WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today cast his vote for appropriations bills that will fund the government through September 30, 2020. The appropriations package funds a number of King-backed policy priorities for Maine, and includes language from numerous King-backed bills.

“This appropriations package supports much needed national priorities: it works to cut prescription drug costs, support Gold Star families, boost rural health, and much, much more. It makes one wonder: why aren’t we doing more legislating like this?” said Senator King. “The answer, of course, is that the Majority Leader is blocking nearly all legislation from the floor. This obstruction is holding Congress back from enacting bipartisan, commonsense policies that will make life better for the American people – let’s stop playing political games, and recommit ourselves to the work we were sent here to accomplish: coming together around shared goals and doing the work of the American people.”

King-backed provisions included in today’s bills include:

Health, Wellness, and Public Safety

• Lowering Drug Prices. Senator King is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Creating and Restoring Equal Access To Equivalent Samples Act, which is included in the appropriations package. The legislation closes anti-competitive loopholes used by brand-name pharmaceutical companies to block lower-cost generic drugs from entering the marketplace.
• Fighting Opioid Abuse. The legislation provides $3.8 billion to fight opioid abuse, focused on improving treatment and prevention efforts. Senator King has made combating the opioid crisis one of his top priorities in Washington, and several of his provisions were included in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act which passed in October 2018.
• Researching Gun Violence. The legislation includes $25 million for gun violence research at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senator King is a cosponsor of the Gun Violence Prevention Act, which would authorize up to $50 million in funding for gun violence prevention research at the CDC. This is the first federal funding for gun violence research in 20 years.
• Supporting Rural Health. The package provides $318.3 million for rural health program, including $29 million for telehealth. Senator King is a co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Honorary Congressional Task Force on Rural Health, and is a cosponsor of the CONNECT Act to expand telehealth services through Medicare.

Boosts for the Maine Economy

• Extending Paid Family Leave Tax Credit. The legislation extends a tax credit for employers who voluntarily offer up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. The credit, based on Senator King’s Strong Families Act, is the first nationwide paid family leave program. Initially included in the 2017 tax bill as a two-year tax credit, this package extends the provision for an additional year. This is the second King-backed win for paid family leave in less than two weeks; last week, the Senate passed paid parental leave for federal employees in the National Defense Authorization Act after Senator King’s advocacy.
• Bolstering Workforce Development: The spending bills provide $2.82 billion for Workforce Investment Opportunity Act Training Grants to support a range of locally-led efforts to bolster workforce readiness and in-demand skills.
• Promoting Tourism: Senator King is a cosponsor of the BrandUSA Extension Act, which is included in the package. The legislation will provide an additional seven years of funding to BrandUSA, a public-private partnership that works to draw international visitors to the United States.

Additional Priorities

• Reversing Tax Increase for Gold Star Families. The appropriations package includes the Gold Star Families Tax Relief Act, legislation cosponsored by Senator King that reverses a provision included in the 2017 tax act that imposed massive taxes on the families of U.S. servicemembers who died while on active duty.
• Funding Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Research & Development. The legislation provides a record $2.84 billion in funding for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program.  King, a member of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus, has backed a bill to increase energy efficiency capabilities across the nation by 2035. The bill provides $7 billion to Office of Science for programs that conduct research on new and clean energy technologies. King has long advocated for the need on new scientific research into energy technology development.
• Preserving Nonprofit Status of Rural Electrical Co-Ops. The spending bills include the King-cosponsored RURAL Act, which would preserve the nonprofit status of rural electric co-ops that accept disaster aid or support for rural broadband initiatives. The RURAL Act corrects a provision in the 2017 tax bill that threatened the nonprofit status – and, accordingly, the viability – of rural electric co-ops.