WASHINGTON — Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation today to level the playing field for the logging trade with other agricultural fields, ready young Mainers for good jobs in the forest products industry, and support Maine’s family logging businesses. The Future Loggers Careers Act allows 16- and 17-year-olds to learn the logging trade under parental supervision so that they may carry on and contribute to the family... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Under Secretary of Defense David Norquist to identify which authorized military construction projects are subject to being cancelled or reduced in order to reallocate $3.6 billion to construction of the President’s border wall. After questioning from Senator King and his colleagues throughout the hearing, the Acting Defense Secretary agreed to provide a full list of projects at risk... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today cosponsored the Defending Against Imitations and Replacements in Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday (DAIRY PRIDE) Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), would protect the integrity of dairy products and require that non-dairy products not be labeled with dairy terms like milk, yogurt and cheese. Senator King co-sponsored the DAIRY PRIDE... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced the Housing for Homeless Students Act, bipartisan legislation that would update current law to ensure students who have experienced homelessness or are currently homeless can access affordable housing while pursuing their education. Under current law, people pursuing full-time education are not eligible for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and can lose access... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to introduce the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. The PHIT Act would encourage more physical activity in the United States and incentivize healthier living by allowing Americans to use a portion of the money saved in their pre-tax health savings account (HSA) and/or flexible spending account (FSA) toward qualified sports and fitness purchases, like gym memberships, fitness equipment, and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON D.C. – The President today signed a public lands package into law that includes language authored by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to address issues raised by communities near Acadia National Park (ANP). Specifically, the law clarifies about boundary issues affecting ANP and the surrounding communities, protects the use of intertidal zones by harvesters of... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – Today, the President signed into law a permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) as part of a public lands legislative package. The legislation previously passed the Senate and the House by overwhelming bipartisan majorities.U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) have long championed LWCF. In January, they joined a bipartisan group in reintroducing legislation to permanently reauthorize the program. “I have long... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and U.S. Representatives Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Jason Smith (R-Mo.) today reintroduced the Promoting Affordable Childcare for Everyone (PACE) Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would update federal childcare tax credits to help American families better access affordable, high-quality care for their children. The legislation would make several changes to the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that they have joined 23 of their Senate colleagues to reintroduce a bipartisan resolution opposing privatization of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The resolution notes that the USPS is a self-sustaining establishment and that potential privatization would result in higher prices and reduced services for USPS customers, especially in rural communities.“The United States Postal Service is... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Angus King (I-ME) announced that Catholic Charities of Maine (CCM) has been awarded $100,000 through the Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS) Senior Corps RSVP program. This funding will support 165 Senior Corps volunteers in Kennebec and Somerset Counties.“In Maine, hundreds of seniors make significant contributions through our state’s Senior Corps programs, including... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined a bipartisan group of 38 Senators to send a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging that back pay for federal contract workers impacted by the government shutdown be included within the upcoming disaster relief package. While federal workers harmed by the government shutdown have since been compensated for their lost wages, federal contract employees – including janitorial, food,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) announced the hiring of three new staff members. Alex Porter, who had previously served as a Legislative Aide for Senator King, rejoins his staff as Tax Counsel and Legislative Assistant; Megan DesCamps, an experienced healthcare policy advisor, joins Senator King’s staff as Senior Policy Advisor focusing on healthcare policy; and Jeffrey Burke, a recent graduate of the University of Maine, joins Senator King’s office as Staff Assistant... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today introduced the Senior and Disability Home Modification Assistance Initiative Act with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and a group of their colleagues. The legislation would make it easier for older Americans and individuals with disabilities to access federal home modification programs and remain in their homes. By helping these populations navigate and utilize these federal programs to... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) pressed top military officials to provide thorough oversight to ensure American servicemembners and their families have access to safe military housing. Speaking to U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, U.S Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper, and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Heather A. Wilson, Senator King pushed for greater accountability in the military to address the significant housing... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus King today joined his colleagues to introduce the Save the Internet Act, bicameral legislation that will ensure the internet remains open and free from discriminatory practices. The bill would reverse the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s repeal of critical net neutrality protections in 2017, and fully restore the 2015 Open Internet Order. Senator King heralded the legislation’s introduction in a social media video, which can be viewed HERE.“There is... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned witnesses before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) today on ways to respond to climate change challenges through the electricity sector. During his comments, Senator King pointed to the important progress that has been made through energy efficiency efforts, raised the importance of diversifying energy sources, and emphasized the possibilities that could be unlocked through improvements in storage... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, DC – During a hearing in the Senate Armed Services, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today pressed General Stephen Lyons, Commander of United States Transportation Command, about the cybersecurity of the military’s private sector partners for shipping, transportation, and logistics, and ways for the military to drive improvements by those partners. Specifically, Senator King raised the concept of ‘red teams’, in which hacking experts attempt to penetrate the systems of a business or... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) $789,659 in grant funding to examine the impact of a warming climate on growth and population patterns in cod and lobster. The study will also document marine habitat shifts across the northwest Atlantic caused by rising temperatures.“The health of Maine’s coastal ecosystems are central to the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) have joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues to introduce legislation that would secure health care benefits for “Atomic Veterans” – military personnel exposed to harmful radiation when cleaning nuclear testing sites during the late 1970s.The Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act would extend key VA benefits to veterans who helped clean up the Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands,... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King led a group of 11 bipartisan Senators in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, urging her to increase the number of H-2B visas to provide relief to small businesses struggling to fill seasonal job openings in the current tight labor market. The letter calls on Secretary Nielsen to increase the existing 66,000 H-2B visa cap to 135,320, the number available in fiscal year 2007, which is... Continue Reading »
