WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement this evening in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“The State of the Union is as much about where we are today as where we want to be tomorrow. The question before us now is whether we want a 21^st century economy that connects to the rest of the world through high-speed broadband, that cultivates a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in manufacturing and keeps good jobs here in America – just like my guest Kathie Leonard has done in Maine.

“It’s a question of whether we want an economy that promotes flexibility in the American workforce so that those who work hard their entire lives can achieve their dreams and provide a bright future for their children. And having just returned from a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to the Middle East, it’s also a question of how we position ourselves to confront growing threats across the globe, especially when some of those threats can be perpetrated by the simple click of a mouse.

“I welcome many of the proposals the President discussed tonight. They are important contributions to a debate that Washington must have about how we support middle class Americans who want – and have earned – nothing less than the opportunity to live a life where they’re not in constant fear of whether they’ll be able to put food on the table, pay for vital medications, or just keep the heat and lights on. Over the past decade, that’s become a faraway dream for too many people, and it’s time that we recommit ourselves to working with one another to make them a priority.

“Many of these issues I have already begun to address with my colleagues in the Senate. From legislation to make college more accessible and incentivize paid family leave for employees across the country, to pushing for an open, high-speed Internet that reaches into the farthest corners of Maine and the rest of the United States, I have introduced bipartisan bills with my colleagues that we will continue to push for in the new Congress. Passing bills will require support from both parties, and I stand ready to work with both sides to advance commonsense ideas that will grow our economy and create jobs.”

Senator King has introduced bipartisan legislation that directly relates to several of the priorities discussed by the President this evening.

To help make education more accessible, Senator King, along with Senator Richard Burr, reintroduced the Repay Act, a bill that would simplify the complex maze of federal student loan repayment programs by consolidating many of the benefits of current repayment programs into two plans: a fixed repayment plan, based on a 10-year period, and a single, simplified income-driven repayment option. The bill would also eliminate the tax on loans discharged due to a borrower’s total and permanent disability. He has also joined Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in introducing the FAST Act, a bill to simplify the process of applying for and receiving federal financial aid to attend college, allow year-round use of Pell Grants, discourage over-borrowing and simplify repayments. For more information on the FAST Act, click HERE.

To help provide greater flexibility in the workforce, Senators King will partner with Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to re-introduce the Strong Families Act, which would incentivize employers to voluntarily provide employees with paid parental or medical leave and enable working families to have continued access to pay while they are meeting necessary family obligations.

To safeguard the Internet and expand broadband, Senator King has called on the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that the Internet remains open and free and has been a proponent of eliminating regulatory obstacles that stand in the way of municipalities building broadband networks and supported Federal grant programs that help to build broadband networks across the country.

At Senator King’s invitation, Kathie Leonard, President and Co-Founder of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. (AMI), a high-temperature textile producer with two locations in Auburn and Mechanic Falls, Maine, attended this evening’s State of the Union address. AMI employs 50 people between the two manufacturing plants in central Maine, and under Kathie’s leadership, the business has survived the off-shoring trend of the last decade. While others took their operations to Asia, she took the road less traveled and kept AMI in Maine.

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