PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined leadership and employees at Avesta Housing in Portland to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Landmark legislation enacted in February 1993, the FMLA provides certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for certain family and medical reasons like the birth and care of a newborn child or the care of a family member with a serious... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) visited Tilson Technology Management, Inc., a veteran-owned national network deployment and technology professional services company based in Portland, to discuss Tilson’s Veteran and Guard/Reserve (VGR) Support Program and the importance of broadband infrastructure. “Our nation’s veterans made immense sacrifices to protect our nation, and deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our support,” said Senator King.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King wrote to the leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, urging them to include language from the Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act in any tax extender legislation. The BTU Act is bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would help promote the many economic and environmental benefits that biomass thermal energy provides by qualifying biomass heating equipment for renewable energy tax credits. “Many regions of the United... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today applauded the announcement that OTM Holdings, LLC (OTM) has purchased the Old Town pulp mill complex with plans to redevelop the site and spur economic development in Penobscot County. “The planned redevelopment of the Old Town Mill will bolster Maine’s rural economy by encouraging growth and helping to create jobs,” Senators Collins... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmed U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) as the Ranking Member of the National Parks Subcommittee. “For more than a century, National Parks have been passed from generation to generation, as each new age group takes on the hallowed responsibility to protect parks for those who come next,” said Senator King. “From the sheer size of the Grand Canyon and the dramatic waterfalls of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that Maine State Senator Joyce Maker will attend the State of the Union tomorrow as his guest. Senator Maker, a Republican from Calais, was elected in 2016 to represent District 6 in the Maine State Senate, where she chairs the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and sits on the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. Prior to being elected to the State Senate, she served three terms in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the January edition of his Inside Maine podcast. In this edition, Senator King is joined by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), two colleagues who worked with Sen. King as part of the Common Sense Coalition, the bipartisan group put together in response to last week’s government shutdown. All three Senators worked throughout the weekend to bring an end to the shutdown... Continue Reading »
BATH, ME – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today visited Bath Iron Works (BIW) to meet with front line supervisors and tour the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), the second Zumwalt class destroyer built at BIW. At Senator King’s urging, Senator Reed requested the visit to Maine to see firsthand the highly skilled work performed by the employees at BIW to build and maintain the Navy fleet. The Senate... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of Senators in expressing support for a proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would help increase the transparency and accuracy of prescription drug costs in Medicare Part D. “Pharmacy price concessions account for real differences between the listed prices of prescription drugs and those drugs’ final, actual costs,” the senators... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after today’s Senate vote to pass a three week continuing resolution and reopen the federal government: “After a weekend spent trying to bring together Senators from across the political spectrum and to create a meaningful dialogue, we have arrived at a viable compromise that can move us forward. A three-week continuing resolution is longer than I’d like, but it appears this... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after tonight’s Senate vote to reject a continuing resolution to fund the government through February 16th: “For 20 years, Congress hasn’t had a budget on time. Instead, we’ve opted to kick difficult decisions a little bit further down the road through continuing resolutions, leaving important priorities unfinished. This isn’t what our constituents sent us here to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced his support for the Pay Our Military Act, a bill that would guarantee military personnel receive regular paychecks and related compensation in the event of a government shutdown. The bill would also allow most Department of Defense civilians and some contractors to go back to work, provided that they directly support uniformed personnel, and provides for death benefits for... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his support for the Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence (CHIME) Act. This legislation would support Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), which provide vital health care services to rural communities in Maine, by reauthorizing the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) for five years. ... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined a bipartisan effort led by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) to develop bipartisan legislation to address Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other immigration issues. “It’s imperative that Congress act so that young people who were brought to the United States as children, through no decision of their own, can stop living in fear of deportation. I have talked with... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, joined with his fellow caucus leaders in sending a letter to President Trump urging the administration to include “dedicated, stand-alone funding for broadband deployment” in any proposed infrastructure package. “Our rural communities have connectivity needs that are not being met, limiting economic opportunity and growth,” the senators wrote.... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) met with health professionals, students and administrators at the Maine College of Health Professions to discuss the importance of the health care industry in Maine, and challenges presented by health care workforce shortages in the state. “Each and every day, the people of Maine rely on the treatment provided by health care workers,” said Senator King. “That’s why the education provided by the Maine College of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King congratulated Caroline Baldacci of Bangor and Virginia Jewel Hugo-Vidal of Gorham on being selected as Maine’s delegates to the 56th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). Caroline and Virginia will join 104 other students from across the country in spending a week in the nation’s capital where they will have an opportunity to study the American legislative system first-hand. “Caroline... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King celebrated and honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – who has inspired millions in America and across the globe to give back and help others – by participating in community service events in the Brunswick area. “On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. told the world about his radical new dream: that America would fulfill its promise of equality to all citizens, not just the lucky few of the right... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined 10 of his colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump, urging him to renew the opioid public health emergency declaration. “On October 26, 2017, you declared a public health emergency with the goal of mobilizing federal resources and strengthening the federal response to the opioid epidemic,” the Senators wrote in their letter. “This emergency declaration expires on January 23, 2018.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristjen Nielsen and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alexander Acosta requesting that DHS audit the number of unused visas from the first half of fiscal year 2018. The letter also asks DOL to distribute visas based on time of application rather than randomly processing. “H-2B... Continue Reading »
