Issue Position: Long Island

Issue Position

Earmarks -- Congressman has secured over $450 million dollars in direct federal investment to Long Island, putting people back to work and expanding the economy. For example, these investments have improved public safety by providing law enforcement the tools they need to combat crime, improved access at local hospitals by securing state-of-the-art technology, and protected the livelihoods of fishermen and maritime small businesses by dredging Shinnecock Inlet and Lake Montauk Harbor.

Transportation Projects -- As a member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Bishop has secured millions in federal funding for Suffolk County roads, beaches and harbors that have improved public safety and access to economy-boosting infrastructure in every Town in the district.

Protecting Plum Island -- Since plans to replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center with a separate facility located in Manhattan, Kansas were announced in 2005, Congressman Bishop has been vocal in his support for maintaining Plum Island as a Biosafety Level 3 laboratory. After Congressman Bishop alerted the Obama administration to the significant problems with the proposed Kansas facility, the President's 2013 budget request does not recommend any funding for its construction, thereby preserving 200 jobs in the town of Southold.

Brookhaven National Lab -- Congressman Bishop is amongst the strongest supporters of Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Since coming to Congress in 2003, he has fought off attempts to cut funding for key programs at BNL and presided over expansion at the lab, including the new Center for Functional Nanomaterials and the National Synchrotron Light Source II. These projects and others like them are the building blocks of scientific innovations that will ensure the U.S. is competitive in the global economy while also creating over 1,000 construction jobs.

Protecting the 106th -- With possibly two new rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) getting underway in 2013 and 2015, Congressman Bishop is working to ensure the 106th Rescue Wing always has a home at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton, a goal he accomplished in the 2005 round of BRAC The 106th plays a vital first-responder role on Long Island and New York City, and employs over 1,200 people on the East End.

The Shinnecock Tribe -- Congressman Bishop helped the Shinnecock Indian Tribe achieve federal recognition by the Department of Interior and has been instrumental in helping the tribe receive federal funding for housing, energy and tribal governance projects.

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