Gillibrand, D-N.Y., stopped at Nazareth College in Pittsford as part of a three-city upstate tour to talk about improving the 12 percent national unemployment rate among veterans.

Gillibrand, a member of the Armed Services Committee, has spoken about veterans issues several times before in Rochester, especially about getting younger veterans into jobs when they return home.

On Monday, Gillibrand talked about legislation that would allow veterans to become federally certified to perform certain jobs without going through training in the way other applicants are required to do. The legislation would also improve veterans’ access to job training and help them understand their benefits better.

She said the bills, which she expects will get bipartisan support, will enhance other measures already taken to combat the high level of unemployment among those who have served in the post-9/11 era, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Their unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in March, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and some veteran activists say it could be much higher.

One of Gillibrand's bills would speed up the process for veterans who learn specialized skills in the military when they apply for federal occupational licenses for jobs that would tap those skills.

Another bill would improve the Transition Assistance Program — which offers vets job training and practical skills like resume-writing — by requiring that classes be offered in convenient, off-base locations, for both veterans and their spouses.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in the Mohawk Valley on Friday to announce new legislation aimed at helping veterans.

She wrapped up a press conference at Mohawk Valley Community College's Technical Training Center at Griffiss International Airport shortly after 11 a.m. She was in the Mohawk Valley last year, leading a round-table discussion with local business leaders and veteran leaders to discuss ways to address veterans unemployment in the Mohawk Valley.

"This new legislation is an important investment for our heroes," said Gillibrand, a New York Democrat.

McCarthy (D-Mineola) said: "We should be doing everything we can to make sure that these heroes are able to go to school or enter the workforce -- or both -- as they return to civilian life."

Adelphi president Robert Scott said the school has a "strong heritage" of welcoming veterans as students under various G.I. bills and that they deserve help in re-entering civilian life. The university will hold a Veterans Employment Summit on May 23, said Scott.

Nationally, women who work full time are paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. African-American women are paid 62 cents, and Latinas are paid just 54 cents for every dollar paid to men. The gap has been closing at a rate of less than half a cent per year since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, according to nonprofit advocacy group The National Partnership for Women & Families. At this rate, women’s pay will not catch up to men’s for another 40 years.

“Women need to demand equal pay,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. “Women are the most significant economic engine in the U.S. Pay women equally and it would raise the GDP by up to 9%.”

Women working full time, year round in the U.S. earn a median annual salary of $36,931, compared to men’s $47,715. That means American women earn $10,784 less than men each year. A National Partnership analysis shows that if that gap were closed, women in the state of Washington could buy an additional 1.7 years’ worth of food; Colorado’s working women could afford 2,746 more gallons of gas; women in Wisconsin could afford 14 more months of rent; and Connecticut women could pay for 3.7 years’ worth of family health insurance premiums.

“With state economies struggling and women increasingly serving as the sole or co-breadwinners for their families, tens of thousands of dollars in lost wages each year takes a tremendous toll,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership. “This new analysis illustrates just how much harm the wage gap does to women and families throughout the country.”

It's unfortunate that Governor Walker saw fit to roll back these protections.

The fact is, with the economy still in a fragile state, women need more economic security, not less. In Wisconsin, women make just 75 cents on the dollar for what men make, in New York, women make just 83 cents, and nationally that figure is 77 cents. If you're an African American woman, you are earning 62 cents on the dollar, and if you are a Latina, only 54 cents on that dollar. This is unacceptable.

But the issue of pay equity is not merely one of fairness. Equal pay for equal work is vital for our economic growth and middle class financial security. With more and more women contributing to household incomes, the lack of equal pay for women hurts all middle class working families -- men and children included. In New York alone, women head more than 1,000,000 households. It's estimated that because of the wage gap, New York families are deprived of $8,600 a year. Nationwide, it's been estimated that if women were paid a dollar on the dollar for equal work, the U.S. GDP could grow up to 9 percent.

