Bills/Initiatives Signed Into Law:

• H.R. 1453 – Customs Business Fairness Act of 2023 (Passed via FY24 Appropriations)
  • This legislation excludes customs brokers from the requirement to pay back an importer’s duties to a bankruptcy trustee should their importer declare bankruptcy, in addition to the duties the customs broker themselves had already paid to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• Portion of H.R. 1294 – 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act (Passed via the FY24 NDAA)
  • Secured $676 million for the World Trade Center Program.
    • $232 million to immediately expand eligibility to 9/11 responders at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites who were active-duty DOD military and civilians, along with other Federal employees currently excluded from the program.
    • $444 million to address the funding shortfall.
• H.R. 6868 – Cybersecurity Grants For Schools Act of 2022 (Passed via the FY23 NDAA)
  • This legislation authorizes the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to award grants to states, local governments, and educational institutions for cybersecurity curriculum and educational tools.
• S.1687 – Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2022 (ARG led House version)
  • This legislation helps Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) become better trained to assist small businesses with their cyber security and cyber strategy needs by establishing a cyber counseling certification program.

Bills Passed Through the House:

• H.R. 2494 – POLICE Act (Led)
  • This bill makes assaulting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder a deportable offense.

• H.R. 1797 – Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (Co-Led)
  • The bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micro mobility devices, such as electric scooters and bikes, to protect against the risk of fires caused by such batteries.

Amendments Passed Through the House:

• FY24 THUD Appropriations amendment increasing/decreasing Amtrak Northeast Corridor funding by $1,160,769,000 to highlight it’s importance for the continued operation, maintenance, and economic success of the NEC.
• FY24 Interior & Environment Appropriations amendment reducing by $15 million and increasing by $15 million the National Recreation and Preservation account with the intent to provide $15 million for 9/11 Memorial Act grants
• FY24 Defense Appropriations amendment providing an additional $5 million to Navy RDT&E to address the corrosion of aircraft airframe structures
• FY25 Defense Appropriations amendment providing an additional $5 million to Navy RDT&E to address the corrosion of aircraft airframe structures
• FY25 NDAA amendment providing $9 million in additional authorizations for Surface and Shallow Water Mine Countermeasures for assembly, engineering, and design.
• FY25 DHS Appropriations amendment expressing support for providing the FY25 President’s Budget Request for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program ($385M).
• H.R. 5 – Parent’s Bill of Rights Act amendment that protects the ability of parents to participate in the education of their own child by setting guardrails that defends the right of parents to preserve their child’s access to library reading materials without interference from parents of their child’s classmates who might not allow their own child to access such reading materials.

Community Project Funding:

• FY24 Projects – Enacted total $36.361 million for 15 Community Project Funding requests.
  • $1 million for the SCSO Corrections Intelligence Center via the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. This request is for the purchase of equipment for the Corrections Intelligence Center.
  • $2 million for the Oakdale Sewer Project via Suffolk County. This request is to build upon the Oakdale Sewer Expansion Project.
  • $2 million for the Wyandanch/Wheatley Heights Sewer Expansion via Suffolk County. This project is to expand sewer infrastructure beyond the current Carlls River Watershed area.
  • $1.5 million for the Brookhaven Sewage Treatment Facility Expansion via the Town of Brookhaven. This project is to provide facility upgrades plus expand the Shirley treatment facility plant capacity by 200,000 GPD.
  • $1 million for the Lexington Sewage Connection Project via the Town of Islip. This project is to eliminate a failing sewage treatment plant that is contaminating the surface and groundwater in a public area where elementary school children walk through on their way to school. It also will eliminate a dilapidated building that has become a community eyesore and enhance the beauty and cleanliness of this public space.
  • $3 million for the Sisters of St. Joseph Housing Program via the Concern for Independent Living. This request is for the construction costs to rehabilitate and preserve multi-story building, which is listed on the National History Registry, on the Sisters of St. Joseph campus in Brentwood.
  • $1 million for the GIGI’s Playhouse Real Estate via Long Island Cares. This request is to purchase a new building to house additional programs for people with Down syndrome. Costs would be to cover down payment, real estate fees, and mortgage for the first year.
  • $5 million for the Brentwood Workforce Training Center via Suffolk County. This request is to cover the cost for new construction at The Center at Brentwood for its workforce training center.
  • $530,925 for the SCCC Advanced Manufacturing Training Program via Suffolk County Community College. This request is for the construction costs to repurpose an existing physical plant space into a modern welding and CNC training lab.
  • $5 million for the Smith Point Bridge via Suffolk County DPW. This request is to cover the increase in construction costs to complete the Smith Point Bridge.
  • $4 million for the East Farmingdale LIRR Transit Hub Project via the Town of Babylon. This request is for the land acquisition and remediation in the East Farmingdale area, surrounding the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) transit hub.
  • $5 million for the Amityville Road Elevation Project via the Village of Amityville. This request is to raise road elevations on a minimum of three waterfront locations, covering the design, engineering, and construction with drainage improvements.
  • $1 million for the Grand Canal Bulkhead Project via the Village of Babylon. This request is to replace bulkhead along the Grand Canal.
  • $3.33 million for the Howells Point Coastal Flood Resiliency Project via the Village of Bellport. This request is for the installation of a combination of soft (green) and hard (bulkhead/stone) resilient infrastructure at the terminus of streets and along Howells Creek to reduce floor recurrence intervals and mitigate damage.
  • $1 million for the Shore Road Bulkhead Project via the Village of Lindenhurst. This request is to reconstruct failing bulkhead and to complete the Shore Road bulkhead and boardwalk.

