Young Named Chair of Senate Committee on Housing, Construction, and Community Development, Legislative Commission on Rural Resources

Will Be an Active Member on Ten Senate Committees

Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I – Olean) will again serve in multiple leadership positions as the Chairwoman for the Senate’s Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development and the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. Senator Young, who serves as the Deputy Republican Conference Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs, also will serve on the Senate’s Committees on Agriculture, Children and Family Services, Environmental Conservation, Finance, Health, Insurance, Rules, Transportation, and the Select Committee on State-Native American Relations.

The Senate’s Committee on Housing, Construction, and Community Development works to revitalize communities, grow the economy, and help create safe, affordable housing opportunities, while assisting families in purchasing and preserving their homes.

“Housing is a compelling social issue because everyone needs a decent place to live. But housing also has a tremendous impact on the economy. Whether they are single family homes or multiple family dwellings, deteriorating housing stock affects quality of life, property values, and tax revenues to fund schools and local governments. Blight in neighborhoods and downtowns can spread like an epidemic. As the Chairwoman of the Committee on Housing I am focused on revitalizing housing to transform communities, grow jobs and small businesses, and help bring back hope and prosperity,” said Senator Young.

“My district contains some of the oldest housing stock in the country. Many of these buildings are in need of repair to provide a safe and healthy living environment for lower income residents. Many downtowns across our region have fallen upon hard times, resulting in empty storefronts and beautiful historic buildings that have fallen into disrepair. We need to be coordinating new housing opportunities with New York’s economic initiatives such as the growing technology industry so that municipalities can provide associated long range plans which capitalize on existing underutilized housing stock. By incorporating a more expansive view of housing into the state’s overall economic development goals we can improve the quality of life across the state,” Senator Young continued.

As the Chair of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, Senator Young is dedicated to strengthening rural communities throughout the state and creating policies to harness all that rural New York State has to offer for the revitalization of our economy. Last year as chair of the Commission, Senator Young spearheaded legislation signed into law to increase access to healthcare programs through telehealth services for rural communities, those with limited means, and patients suffering from chronic conditions. She also sponsored a new law that will open more opportunities for broadband expansion in rural areas, a necessity for greater economic expansion, healthcare innovation, and educational investment.

“Ensuring rural communities like ours continue to receive the support and attention they need is critical to the long-term success of our state. Establishing economic development initiatives like rural broadband and increasing access to healthcare is extremely important as we work to improve the lives of those in rural communities. We also need to protect programs that promote a highly-skilled and well-trained workforce to attract new businesses and allow existing businesses to grow and flourish,” concluded Senator Young.