In addition to being an economic security issue, the failure to pay women a salary that's equal to men for equal work is also a women's health issue. The fact is that the salary women are paid directly impacts the type of health care services they are able to access for both themselves and their families. For example, if we closed the wage gap, a working woman in New York would be able to afford more than two years worth of additional family health insurance premiums. At a time when women's health services are increasingly vulnerable to budget cuts, it's more important than ever that women have financial security to maintain access to basic care for them and their families.

At the company's offices, television cameras circled. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) walked in the front door, and visitors, including about a dozen Westbury High School students, swarmed through the building on a rare tour.

Why the fuss? ACS, as it is known on the Island, will be the first of some 30 aviation and technology companies here to begin -- this spring or summer -- new internship programs for high school students. The programs were organized by the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. The students to be selected are enrolled in the Science, Technology Engineering and Math  classes at the Cradle.

The internships at ACS, a unit of Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR Corp., were announced by Gillibrand, who has been promoting such education for a long time.

"We have to focus on this generation," Gillibrand said, turning to the Westbury students standing behind her at a company work space. Those students hope to be selected for internships at ACS.

"The key for our educational system is to explain how science and math can help people solve problems," Gillibrand said. "You can cure cancer. You can have clean water in your communities." And the largest issue of all at the moment, she said, is job creation. STEM programs, Gillibrand said, will lead to jobs in the higher-paying technology industry.

Local biotechnology labs should be eligible for federal grants if they create local manufacturing jobs, said Gillibrand, D-N.Y., at a breakfast sponsored by Key Bank and the Westchester Business Council.

“We need that excellent workforce that we have right here in Westchester,” Gillibrand said.

Under her proposal, which she and Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, introduced in October, American and foreign manufacturers could apply for grants if they did their manufacturing in the United States.

Their legislation would not include big companies such as Regeneron — a Tarrytown-based biotech company that went from 400 employees to 1,650 in the past four years. Only biotech companies with fewer than 750 total employees are eligible; other manufacturers would need fewer than 1,000.

The United States? No. It's what U.S. manufacturers are starting to see at their plants in Asia, according to one local company owner.

"Our biggest growth market is going to be North America," said Tony Hynes, founder and president of PVA Precision Valve & Automation in Colonie. "Many of our customers who went to Asia are now coming back."

Hynes spoke Monday morning after hosting U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is pursuing several measures to help boost the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. After a plant tour, Gillibrand talked with officials from local companies about the obstacles they face.

Some cited energy costs while others mentioned health care and the sad state of infrastructure.

Hynes, however, was upbeat on the outlook for North America, despite the fact that the company's exports still exceed domestic sales by a three-to-two margin.

His 20-year-old company — he started it in 1992 in his basement — has grown to 150 employees locally and another 50 outside the area. While he set up shop here because this is where his mother-in-law lived, he's been pleased at the amount of talent available locally and the flexibility of those workers.

"Being nimble is the most important thing you can have," Hynes said.

He said the companies he supplies have encouraged him to move overseas, but he's resisted. Instead, he has an apprenticeship program to train machinists who operate the computer-controls on production equipment that produces precision valves for the electronics, aerospace, automotive and medical device industries, as well as for military applications.

Robert Stevens, a CNC (for computer numerical control) machinist from Saratoga, showed a precision valve that could be used in applying glue or solder in exact amounts to produce cellphones or other devices.

At another machine, Josh White of Averill Park and David Breads of Nassau, the shop supervisor, were producing a prototype skateboard platform of aluminum.

"It's much more durable than wood," one said.

"We all want to see Made in America," said Gillibrand after the tour. "That's why manufacturing has to be a priority."

The 96-to-3 vote followed three days of impassioned debate in which senators tried to outdo one another in proclaiming their support for ethics in government.

President Obama called for passage of such legislation in his State of the Union address last week. More than half of House members, including at least 100 Republicans, have signaled support for it, and House Republican leaders said Thursday that they would schedule consideration of the Senate-passed bill on the House floor next week.

