The Serrano Report, Vol. VII, #21
On Capitol Hill
Serrano Bill Passes House
On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 4862, a bill introduced by Congressman Serrano to allow Members of Congress to swear in new citizens. Currently judges and officials with the Department of Homeland Security do the swearing in, but this bill would allow Representatives and Senators to also swear in immigrants who have completed the process to become new citizens.
"This is a very exciting day," said Serrano. "I have attended citizenship events in the past and they are wonderful occasions where the community comes together to celebrate with the new citizens. The celebrations are a fitting end to the process of becoming an American, a process which can frequently be a lengthy one. I look forward to the day when the President signs this bill and I can fully participate by actually administering the oath."
The bill does not change the procedures for citizenship, but merely changes who can officiate over the final step. Now that it has passed the House, the bill now heads to the Senate for its consideration.
In the Bronx
Serrano August Events
During the month of August when the House of Representatives was out of session, Congressman Serrano participated in a wide variety of events in the Bronx and around the city. Below are a selection of photographs from these events.
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Serrano speaking at the 48th Precinct’s annual Night Out Against Crime event sponsored on August 4th |
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Serrano speaking at a 30th Anniversary celebration for 52 People for Progress, a grassroots community organization that cares for a local park and brings music and other arts programming to the Longwood community |
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Serrano marching along 6th Avenue during the 2010 New York Dominican Day Parade |
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Serrano, Mayor Bloomberg and New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn, join engineers and construction workers to welcome the arrival of the new Willis Avenue Bridge, which connects Harlem to the South Bronx. The new bridge was built near Albany and floated down the Hudson to replace the old bridge, which was 109 years old. |
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Serrano speaking at the 2010 Bronx Pride event in Crotona Park, which celebrates the LGBTQ community in the Bronx |
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Serrano participating in the Second Annual Ghana Parade and Festival in Crotona Park. The event celebrates Ghanaian culture and the contributions of the Ghanaian community to the greater New York City area. He is joined by District Leader Eric Stevenson and members of the Bronx Ghanaian community. |
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Serrano, State Senator José M. Serrano (second from right), Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson (third from left), and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (fourth from right, back row) with residents of the Highbridge community at the Highbridge Old Timers Day Reunion |
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Serrano, Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson (fourth from left) and State Senator Serrano (fourth from right) joining the tenants association of 1655 Undercliff Avenue for their annual neighborhood barbecue |
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Serrano and State Senator Serrano joining from left: Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte, Councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito, Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo, Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Councilwoman Helen Diane Foster, and Wilhelm Ronda, Director of Planning for the Office of The Bronx Borough President, and schoolchildren from Highbridge for the opening of the newly designed River Avenue Park, which includes a skate park and new playground |
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Serrano speaking at an event to announce $5 million in new grant money for green infrastructure projects in the Bronx and to help clean up the Bronx River |
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Serrano with former Secretary of State Colin Powell and (from l to r) State Senator Rubén Díaz, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz at the ribbon cutting for the General Colin L. Powell Apartments, which are located in Bronx Community Board 2, near where Secretary Powell grew up |
Grant Opportunities
Energy Efficiency in Construction
Application Deadline: October 27, 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently announced the availability of funding to support market-based approaches to improve energy efficiency. The objectives for this award are to deliver improved energy performance in residential and commercial buildings through increased use of high-efficiency products, and to increase the market share for these products through retail, internet, and other sales outlets. State and local governments, institutions of higher education, and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to apply.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the EPA website.
For information on other government grants, please go to: www.grants.gov.