U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
United States Senator Charles E. Schumer is in his first term representing New York State. He currently serves as a member on the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Judiciary Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Rules Committee, and as Ranking Member of the Administrative Oversight and the Courts Subcommittee and the Economic Policy Subcommittee. Before his election to the Senate, Chuck represented the Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens for eighteen years. Before that, he represented the Forty-Fifth Assembly District in Brooklyn for six years.
Serving three terms in the New York State Assembly, Chuck worked vigorously for his Brooklyn constituents. He sponsored legislation to protect local cemeteries from vandalism and passed laws limiting noise pollution by banning motorcycles from residential streets between 9 pm and 8 am. He was a staunch ally of rent control programs, and sponsored legislation that increased penalties for arson in houses of worship.
Throughout his 20 years in Congress, Chuck has been a pioneer in the fight against crime. His work in this area led Attorney General Janet Reno, the nation's top law enforcer, to state, "I have never met a public official more dedicated to fighting crime than Mr. Schumer."
In 1994, Chuck authored the Omnibus Crime Bill, which put 100,000 new policemen on the street, enforced the "three strikes and you're out" sentencing, and created after school programs for troubled teens. As of August 2000, the Crime Bill's COPS program had put 11,461 new officers on New York's streets.
Chuck was a leading sponsor of the Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. Chuck co-wrote the Assault Weapons Ban, which outlawed the manufacture and importation of 19 types of semi-automatic weapons, including the Uzi, AK-47 and Tech-9. He also sponsored both the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and Hate Crimes Prevention Act which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. In 1992, Chuck authored the Anti-Auto Theft Act which required car manufacturers to mark often-stolen vehicle parts with an indelible ID number.
Chuck also established an Economic Development Initiative (EDI), a comprehensive effort to attract new businesses and financial resources to Upstate New York. As part of EDI, Chuck has held business roundtables throughout the state, organizing meetings between economic development
officials and business leaders in Rochester,
Buffalo,
Syracuse
during his first year in office. Later he toured the state with the site
selectors who help businesses decide
where to locate offices and factories, and sent a brochure promoting Upstate's
merits to CEO's in New York City.
As the first New Yorker on the Energy Committee in twenty five years, Chuck has sponsored legislation to make SUVs and minivans more fuel efficient, which would lower gas prices and save over 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day. Chuck was also the leading voice calling on President Clinton to use the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help bring down gas prices in the fall of 2000. Chuck has also worked to help low income families and senior citizens keep warm during the winter by fighting to increase federal emergency home heating funding.