A handful of lawmakers have tried for years to enact restrictions on stock dealing by members of Congress. Their efforts drew little support until new attention to the practice last year — coupled with election anxiety — prompted a flood of backing for the idea and support from Mr. Obama.

Senators of both parties said the bill was desperately needed to restore trust in Congress at a time when its public approval rating had sunk below 15 percent.

Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York and an architect of the bill, said its purpose was simple: “to make sure that members of Congress play by the exact same rules as everyone else.”

I'm so excited that in 2012 we have more women running for the US Senate than ever before, which means that the support of organizations such as EMILY's List will be more important than ever. This election cycle, EMILY's List will be supporting a record number of women -- and I am so proud to be among them. From Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts to Mazie Hirono in Hawaii to our record 6 women running for re-election to the Senate all around the country, I know that the women running this year will serve as a catalyst for change in Washington. As more and more women get off the sidelines, run for office and win, women will provide the strength and leadership Washington needs to get our nation back on the right path.

We all know that Washington is not working the way it should -- the way our families and the middle class need it to. That's why I created Off The Sidelines as a call to action to women to get involved in the political process and make their voices heard. Whether it's registering to vote, volunteering for a candidate who shares your values or running for office yourself, it's so important that women realize that they can make a difference and that their voices matter.

Twenty-six Democratic senators today sent a letter to Nancy Brinker, the group’s founder and CEO, urging it to reconsider the decision to cut funding from Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings for the poor.

“It would be tragic if any woman – let alone thousands of women – lost access to these potentially life-saving screenings because of a politically motivated attack,” the letter reads. “We earnestly hope that you will put women’s health before partisan politics and reconsider this decision for the sake of the women who depend on both your organizations for access to the health care they need.”

Susan G. Komen for the Cure abruptly severed its alliance with Planned Parenthood Tuesday when Komen officials said would halt a grant program used to pay for breast cancer screenings and educational programs.

The organization argued that the move was spurred by a new criteria that bars it from giving money to organizations that are under investigation.

But the decision set off a firestorm, with Planned Parenthood blaming the decision on political influences, foremost among them Komen’s recently ascended vice president, Karen Handel, a Sarah Palin favorite who had run for governor in Georgia two years ago on a fierce anti-abortion platform.

“This troubling decision threatens to reduce access to necessary, life-saving services. We urge Komen to reconsider its decision,” the senator’s letter says.

The letter sent today to the Komen foundation  is signed by Sens. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., Patty Murray, D-Was., Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.,  Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Max Baucus, D-Mont., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Al Franken, D-Minn, John Kerry, D-Mass., Claire McCaskill,D-MO., Debbie Stabenow, D-MI., Chris Coons, D-DE., and Jeff Bingaman D-NM.

Despite a fractured Congress, lawmakers must come together to ensure that people are working and businesses are growing, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, during a meeting with the Editorial Board of The Journal News and LoHud.com. In fact, it’s one of those issues that both Democrats and Republicans can rally around, she said.

For most of us, we look at Washington and we know it’s broken,” she said. “We have to do much more to reach bi-partisan consensus on important issues… I think the economy is the No. 1 issue. I think everyone in American should have the opportunity to provide for their families.”

During a one-hour meeting with the Editorial Board, Gillibrand talked about the importance of building a new Tappan Zee Bridge, a new energy grid and a high speed rail system that connects the Northeast, among other issues. Though she said the government cannot create jobs, she’d like to see the federal government invest in New York’s aging infrastructure, help small businesses gain access to capital and tax credits, and make sure the U.S. has a vibrant manufacturing sector. “We all want to see ‘Made in America,’ ” Gillibrand said. “We want to have manufacturing in America.”

The American people deserve to know that their elected leaders play by the exact same rules that they play by and that their lawmakers' only interest is what's best for the country, not their own financial gain.

