Senator Gillibrand Visits CABVI Manufacturing Facility

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Wednesday to tour the manufacturing facility assisting in the COVID-19 Pandemic response.

Gillibrand was also pushing her bill to bring American companies and their job back to the United States. Not only does her legislation push for American companies to bring jobs back to the nation and state she also is supporting the work being done at CABVI.

The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired employs several people with various levels of vision loss and difficulties in several positions including manufacturing. In the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, CABVI is setting the bar producing PPE and other medical products.

Gillibrand addressed several employees and media members Wednesday to talk about the importance of tasks being done by the workers at CABVI. Gillibrand states,

During these challenging times the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired has stepped up and drawn on their expertise to join New York’s battle against the coronavirus outbreak. Their adaptability, commitment to innovation, and dedication to the community showcase what New Yorkers do best. Now, Congress must help train our workforce to respond to this crisis and put millions of Americans back to work. For our country to recover, it’s critical that we invest in training workers with in-demand skills and build the strong, skilled, and diverse American workforce needed to meet innovation in this unprecedented time. We must address the growing demand for education, training, and employment services in order to help people gain skills, find jobs, strengthen families and aid our economic recovery.

Gillibrand is also pushing legislation to encourage American companies to bring jobs back to their native soil. She discussed during remarks at the event that she is lobbying for the passage of her "End Outsourcing Act." Passage of the bill will prohibit companies who outsource from using federal tax incentives like tax breaks and federal contracts. In addition, the bill will offer a 20 percent tax credit for companies to bring jobs back to the United States.

In addition to Gillibrand's visit to CABVI it was announced that the local company aiding people who are blind and visually impaired will be an exclusive partnership with a domestic "Made in America" supply chain for PPE like nitrile gloves, masks and other defenses against the COVID-19 virus. CABVI CEO Ed Welsh and Utica Mayor Rob Palmieri joined Senator Gillibrand for the press conference with social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines followed.