WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, today welcomed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of his legislation to create more affordable year-round and seasonal workforce housing on Mount Desert Island (MDI). As housing shortages on the island threaten economic growth, the legislation would transfer part of an undeveloped parcel of land in the Village of Town Hill from Acadia National... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is cosponsoring legislation to defend Americans’ access to medication abortions where legal after the Supreme Court eliminated nearly a half century of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade. The Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act would codify current FDA guidelines so that women in states where the right to an abortion is still protected can access the medications through telehealth and certified pharmacies,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree announced today that Maine will be receiving $62.2 million from the American Rescue Plan to grow and support small businesses. The new State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds will create four different programs, including two venture capital programs that will boost Maine startups with fewer than 10 employees to generate opportunities for minority-owned and rural small businesses. The funds will also... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today applauded the FCC’s proposal to redefine broadband connections as 100 megabits (Mbps) per second download or faster, enabling American families to access connections that meet the needs of modern internet users. The Senators had previously called on the FCC and the Biden administration to make this change, replacing the current outdated 25 megabits per second... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is joining 22 of his Senate colleagues in introducing legislation to simplify the tax filing process for millions of Americans, saving them significant time and money. The Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2022 would direct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to develop free, easy to use, online tax filing software, and eliminate unnecessary red tape for all taxpayers. The legislation would also help ensure that more eligible people receive tax... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Bowdoin College and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) have received a total of $2,251,730 to improve instructional materials of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for pre-k and kindergarten students and teachers. This funding was awarded through the National Science Foundation (NSF). “Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are critical skills in the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, today announced the approval of a $110 million investment in Maine broadband infrastructure from the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund, which Senator King helped author. The historic funding will go to Maine Infrastructure Ready, a competitive broadband grant program administered by the Maine Connectivity Authority, which is expected to bring high-speed, reliable internet... Continue Reading »
Portland, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills and U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden issued the following statement today in response to the First Circuit Court of Appeals decision reinstating a ban on lobster fishing gear in nearly 1,000 square miles in the Gulf of Maine: “Once again, Maine’s lobstermen have been unfairly targeted by a misguided court decision. Today’s ruling fails to acknowledge the substantial steps that Maine’s... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to help ensure America’s first responders receive full retirement benefits if they are injured on the job. The First Responders Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned (RETIRE) Act will help federal firefighters, law enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection officials, and other federal employees with potentially dangerous jobs receive their full retirement benefits if... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released the following statement applauding the Senate’s bipartisan vote to confirm Steve Dettelbach as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). King previously backed Dettelbach’s confirmation in May.“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a vital law enforcement agency that keeps Americans safe from some of our nation’s most dangerous threats. Today, the Senate confirmed... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Jared Golden today announced that Houlton Water Company is receiving $1,082,000 in federal funding to replace the Foxcroft Road and Clover Circle wastewater lift stations which serve the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. This funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development program will help replace the 30-year old lift stations that are struggling to handle their daily loads and... Continue Reading »
BANGOR, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today delivered welcoming remarks at the start of Governor Janet Mills’ 4th Annual Opioid Response Summit highlighting the importance of Maine communities coming together to combat the opioid epidemic, and how state, local, and federal partnerships can help address the devastating crisis that is taking the lives of nearly two Maine people a day. During his remarks, King also stressed the critical role that gathering to share ideas and information... Continue Reading »
Watch the episode HEREBRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today released a special Fourth of July edition of “Answering the Call: Maine’s Veteran Voices,” the regular series conducted in partnership with the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, in which he shares the stories of the lives, service, and sacrifices of Maine’s veteran community. In this interview, Senator King spoke with Topsham-resident Bill Littlefield, who spent 38 years... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today released the following statement after the Supreme Court rolled back the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate harmful emissions and combat climate change:“Climate change is a looming threat to humanity, and scientists of all backgrounds overwhelmingly agree we need every tool at our disposal to turn back an impending disaster. But today, the activist... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden today celebrated a $1.467 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help coastal communities like Maine’s prepare for the impacts of climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Ready Coasts initiative will support the future of coastal communities by making substantial investments in infrastructure that increase resilience... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide timely, public disclosures on if telecommunications companies are enabling illegal robocalls. In a letter from Senator King and 11 of his colleagues to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the lawmakers highlight how regular disclosures on robocalls would increase transparency and public accountability, while enabling telecom providers, public advocates, law enforcement and... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court issued an opinion overturning Roe v. Wade:“Today’s decision to overturn nearly half a century of precedent upon precedent is a dangerous, blatantly political ruling that will rob millions of women the fundamental right to make decisions about their own health, safety, and lives. The right to a safe, legal abortion has been reaffirmed by the Court time and time again – but this... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today celebrated the Senate’s 65 to 33 vote to pass the Safer Communities Act, bipartisan gun safety legislation that will address the gun violence epidemic while protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. The legislation includes funding for red flag laws, enhanced background checks for buyers under 21, increased mental health resources, and more life-saving provisions. King is a cosponsor of the legislation, and was one... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Senate unanimously passed the Keep Kids Fed Act. The legislation, which is based on a bill they co-sponsored earlier this year, will extend critical flexibilities for schools and meal programs to provide children healthy meals this summer and to help schools and daycares respond to supply chain challenges and high food costs for the coming school year. “The COVID-19 pandemic has... Continue Reading »
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Midcoast Maine Community Action has received a total of $1,566,111 for its Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Head Start.“Head Start and Early Head Start programs across Maine provide invaluable resources to young children and their families, helping them to cultivate... Continue Reading »
