Written for the Press-Republican on August 8, 2020

Stefanik Cosponsors EASE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, North CountryCongresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) announced that she was a cosponsor of the Emergency Assistance for Safe Elections (EASE) Act.

The legislation would aim to help states ensure those who want to vote in-person can do so safely by providing $400 million for state and local election administrators, according to a press release.

That would include $200 million to make sure polling places are clean and safe, and $100 million to clean outdated voter roles and maintain accurate voter registration lists.

Another $100 million would help recruit a new generation of poll workers by creating a program to help pay part of their student loan costs.

“This important legislation will provide our local election administrators with the resources they need to keep polling places clean, provide the proper PPE to volunteers and make sure that voters can either safely vote in person or opt to submit a mail-in ballot,” Stefanik said in a statement.

“This bill will ensure the mail-in voting process is more secure and help our states as they navigate this challenge.”

Gillibrand supports school meals waivers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Senate colleagues recently co-signed a letter to U.S.Secretary of Agriculture Sunny Perdue urging his department to extend waivers that would allow children to maintain access to school meals regardless of school opening status throughout the 2020-2021 school year, according to a press release.

The senators are additionally calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reimburse schools for the transportation costs associated with delivering meals to low-income students.

“No child should have to go hungry because of the pandemic’s disruption of in-classroom learning,” Gillibrand said in a statement.

“We must do everything possible to give school meal program directors and staff the best tools to meet this hunger crisis head on, including the extension of critical waivers that help families get fresh fruits and vegetables on the table.”

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