WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate today passed The Energy Policy Modernization Act, a bipartisan energy bill with several provisions authored by Senator King that would support Maine’s renewable energy resources, such as biomass and hydropower, and that would empower greater personal energy independence. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King helped craft the legislation earlier this year,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), the Senate today passed legislation that reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The legislation, which passed with strong bipartisan support, authorizes funding for all FAA programs, including FAA operations, research and development, aviation programs, extension of expiring authorities, airport planning and improvement and noise compatibility and programs. Importantly, the legislation also includes... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today called on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make it easier for Maine’s elderly and rural citizens to file their taxes. In a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen today, Senator King expressed his concern that the IRS’s effort to reduce printing costs by decreasing the availability of paper tax forms and instructions at local IRS offices and libraries, along with its closure of Taxpayer Assistance Centers like the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that $922,876 will be distributed from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) directly to Maine to support conservation and recreation projects in our local communities. The funds, which are generated out of a portion of the lease revenue from offshore oil and gas development, support state-identified and community-supported projects that create jobs, contribute to local economies, and grow outdoor... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin sent a letter today to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robert Califf, M.D., urging the FDA to outline a plan ensuring that all states wishing to export shellfish to the 28-member European Union (EU) are able to do so as the shellfish trade between the U.S. and the EU resumes. Currently, only two states are being audited by the EU to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $5,840,041 to support research at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. “Jackson Laboratory has consistently been a leader in the field of biomedical research and has made significant breakthroughs in developmental genetics.” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This funding will help ensure that Jackson Lab has the... Continue Reading »
NORTHPORT, ME – In remarks delivered at the 19th Annual Maine Pain Symposium in Northport today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) praised Maine’s palliative and hospice care professionals for their work to provide exceptional end-of-life and pain management care services and pledged to continue to work alongside them as they strive to also fight the opioid epidemic hammering the state. To that end, Senator King announced his support for The Palliative Care and Hospice Education... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In statements submitted to the Congressional Record this week, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King recognized the 100th Convention of the National Association of Superintendents of the U.S. Naval Shore Establishments (NAS NSE) and thanked its members, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, for their continued work to support the effectiveness of America’s naval shipyards. “The NAS NSE chapter at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is committed to ensuring the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin today announced that the U.S. Department of State is working to address their concerns about an effort by Sweden to ban imports of live lobster into the entire 28-member European Union. In a letter responding to the Maine Congressional delegation, State Department Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Julia Frifield wrote that the State Department is... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Moved by the story of a Maine family, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate a tax penalty levied on families whose student loans are forgiven after the death or permanent disability of their child. While the federal government forgives certain federal student loans in the case of the death or disability of the borrower, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) still levies an... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today applauded the inclusion of a two-year extension of the Access Received Closer to Home (ARCH) Program in the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) spending bill. Senator King and Senator Susan Collins had introduced legislation in March to allow the ARCH program to continue operating through 2021. “The inclusion of this provision is very encouraging news for veterans in Aroostook... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will grant up to $13 million for a purchase of up to 30 million pounds of Maine wild blueberries after the Delegation requested the measure earlier this year. Bonus buys help protect American farmers from unexpected market conditions by purchasing surplus goods and distributing them to food banks and other... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined with Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) to introduce the States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act of 2016. The legislation would ensure that states that choose to expand eligibility for Medicaid after 2014 are eligible for the same level of federal matching funds as states that expanded earlier under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. The decision to expand Medicaid ultimately rests with each State. “States that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) met privately with Chief Judge Merrick Garland, the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, for approximately an hour in his Washington office. Following the meeting, Senator King released the following statement: “I strongly believe the Senate has a Constitutional obligation to consider nominations to the Supreme Court, and I take that responsibility... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a total of $1,739,294 in grant funding to five airports across Maine. The funding is awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency within the DOT. “Maine’s airports are important pieces of our state’s transportation system that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) highlighted the work done at the University of Maine to support the forest economy and biobased industries, and emphasized the need for research and development institutions across the country to work together in support of American manufacturing and other home-grown industries. Senator King’s remarks came after a recent tour of the Katahdin region that also included... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Bruce Poliquin announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has approved much-needed Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for displaced employees at Madison Paper. Last month, Senators Collins and King and Representative Poliquin sent a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez in support of the TAA petition. “This announcement is welcome news for the more than 200... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent today to the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) expressed his concerns about the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to update the overtime threshold at which an individual is considered salaried and exempt from overtime pay. Though agreeing that hardworking employees ought to receive overtime, and that the current threshold is outdated, Senator King cited his concern that the proposed rule would adversely affect... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $296,571 for parking garage improvements at the Casco Bay Island Ferry Service in Portland. “This funding to help make improvements to the parking garage at the Casco Bay Lines terminal is welcome news,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “Casco Bay Lines transports nearly one million passengers per year and is a... Continue Reading »
The Maine Delegation will be hosting an upcoming Military Academy Seminar in cooperation with the Maine Maritime Academy in Bangor on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road, from 6 – 8 p.m. Doors open and registration begins at 5:30 p.m. Students, parents and guidance counselors who are interested in the application process for the United States Military, Naval, Air Force, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard Academies, state maritime academies, as... Continue Reading »
