New York State Senators and Representatives

            In my hometown of Staten Island, New York we have two New York Senators and one representative from the House of Representatives. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are New York's two senators. Out of the 27 New York State representatives, Staten Island (Richmond County), is represented by Daniel Donovan Jr.  

            Chuck Schumer is a Democrat and he became a New York State Senator in 1999.  Prior to getting elected as a Senator, he served as a Representative for three different New York districts (16th, 10th, & 9th) from the years 1981-1998.  As a senator, Schumer has based his focus on improving New York's economy, which has seen some tough times in the past few years. Since he has done such great work with the economy, he was elected to the Senate Finance Committee in 2004. He is also a member of many other committees as well.  These include: the subcommittee on health care, subcommittee on financial institutions, and subcommittee on crime and drugs. Schumer is also known for being very focused on issues that normal New Yorkers have to deal with each and every day; issues that maybe Senators really wouldn't normally concentrate on. He visits every New York County every year at least once and has done so religiously since he joined Congress.  Recently, Chuck Schumer was able to get a grant of $4 million to start a supersonic Carbon Dioxide compressor. This could really help the job force in New York by adding many new middle-class jobs and it could also improve the manufacturing industry in New York. 

            Senator Kirsten Gillibrand first became a New York Senator in 2009. Prior to becoming a Senator, Kirsten served as the Representative for New York's 20th district. Like her fellow New York Senator, Chuck Schumer, she is also a part of the Democratic Party. The two also share their desire to improve the economy.  This is Kirsten Gillibrand’s number one priority.  She wants to create more middle-class jobs by promoting the “Made in America” movement.  Some of the committees that Sen. Gillibrand dedicates her time to include: Agriculture Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Aging Committee. Recently Kirsten Gillibrand has been joining the fight to make sure that school nutrition standards don’t fall under the radar.  Since she is a mother, this issue is very important to her.  Some say that Sen. Gillibrand is somewhat of a flip-flopper when it comes to the nature of her views.  In most categories she is a liberal who is in support of same-ex marriage and pro-choice ideas. 

            Representative Daniel Donovan Jr. is the representative for New York’s 11^th district, which includes Staten Island, New York (Richmond County). He has been a New York representative since May of 2015.  Daniel Donovan is still very new to Congress!