Which is why in November, I introduced The STOCK Act in the Senate which has garnered the bipartisan support of 28 of my colleagues and at least seven good-government advocacy groups. This common sense legislation would close the insider trading loophole and take the first step in beginning to restore the American people's trust in their elected leaders.

In President Obama's State of the Union speech last week, he said if we send him this bill he will sign it right away. I applaud Leader Reid for moving to act by bringing this strong bill with teeth to the Senate floor for a vote today.

Momentum is building toward passage of this important piece of legislation. Will you make your voice heard? Please add your name to the thousands of Americans who are demanding more accountability and transparency in Washington and send a message to Congress that the time to pass The STOCK Act is now.

A procedural vote Monday would allow the Senate later this week to pass a bill prohibiting members of Congress from using nonpublic information for their own personal benefit or “tipping” others to inside information that they could trade on.

Insider trading laws apply to all Americans, but CBS’ ”60 Minutes” in November said members of Congress get a pass, citing investment transactions by party leaders and a committee chairman in businesses about to be affected by pending legislation.

The broadcast report raised questions about trades of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; the husband of Democratic leader and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; and Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

All three denied using any insider information to make stock trades, but the broadcast set off a flurry of efforts in Washington to deal with the public perception.

These things are not unrelated. The fact is, the more women we elect to office, the more women's voices are heard and the more the issues and values important to us become a priority. It's especially true on the issue of women's reproductive freedom. As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade today, we must recommit ourselves to doing all we can to elect more pro-choice Democratic women to Congress in 2012.

Looking just at the Senate, we have an unprecedented 11 Democratic pro-choice women running, either as the incumbent (6) or challenger (5). We also have a real opportunity to regain a pro-choice majority in the House of Representatives with Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the helm.

“We are becoming the new technological powerhouse, a viable East Coast sister to Silicon Valley,” Senator Gillibrand said. 

Senator Gillibrand pointed to Facebook’s recent Manhattan expansion, the planned Cornell-Technion campus on Roosevelt Island and the Silicon Alley darlings Gilt Groupe, Tumblr and Foursquare as proof there has been a great deal of progress in New York’s high-tech sector of late.

But the concrete jungle will have plenty at stake as Congress debates the 2012 Farm Bill, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told nearly 100 anti-hunger advocates Wednesday at Hostos Community College.

The junior senator outlined her Food Bill goals with U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Bronx/Queens) and addressed concerns about hunger and nutrition in poor Bronx neighborhoods.

Gillibrand is the first member of the Senate Agriculture Committee from New York in nearly 40 years. The committee is responsible for food aid as well as farming and Gillibrand pledged to battle Senate Republicans for a 30% hike in food stamp funding as part of the newest Farm Bill - $200 more per month for households receiving the benefits.

"There are more families in need," she said. "Right now, in Washington, all we hear about is cuts…But hunger is where we need to increase investment."

More than 1.8 million New Yorkers, including about 250,000 in the Bronx, receive food stamps.

With Gov. Cuomo vowing Wednesday to abolish finger-printing as a food stamp requirement in the city, Gillibrand defended her 2010 vote to cut future food stamp funding, claiming she had to choose between the benefits and better school lunches.

Gillibrand, who toured the Hunts Point food distribution center Wednesday, made the case for a community retail hub there - when funding becomes available.

It is shameful that Congress can’t even come together to do the bare minimum and pass the DREAM Act, which opens the door to permanent residency through military service and higher education for thousands of immigrant young people whose parents brought them to this country as children.

They deserve better — the chance to work hard, get a good education, help grow our economy and keep our country safe. Little wonder Republicans such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell have advocated for this legislation, calling it critical to our national security.

The lack of leadership in Washington has reverberated across the country — leaving state governments on their own to answer the fundamental question of how we view and treat immigrants in our society. States like Arizona and Alabama have stepped into this leadership void by passing abhorrent laws that undermine basic civil rights.

