Lawmaker Says Appointment Will Benefit Western New York
In a significant appointment for Western New York, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) today was selected by the House Democratic Caucus to serve on the House Committee on Ways and Means. The Committee is widely considered to be among the most influential in the House of Representatives, and is the chief economic development committee in Congress. The committee also presides over other key issues such as tax policy, Medicare, and Social Security. It will also play a significant role in shaping alternative energy incentives and healthcare reform.
“I am honored to have been appointed to serve on the Committee on Ways and Means. In these difficult economic times, we simply could not allow Western New York to go unrepresented on this important committee,” Higgins said. This gives us an opportunity to use tax incentives to spur job creation and investment in Western New York, cut taxes for the middle class, create jobs in the local alternative energy industry, and improve our healthcare system.”
With the retirement of Congressman Tom Reynolds of Clarence, Higgins’ appointment will ensure that Western New Yorkers continue to have representation on this key committee, a seat that was also once held by Congressman Amo Houghton. Higgins’ seat on the committee will give Western New York an advocate for the expansion of economic policies that greatly benefit the region, such as the Renewal Community designation, which includes Buffalo-Lackawanna and Jamestown and encourages investment in areas of high unemployment, the New Markets Tax Program and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit, which promotes investment in historic structures, and the brownfields program to encourage the redevelopment of unused, former industrial sites. These incentives have been crucial to the success of projects all over Buffalo, including Babeville, the Electric Tower, the Guaranty Building, the ongoing conversion of the former Dulski federal building and the Larkin Building, a once empty building is now home to more than 2,000 employees working in both public and private sector businesses and continues to spark reinvestment in the surrounding neighborhood.
“My top priority as a member of Congress has always been to foster economic development in Western New York. As a member of the Ways and Means committee I will be a strong advocate for the expansion of policies to benefit development projects in the City of Buffalo and across Western New York,” Higgins said.
Higgins will be entering his third term in Congress when his appointment takes effect in the 111th Congress.
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