Remarks by Congressman Paul Tonko (NY) focusing on the bipartisan Indoor Air Quality and Healthy Schools Act (H.R. 5123). Moderated by Tracy Washington Enger, MS, Healthy Schools Network, and EPA Indoor Air Division (retired).
Session Focus:
- Indoor Air Quality and Healthy Schools Act (H.R. 5123)
- Legislative outlook for 2026 and beyond
Congressman Paul D. Tonko is a ninth-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York’s 20th Congressional District in the Capital Region, including the cities of Albany, Amsterdam, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs.
He has dedicated his career in public service to bettering the lives of those in his district with meaningful legislation that creates good jobs, strengthens the middle class, and drives economic opportunity. Tonko is the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, in addition to serving on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations.
This 119th Congress, he was selected to serve on the House Committee on the Budget. He also serves as Democratic Deputy Whip for Policy that works on the coordination and planning of the House Democratic Caucus’s policy.
Along with his committee duties, Tonko co-chairs the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), and the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery (ATR) Caucus.
Prior to serving in Congress, he was the president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Before that, he served in the New York State Assembly for 25 years, serving for 15 years as Chairman of the Committee on Energy.
Tonko graduated from Clarkson University with a degree in mechanical and industrial engineering and is a former engineer for the New York State Public Service Commission.
Tracy Washington Enger, MSJ is an experienced senior leadership coach and change agent, with 35-years of federal service that includes experience designing, developing, and leading major environmental, health and community development programs and initiatives with Peace Corps and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
As a servant leader, Tracy coordinated and implemented numerous national public/private collaborations, partnerships, and communities of practice. Tracy has coached thousands of emerging local community leaders to transform their unique skills, commitment, and passion into dramatic, measurable results for their schools, communities and the country.
Tracy’s particular passion is for designing and facilitating dynamic, action-learning events that advance goals, surface new opportunities, and reshape the strategic landscape to build strong, resilient teams.
Tracy was born in Wilmington, North Carolina and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, Tracy earned a BS and MS in Journalism from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Tracy served in the Peace Corps where she taught English literature and language in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and is a graduate of the Newfield Network Coaching Program and the Georgetown Facilitation Certification Program.