The future of I-81 in Syracuse and access to adolescent mental health services are among 11 priorities Rep. John Katko laid out Tuesday for his inaugural term in office. Katko says he has lobbied the state, spoken with the federal highway administration, and met with local businesses regarding the future of the highway viaduct through Syracuse. He wants to stay in front of the issue…
"I firmly believe this...we need an advocate for all of the options now. Now is not the time to cut out options. It's time to cut out options after we get a full blown analysis of at each option so we know for sure what we're looking at, and we're not having certain people driving the agenda."
Also on Katko's agenda is closing the gaps in adolescent mental health care. He wants to create a task force to raise awareness of the growing but little known problem and find solutions.
"We have people from hospital administration, from the medical field, from the mental health counseling field, from talking to victims, talking to law enforcement that has to deal with this, and the prisons, and getting all their input, and then providing a solution. The solution as I see it in Central New York is to have a very comprehensive inpatient/outpatient setting at one of the medical institutions around here. We don't have that now for the pediatric mental health, and we need that."
Here are the rest of Katko's priorities:
- Fighting for affordable higher education and supporting our local education institutions.
- Supporting policies that improve health care in Central New York through lower costs and expanded access for families, veterans, and senior citizens.
- Protecting Central New York’s agriculture community.
- Working for policies that promote economic growth in Central New York and engaging with local small-businesses, manufacturers and chambers of commerce.
- Supporting Central New York tourism efforts such as the Harriet Tubman House in Cayuga County as well as Fort Ontario and the Safe Haven in Oswego County.
- Prioritizing a commitment to veterans by visiting local Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities, establishing a Veterans Advisory Council, and working to hold the VA accountable while supporting its mission.
- Initiating a local conversation on the heroin epidemic in Central New York.
- Providing forums for community approaches toward solving generational poverty across the district.
- Protecting American interests and national security by working towards safer travel across our nation and keeping our borders secure.
