Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York
-----------------------
Agenda - Economic Development

Nothing is more important to Chuck than helping New York's economy grow and flourish. Chuck has especially focused on removing barriers to growth in the Upstate region.

One of the first things Chuck learned after entering the Senate was the key role played by site selectors in determining where businesses locate their offices and factories. Chuck brought site selector consultants from the Wadley-Donovan Group, Ernst & Young's Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers to meet with Central New York economic development officials. Deloitte and Touche, KPMG and other firms also accompanied Chuck to a similar meeting with the Buffalo-Niagara Enterprise (BNE) and other economic development groups to sell Western New York as a great place to do business.

Chuck's plan also calls for bringing local entrepreneurs the resources they need to grow their businesses. He brought leading venture capitalists to Rochester to boost the area's burgeoning information technology, biotech and other growing industries by giving the venture capitalists a firsthand look at the city's investment climate. The Wall Street to Rochester event builds upon over a year of work on creating the Rochester Center for Excellence a high-tech hub based on the area's unrivaled expertise in optics. Chuck brought together local leaders with executives from Corning, Kodak, and Xerox and secured millions in federal funding to help optics to for Upstate what the microchip did for Silicon Valley.

Other economic development initiatives include:

Helping New York Recover and Rebuild: Chuck, working with Senator Clinton, secured a $20 billion commitment for federal aid for New York from President Bush immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Chuck also helped create the federal Victims Compensation Fund, which helps the families of those lost on September 11 or anyone physically injured in the attack continue with their lives by providing the family with all of the money the person killed or injured would have earned over his or her lifetime, all within five months of filing the claim. Chuck and Senator Clinton also successfully lobbied for $5 billion in aid for New York in the economic stimulus package pending before the Senate. Chuck played a key role in legislation providing federal terrorist reinsurance, helping private sector companies obtain insurance in the face of potential terrorist attacks. Chuck also lobbied the NFL to move the Super Bowl to New York (to be played in the Meadowlands), which would have generated over $300 million in tourism and entertainment related revenue.

Better Transportation: Chuck followed through on his commitment to bring JetBlue to Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse. He's expanded air service to Oneida County, and brought Trailways and Southwest to Albany.

Supporting Agriculture: Chuck has defended the Northeast Dairy Compact from his earliest days in the Senate, and continues to fight for it on the Senate floor. He defended the interests of New York apple growers, seeking to protect a vital industry during a difficult period, and protected New York wheat farmers from disaster when Nabisco closed its Niagara Falls plant by convincing Kraft to continue buying locally-produced wheat.

Building Federal Investment: Chuck has brought federal investment dollars to the Buffalo, Rochester, and Schenectady areas, and helped launch the Rome Labs.

Supporting Long Island Wineries: Chuck secured the creation of an official American Vinicultural Area on Long Island, giving the area's $65 million wine industry the security it needs to grow.

Giving New York City Room to Grow: Chuck put together the Group of 35 leaders from the business, labor, and academic communities to develop a plan for New York City's long-term growth needs.
------------------------------