Since Congress refuses to act, New York can show the nation a different way. Where others have chosen intolerance, the Empire State can honor its legacy of being a beacon of hope and opportunity for generations of immigrants by passing the New York State DREAM Act introduced by Assemblyman Guillermo Linares and state Sen. Bill Perkins, as well as the DREAM Fund introduced by Assemblyman Francisco Moya.

Gillibrand called on the Defense Department to use American-made steel for military vehicles in a letter, saying it would help boost U.S. steel production and create jobs in New York.

She also requested a review of the current language on armor plate steel, which says that steel melted outside of the United States is "domestic." Gillibrand is hoping to require armor steel plate be melted in the United States. 

The language in the version of the bill the New York Democrat proposed would have definitely made the law highly ineffective. It would actually greenlighted insider trading by Senators and House members, so long as they didn't bring in a co-conspirator.

But Gillibrand's people tell me this is not the intent at all. A spokesman for Gillibrand told me  they added language to the bill that was meant to make it a violation for a lawmaker to tip off others about pending legislation. The language was intended to make the restrictions on insider trading based on non-public political information tighter, the person said. The language in the bill itself was simply a technical error that didn't reflect the intent of Gillibrand.

Almost 90 percent of the firearms used in New York City gun crimes come from out of state, and most of those guns are illegal, according to the Democratic senator, who plans to introduce the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act this week.

It comes on the heels of an undercover probe into gun shows by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Investigators found an open marketplace for illegal weapons, with sellers disregarding mandatory background checks.

The probe also revealed a loophole in the law that holds the individual gun seller legally accountable but not the gun show operator. The legislation would close the nation's "gun show loophole" and keep operators responsible.

"The Attorney General's critical investigation shows just how easy it is for guns to end up in the hands of dangerous people," Gillibrand said in a statement. "By cracking down on gun dealers who blatantly disobey the law as well as illegal gun traffickers and their vast criminal networks, we can reduce gun violence and keep our families and neighborhoods safe."

Gillibrand said that outside of New York City, more than 300,000 are out of work.

She adds that 3,600 construction jobs have been lost in upstate in the last year alone.

Her plan focuses on worker retraining, expanding broadband and moving towards clean energy production as well as agricultural tax credits.

Here is the news release from her office:

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the Upstate Works Act, legislation she wrote to put New Yorkers back to work and help create the environment for a strong and growing upstate economy. The Upstate Works Act retools New York’s manufacturers for the clean energy economy, provides tax relief for family farms to diversify and expand their production, provides resources to help students and working adults get the new training they need for the jobs of the future, connects upstate businesses with new markets by expanding broadband to every corner of New York, and gets construction workers back on the job rebuilding New York’s highways and water infrastructure.

“As I spend time in every corner of upstate New York, there is no question that families, businesses and communities are struggling. They face unique economic challenges that require targeted solutions,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Upstate New York is home to world class businesses and some of the hardest working people in the world, but too many are struggling to find a job, and too many small businesses are struggling to survive. My Upstate Works Act rejuvenates our manufactures to make New York the clean energy capital of the world, gives working adults access to new training to prepare them for the jobs of the future, and helps our family farms get ahead. No other state can lead the way to the new economy like New York, and my upstate Jobs bill taps into New York’s full potential.”

An estimate of nearly 300,000 upstate New Yorkers are currently out of work. Upstate New York lost an estimated total of more than 3,600 construction jobs in the last year, according to the New York State Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From the first day I ran for Congress, I have tried to serve as a voice for our veterans and servicemembers. This week, with the passage of the VOW to Hire Veterans Act, the Senate took an important step forward towards solving the jobs crisis for our servicemembers returning home. And as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I announced new initiatives that would strengthen the benefits available to those who serve in our National Guard and Reserves.

Those who serve in the National Guard and Reserves often fight shoulder to shoulder with our active duty troops in battle, yet upon their return home, do not have the same access to benefits and protections such as financial counseling, job protections and health care. This is wrong. When they return home from serving our country, our National Guard and Reserve members shouldn't have to be confronted with red tape in order to access the benefits they've earned fighting for our country.