• FY23 Projects – Enacted total $24.435 million for 12 Community Project Funding requests.
  • $3 million for the Long Island MacArthur Airport Project via the Town of Islip. This request is to replace and upgrade the airport security fencing.
  • $1.1 million for the Island Harvest Nutrition Pathways Program via Island Harvest Food Bank. This request is to further administer the Nutrition Pathways Program during fiscal year 2023.
  • $475,000 for the Small Business Legal Assistance Clinic Program via Touro College. This request is to establish a small business clinic at Touro College Law Center.
  • $5 million for the Hempstead Dioxane Mitigation Project via the Town of Hempstead. This request used for the Department of Water’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities in delivering potable water to residents.
  • $3 million for the Holbrook Sewer Project via Hamlet of Holbrook. This request is to assist the economic development and expansion of the downtown area.
  • $250,000 for the AFA Education & Resource Center Project via the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. This request is to be used to purchase a new building to house AFA’s National Education, Resource, and Dementia Training Center.
  • $1 million for the Marjorie Post Community Park Solar Panels Project via the Town of Oyster Bay. This request is to be used to purchase an overhead cover at the park’s existing ice rink.
  • $400,000 for the Long Island Cares Program Expansion via Long Island Cares. This request is to be used to purchase of two hybrid electric trucks to be used for mobile outreach and delivery and the efforts to expand the Children’s Feeding Program.
  • $2 million for the Road Resurfacing Project via the Village of Lindenhurst. This request is to be used to mitigate flooding by reconstructing failing bulkhead and improving drainage.
  • $3 million for the Road Raising and Resurfacing Project via the Town of Babylon. This request is to be used to raise and resurface roads throughout the Town.
  • $210,000 for the Amityville Police Department Project via the Village of Amityville. This request is to be used to purchase new emergency and first responder vehicles.
  • $5 million for the Oakdale Sewer Expansion Project via Suffolk County. This request is to be used to address nitrogen pollution from failed septic systems.

• FY22 Projects – Enacted total $4.35 million for 4 Community Project Funding requests.
  • $250,000 for the Browns River Dredging Project via the Town of Islip. This request is to be used to dredge Browns River.
  • $100,00 for the AFA Education & Resource Center Project via the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. This request is to be used to educate and train individuals that will be providing assistance and treatment to the nearly 6 million Americans who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.
  • $1 million for the Oak Beach Water System Project via the Town of Babylon. This request is to be used to assist in the construction of the new Oak Beach Water System, providing safe potable water to homes in Oak Beach.
  • $3 million for the Islip Sewer Extension Project via the Town of Islip. This request is to be used for the extension of sewers within Central Islip.

Funded Appropriations Priorities ARG Led:

• $6 million for the Department of Homeland Security for the Maritime Domain Awareness platform.
• $4 billion in discretionary budget authority for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program.
• $150 million for Breast Cancer Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense.
• $2 million for National Lupus Training, Outreach, and Clinical Trial Education at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• $10 million for the National Lupus Registry at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• $10 million for the Lupus Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense.
• $2.5 million for the Tourette Syndrome Public Health Education and Research Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• $9.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• $19 million for the Helen Keller National Center.
• $140 million for the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Centers program.

Impactful Letters:

• Led a Republican-only letter to FERC requesting their transmission rule be finalized. The rule was finalized not long after.
• Co-led a Climate Solutions Caucus letter to the Agriculture Committee expressing support for member priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill. 11 out of 29 of these requests were included in the base text of the bill.
• Led a letter to the President of South Korea asking him to support a national ban on the consumption of dog and cat meat. South Korea banned the consumption of dog meat a few months later.
• Led a House Republican letter to the House Agriculture Committee urging them to omit the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act from the Farm Bill.  A narrower version of the EATS Act was included in the base text of the Farm Bill. This section clarifies that states and local governments cannot impose, directly or indirectly, as a condition for sale or consumption, a condition or standard on the production of covered livestock unless the livestock is physically located within such state or local government.
• Led a letter to President Biden urging the White House to pause an FDA-proposed rule banning menthol in cigarettes and potential Hezbollah-financing scheme until Congress can get answers from the Administration on its national security implications. Shortly after, the Biden Administration pulled back from banning menthol cigarettes.

Other Accomplishments:

• Ensured that Browns River in Sayville was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers.
• Played a pivotal role in having emergency beach renourishment accomplished on Fire Island.
• Co-led H.R. 3519, the Hot Foods Act. A narrower version of the Hot Foods Act was included in the Farm Bill. The provision directs the Secretary of Agriculture to contract with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to carry out a study to assess the efficacy of allowing hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption to be purchased with SNAP benefits, including the impact on diet quality, purchasing power, and access to food. The study would include factors for Congress to contemplate if considering the authorization of a pilot to test the termination of the prohibition on hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption.
• Led the conversation to ensure that SALT was not left out of any negotiations surrounding a tax package.
  • This led to a floor vote on H.R. 7160, the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act, which eliminates the marriage penalty for the SALT cap. However, the rule to bring forth this bill failed, eliminating a chance for the House to vote on the bill, itself.