continental Connection Flight 3407 tragedy that claimed the lives of 50 people on February 12, 2009.

“Since the NTSB hearings last May, we have pushed and pushed for this legislation that hopefully will prevent other families from having to suffer through what we have suffered through,” said Kevin Kuwik, who lost his girlfriend Lorin Maurer. “We have been patiently waiting for Finance Committee action on this bill since July, and as the one year anniversary quickly approaches, our patience is wearing thin. Many thanks to our Western New York delegation for reaching out to Senators Baucus and Grassley; hopefully this will help our voices to be heard.”

“It’s time for the Senate to pass this important legislation,” said Congresswoman Slaughter. “Almost a year ago we lost 50 people in the tragic crash of Flight 3407. Here in the House we’ve done the studies, held the hearings and passed the legislation. We know what needs to be done – there must be a database of pilot records, we must do more to fight pilot fatigue and we must improve pilot training. These reforms are too important for any further delay.”