Sandy Bill Passes; Now It's Time to Go to Work

(Queens, NY)- Now that the congressional leadership has acted on the request before them to bring relief to the American families affected by Superstorm Sandy it is incumbent upon me as co-chair of the Bipartisan Senate Task Force on Sandy Recovery to work with the congressional delegation, Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and members of the community to make sure that the money is spent on the hardest hit areas.

I was proud to travel to Washington D.C. with members of the task force and the community to meet with members of the congressional delegation. Particularly Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Peter King, Gregory Meeks, Carolyn Maloney, Joseph Crowley and Grace Meng. I am proud of the work that they were able to accomplish on behalf of all New Yorkers. It is important in the days, weeks, and months ahead that community leaders join with me to ensure that these resources go to fully restore cites, businesses and people devastated by the storm.

Last month I, along with other local elected officials, hosted the first of six town halls on Superstorm Sandy recovery. Members of the community affected by the storm were given an opportunity to come out and tell us exactly how they would like to see the money spent. On the 31^st of this month I, along with other local elected officials, will host another town hall meeting at the Knights of Columbus located at 333 Beach 90^th Street in Far Rockaway at 7 p.m. We are once again asking members of the community to come out and let their voices be heard on exactly how they would like the money to be spent. Representatives from the SBA, FEMA and NYCHA will also be present to assist individuals with any needs that they may have.

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