Velazquez Kicks Off 113th Congress with Raft of Bills

Washington, DC – With the 113th Congress officially convening today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced a package of six bills. The legislation touches a range of issue areas important to New Yorkers, including health care, retirement security and capital formation for small businesses.

“With the reelection of President Obama and a new Congress, I look forward to an active legislative session,” Velázquez said. “While these bills are just a start, they address some of the key priorities facing New Yorkers.”

Two new pieces of legislation authored by the Congresswoman focus on improving health outcomes for New Yorkers. The “Mobile Medical Homeless Health Improvement Act” would establish a new initiative within the Department of Health and Human Services. Clinics and hospitals could apply for funding to finance a mobile medical vehicle, which would provide health care for homeless people. A second measure would expand the availability of Health Information Technology and bring cutting edge medical services to low-income individuals and working families.

“Improving health care outreach to homeless individuals can save lives and save our health care system money over the long term,” Velázquez noted. “Likewise, widespread adoption of Health Information Technology can improve the quality of care and make our health care system more efficient.”

A third health care-related bill would ensure small suppliers of durable medical equipment are able to continue serving Medicare patients. That legislation builds on a similar bill of the Congresswoman’s that was previously enacted and enabled small clinical labs to continue receiving Medicare payments.

As the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business, Velázquez has made access to capital for entrepreneurs one of her signature priorities. In that regard, she today reintroduced two measures to help small firms flourish. By establishing a new tax credit and changing leveraging limits, those two measures would create more options for small firms seeking credit and equity capital.

“Small businesses account for more than half of all private sector employment in New York and are vital to our City’s economic recovery,” Velázquez said. “These bills will help unlock investment dollars for both small, growing firms and new startups, leading to new job creation.”

In addition to her small business and health bills, Velázquez also reintroduced legislation aimed at making the retirement system fairer for retiring federal workers, by indexing their annuities to inflation.

“Just as we need to create new jobs and economic opportunity for New Yorkers, we must ensure that older workers are economically secure when they retire,” Velázquez noted. “My bill will help civil servants like postal workers receive the retirement benefits they have earned.”

In addition to being the top Democrat on the Small Business Committee, the Congresswoman is a senior Member of the Financial Services Committee and serves on that panel’s Housing Subcommittee. An active member of Congressional Hispanic Caucus, she has also been a vocal advocate for immigration reform. Today, she pledged to continue pushing for policies that benefit New Yorkers in the new Congress.