WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Senate passed an amendment offered by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) that would allow for the simplification of income-driven student loan repayment options. The amendment, which passed by voice vote during the Senate’s consideration of the budget, is similar to The Repay Act, which Senators King and Burr reintroduced earlier this year. “Right now the student loan repayment system is a mess. There are so... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a push from U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it will make a critical change in the way eligibility is determined for the Veterans Choice Card Program. Specifically, this change will adjust the way the distance requirement is calculated under the 40-mile rule, roughly doubling the number of eligible veterans nationwide who can receive care in their communities. In a joint statement,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Congressman Bruce Poliquin sent a letter to United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, urging FDA to withdraw the “Electronic Distribution of Prescribing Information for Human Prescription Drugs, Including Biological Products” proposed rule. The proposed rule by the FDA would allow pharmaceutical companies to substitute electronic prescription information... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) applauded the Obama Administration for launching a Broadband Opportunity Council. The Council will be tasked with bringing together federal agencies to survey and report back on existing programs that currently support or could be modified to support broadband competition, deployment or adoption. “Access to high-speed broadband drives economic growth and opens new doors of opportunity. And in a rural state like Maine,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Congressman Bruce Poliquin announced today that the U.S. Department of Commerce has opened an investigation into the ongoing, unfair subsidies received by the Port Hawkesbury paper mill in Canada. The subsidies led Madison Paper Industries to curtail production and temporarily lay-off most non-salaried employees for two weeks this past January. “For too long, these unfair subsidies have put Maine’s paper mills at... Continue Reading »
FALMOUTH, ME – This morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Climate Action Task Force, joined with officials from the Maine Audubon Society at its headquarters in Falmouth to help unveil a new solar panel system that will help reduce energy costs, curb reliance on oil, and limit carbon emissions. The project is the largest array of solar panels installed by a conservation organization in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will resume processing of H-2B visas. Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) filed a motion to stay the order which led to the suspended processing of H-2B visas earlier this month. That stay has been granted. On March 17, 2015 DHS announced it would process applications for which they already had USDOL labor certifications. With this... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced proposed changes to existing regulations to allow single trap lobster fishing to continue around several islands in Maine, a move requested by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) in a letter to the agency last year. “Maine’s lobster industry is an economic powerhouse, bringing in millions of dollars every year and supporting the livelihoods of fishermen from York to Lubec,” Senator... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $1,316,619 in grant funding for the York County Community Action Corporation. “Healthcare services are a critical building block for any community,” Senator King said. “For almost fifty years, York County Community Action has delivered support services – including healthcare,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Senate Republicans unveiled a budget containing deep spending cuts, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, challenged his colleagues to pursue a compromise budget that appropriately balances spending reductions with revenue increases and works to curb rising healthcare costs. “We can’t get out of the hole with one answer. There is no silver bullet. Cuts, by themselves, are not the way we’re going to get... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee hearing this morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed the Navy’s top acquisition officer to fulfil the terms of a 2002 memorandum of understanding among the Navy, Bath Iron Works, and Huntington Ingalls Shipyard (formerly Northrop Grumman Ship Systems), which states that an additional award of an LPD-17 class ship would trigger the award of a DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer or equivalent workload to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) has filed a motion to stay the order which led to the suspended processing of H-2B visas. The visa application process was put on hold following a judgment from a U.S. District court in Florida against USDOL earlier this month. “We are encouraged that the Department of Labor understands that this is truly an emergency situation,” said Senators Collins and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Angus King announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a $234,157 grant to Maine Medical Center to support innovative bone cell research at the center’s Research Institute that could have significant implications for the treatment of osteoporosis, the most common form of bone disease. “Maine is one of the oldest states in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today congratulated Nancie Atwell, founder of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, for winning the first ever Global Teacher Prize, a $1 Million award described as the “Nobel Prize for teaching.” “We are thrilled for Nancie and for everyone at the Center for Teaching and Learning,” said Senators Collins and King. “Nancie has dedicated her life to enriching the lives of others, and this... Continue Reading »
PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced the start of a special Affordable Care Act enrollment period for individuals and families who did not have health coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they file their 2014 taxes in states which use the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the creation of this special enrollment period on February... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Leon Rodriguez and U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Assistant Secretary Portia Wu to resume the processing of H-2B visas. Earlier this month, H-2B visa application processing was suspended in response to a judgment from a U.S. District court in Florida against USDOL. H-2B visas, which certify immigrants to work temporarily in the United... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today welcomed the announcement that President Obama has signed a major disaster declaration for Androscoggin, Cumberland, and York Counties following severe winter storms and flooding. This action triggers the release of federal funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will help affected communities recover by assisting emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities. “The release of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today hailed the Committee’s passage of the Cyber Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA). The Committee approved the legislation by a strong bipartisan vote of 14 to 1. “From Anthem, Sony, and Target to CENTCOM and the Department of State, over the past couple of years we have witnessed a bow-wave of cyber-attacks targeting U.S businesses, government agencies, and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today spoke on the Senate floor about a local project in Maine that provides Maine veterans with personalized wooden canes that have bald eagle heads carved into the handle. George and Donna Gunning, together with Burt Truman, have made 2,474 eagle canes – and counting – free of charge for any Maine veteran who asks for one. “The bald eagle is a national symbol of freedom and independence, but with these canes, it has... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an event last month at Mt. Abram Ski Resort in Greenwood to highlight the economic and environmental benefits of biomass, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today fulfilled his pledge to reintroduce the Biomass Thermal Utilization Act of 2015, legislation that incentivizes the development of biomass as an affordable, clean, and home-grown source of energy. ... Continue Reading »
