Legislation providing an additional $401 million for the Social Security Administration to maintain existing offices and staff could be a step toward keeping the Social Security office in Auburn open.

U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri's office said Thursday evening that the House passed legislation including $9.3 billion for SSA administrative expenses - a $401 million increase over the fiscal year 2007 level. The funding is part of the fiscal year 2008 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Arcuri had expressed his support for the legislation Wednesday, urging the Senate to likewise pass the bill and for President Bush to sign it into law.

"Since May, I have been working in Washington to get answers from the SAA about their plan to close the Auburn office, and have repeatedly called on the Administration not to close a field office that helps thousands of disabled and elderly residents," Arcuri said in a news release. "Many local residents do not have the means or the mobility to travel the long distances to Geneva or Syracuse for necessary face-to-face service."

Arcuri said he hoped no decision would be made to close or consolidate Social Security field offices until the agency reports back to Congress regarding the number of recipients who would be negatively impacted.

"The Auburn Social Security Office is a critical community resource that serves some of our most vulnerable citizens and should remain open," Arcuri said.

Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Citizen.