Congressional Point of View

Category: Government & Law
Published: October 2007

First-term Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand discusses her rise to prominence and the impact that her brainchild, the 2007 Upstate New York Economic Summit, will have on the regional economy.

Success Magazine: What does success mean to you?
Kirsten Gillibrand: Success means using all my God-given gifts to the greatest benefit of the world around me. It also means raising my son well, instilling in him the values of faith, honesty and hard work I was raised on, and having a strong and happy family life.

SM: You received your law degree from UCLA in 1991. How did you come to be a politician?
KG: I became interested in public service as a young girl watching my grandmother being active in her community with charitable work and political organizing. I became a lawyer because my mother was a lawyer, and I saw her use her legal skills to help people with everyday legal issues like buying a home, writing a will and adopting children. I admired her ability to give a voice to families that needed her advocacy skills. As a young attorney, I used my newfound abilities to help many families and people in need by providing them free legal representation women who were battered who needed protection, families in homes where lead paint was found who needed representation, and church communities in need of pro bono work. I became interested in becoming a public servant after I had the honor of serving as special counsel to Andrew Cuomo, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and was able to help draft legislation to invest public and private resources into low income areas to create economic development opportunities and to work on strengthening labor standards for workers building housing across the country. I learned during that opportunity that I could have an even greater impact and help many more people by turning those advocacy skills towards the federal legislative process.

SM: What inspired you to organize the 2007 Economic Summit: Entrepreneurship and Growth in Upstate New York?
KG: I want to help create good paying jobs in our area, identify infrastructure investments required for growth, and stimulate entrepreneurialism. Upstate New York has incredible potential and many of the natural resources that are needed for companies to invest and grow here. The goal of the summit was to create a comprehensive strategy to create new opportunities, continue to invest in the current small businesses and help them to prosper, and to realize our long-term vision for growth for the region and stewardship for the many natural resources that make this region so attractive.

SM: The arrival of the new AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) plant has been highly anticipated. What impact do you expect the facility to have on the economy?
KG: I think the AMD plant will be a great job generator for our area. High tech companies like to collaborate and cluster around each other; AMD could very well be an anchor for tremendous growth.

SM: Are there any other "big fish" that you hope to bring to the area?
KG: In my first days in Congress, I founded the bipartisan Congressional High Tech Caucus with Congressman Mike McCaul (R-Austin, TX) to bring together a bipartisan group of Members of Congress to work with the high tech sector to help create more good paying jobs in the US. I have used that platform to cultivate working relationships with many CEOs of major high tech companies. It is my hope that they will see our region as I do a place to grow their companies and realize their visions for success.

SM: What other plans do you have for stimulating even more economic growth in the region?
KG: In Congress, I will continue working toward creating good paying jobs for our community. I was proud to sponsor the Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2007 to help our small businesses save money to reinvest and continue to grow. I will also continue to work to bring our academic, entrepreneurial and governmental resources in the region together to create strategic partnerships to encourage smart growth.

We need more investments in education. Specifically, I have drafted legislation to increase the tax credits for early childhood education, and to make college tuition tax deductible up to $10k for the middle class. The more opportunities our children have to achieve their life potential, the stronger the work force we will have to attract economic growth. In addition, I have worked to increase tax credits, research and development grants and tax incentives for alternative energy and conservation technologies and products. These investments can help home grown businesses in our region including hydropower, fuel cell technology, wind and solar businesses, and agricultural businesses that can develop bio fuels including cellulosic ethanol. Such investments help large companies like GE as well as smaller companies like Plug Power and Sun Dog, and can provide a secondary revenue stream to our farmers.

SM: What do you see for the future of upstate New York?
KG: I see a bright future for our region. I believe we are on the verge of renewable energy and conservation technologies becoming the next great world market, and I believe Upstate New York is well positioned to become a leader in this sector. We are also at the forefront of using partnerships between education and industry for a vibrant and powerful combination. With the education/research/industry hub systems being developed at Albany Nanotech and at RPI, and by promoting innovative approaches such as High Tech High, we are creating unlimited possibilities for innovation, entrepreneurialism and smart growth for our families and our future.

