Senators Tedisco and Hinchey Come Together in Bi-partisan Effort to Fund Safe Water Infrastructure

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Glenville) today announced that he is partnering in a new bi-partisan effort with Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-46^th Senate District) to help fund local safe water infrastructure.

Senator Tedisco has given the Safe Water infrastructure Action Program (S.W.A.P.), legislation, which he authored and has advocated for passage since he was in the state Assembly, to Senator Hinchey to serve as the new prime Senate bill sponsor. 

SWAP (S.3968/Assembly bill # pending) creates a new state program to repair and maintain vital local drinking water, sewer, storm water management, gas line and water tower infrastructure to protect lives and save tax dollars by avoiding costly repairs when systems break. Senator Tedisco passed the legislation in the Senate in 2018 when he was in the Majority.

“Election time is over and there shouldn’t be pride of authorship to get things done as Republicans and Democrats in the Majority and Minority parties in the legislature need to work together for the good of all New Yorkers. As the longtime champion of the Safe Water infrastructure Action Program (SWAP) legislation, I’m proud to work in a bi-partisan way with Senator Hinchey and thank her for taking the lead in the effort as the bill’s new prime sponsor so we can fight the lurking monster in New York State’s aging water and sewer infrastructure that could wreak havoc on millions of people if it’s not stopped,” said Senator Jim Tedisco. 

“Many of our towns and cities have underground infrastructure that’s over 100 years old, some dating back to the Civil War. These trolls of the sublevel could collapse at any time, putting the safety of our drinking water at risk and leaving overburdened local taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars in costly repairs.  Local governments can’t keep throwing good money after bad by putting down new roadways and have them collapse because of dilapidated sewer, water and gas lines causing multiple dollars by wasting CHIPS highway money to repair the roadways. SWAP is a sister program to CHIPS for our municipalities and it is a need not a want,” said Senator Tedisco.