SM: What's on the horizon for you personally?
I plan on continuing doing the best job I can in Congress, and look forward to serving our community for years to come. It is a blessing to be able to represent Upstate New York in Congress, and I am constantly humbled by and grateful for the opportunity.

SM: You are a Congresswoman, an entrepreneur, a wife and a mother. How do you balance all of these aspects of your life?
KG: Like every other working mother, it is a balance. I just try to be a good listener, a good advocate, and do the best I can every day. I am fortunate to have a great family who helps and supports my efforts.

SM: What is your top priority for 2008?
KG: The Iraq War and fighting terrorism are the most pressing issues. I believe we will be safer and will undermine terrorism more effectively by using a timeline for redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and away from policing streets to pressure the Iraqi leadership into compromising and reaching political reconciliation. Once that is reached, we will see the Iraqis kick out Al Qaida and other foreign terrorists, which will undermine terrorism. We must make significant investments in port security, border security, airline and infrastructure security and locking down loose nuclear materials around the world. We should focus our military and antiterrorism missions to a greater degree in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We need to strengthen our military readiness and invest in all our Services, including the National Guard and Reserve Forces.

On the domestic agenda, I have introduced several bills in Congress targeted towards giving tax cuts to middle class families. I think families in our area pay too much in taxes, and I would like to provide them some real relief. I would also like to see Congress continue to make progress on increasing access to affordable and quality healthcare for all Americans. Third, we need to reduce the debt paying hundreds of billions of dollars every year in interest alone to countries such as China is bad fiscal policy and a waste of our tax payer dollars. I would like to see members of both parties come together to get the job done.

SM: Personally or professionally, what would you say has been your biggest accomplishment so far?
KG: Personally, I derive the greatest joy from my family for any parent, raising our children right is the greatest life accomplishment. Professionally, I am very proud of helping pass the Farm Bill, which was the best one ever for the Northeast and represents significant reform that will benefit upstate NY farmers.

SM: What do you think was the key to defeating a four-time incumbent?
KG: Hard work and listening to folks throughout the district.

SM: You believe that people who are able have an obligation to give back to their community. What would you say to your constituents if they asked how they could contribute?
KG: Get involved and get involved now. Whether at a PTA Meeting, or volunteering at a local nursing home or Veteran's hospital, mentoring a young person or running for office, there are an infinite number of ways you can use your talents to give back to your community.

SM: Dr. Shirley Jackson was the keynote speaker at the summit. How big of a role do you see RPI and other local universities playing in the area's economic growth?
KG: RPI and other local universities will have a tremendous impact. They are training some of the best minds in the country, and we want them to stay here in New York State. Dr. Jackson also has a tremendous vision for cultivating and investing in the next generation of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists, which I wholeheartedly support.

SM: Who has been most influential in your success?
KG: My family. My parents taught me the importance of faith, honesty and hard work; my grandmother taught me the importance of giving back to your community and public service; and my extended family provides the love and support that inspires me every day to make a difference.

SM: What assistance can the government give to ensure that everyone has an opportunity for a college education and career planning to ensure their success in our competitive world?
KG: For the nearly 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students in New York's Twentieth Congressional District, sharp increases in college tuition over the past decade have made the American Dream more difficult to obtain. In Congress, I am fighting to ensure that college is affordable for all Upstate New York families. Increasing access to higher education strengthens the middle class and makes America more competitive in the global economy.

In addition, I want to make sure that college students do not graduate with an unmanageable amount of student loan debt. Large student loans can delay the completion of a college degree, postpone starting a graduate degree or make a career in public service unobtainable.

Recently, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, which boosts college financial aid by $18 billion over the next five years. The College Cost Reduction Act is the largest increase in college aid since the 1944 G.I. Bill, and is a prime example of the investments our country should be making to keep the United States as the world's leader in educating young people. I have also introduced legislation which will make up to $10,000 in college tuition and expenses tax deductible for middle class families. The College Affordability Tax Relief Act of 2007 will change the tax code to help middle class families by providing a:

• $10,000 tax deduction for families with an income of up to $100,000
• $6,000 tax deduction for families with an income between $100,001 and $130,000
• $3,000 tax deduction for families with an income between $130,001 and $160,000