Government Shutdown
Recent votes in Congress have resulted in a temporary shutdown of the federal government. At this time, my office is suspending all activities that are not authorized by law. Pursuant to the Constitution and the Anti-Deficiency Act, during a lapse in appropriations, Senators are permitted to perform duties that fulfill constitutionally authorized responsibilities. These responsibilities include legislating and conducting Senate committee hearings.
What this means:
1. Our offices are not fully staffed and our phones will not be answered; however, we will be reviewing messages received during the shutdown and will respond as we are able.
2. Emails sent to individual staff members will be responded to at the conclusion of the shutdown.
3. Letters and emails addressed to my office will be responded to at the conclusion of the shutdown.
4. With the closing of all federal offices, our constituent services team will not be able to work on any cases for you during this time, but will continue with your case after the shutdown.
I promise to work closely with my Senate colleagues to resolve these funding issues as expeditiously as possible.
Healthcare Update
I know many people across Maine have questions about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will impact them, and I want to take a moment to lay out some of the opportunities the ACA will create. The biggest opportunity is that more than 144,000 uninsured Mainers will now have access to coverage through the health insurance marketplace which opened October 1st. For more information about the ACA please explore the following resources:
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Healthcare.gov is the federal government's primary source of information about the ACA.
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The Health Insurance Marketplace is a new way to find quality private health coverage that best meets your individual needs. You can talk to a federal healthcare expert at the Marketplace Call Center by calling 800-318-2596.
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To connect with a certified navigator and learn about new health insurance options through the Maine Insurance Marketplace contact enroll 207.
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2-1-1 Maine is a comprehensive statewide directory of over 8,000 health and human services available in Maine. To reach a trained specialist call 2-1-1 toll free.
While no law is perfect, the basic purpose of the ACA is to help people find and pay for private health insurance. Other ACA provisions that are already helping Maine families include allowing 9,000 young adults in Maine to be covered through their parents' plan; saving Maine seniors on Medicare have saved $21 million on prescription drugs and assuring that Mainers with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance.
If you have additional questions please contact my office toll free at 800-432-1599 or visit my website.
You can also watch my recent floor speech where I talked about the benefits of the ACA by clicking the image below.
Policy Update
I recently introduced legislation that would authorize a multi-year study of the York River to determine whether it is eligible to be designated as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River by the National Parks Service. The river is an important resource for local communities and serves as an economic anchor for our commercial fisherman, hunters and recreational boaters. A special designation would allow Maine to access federal funding and other resources to better preserve its economic and environmental value.
Snap Shots from Maine
In mid-September I joined students and faculty at York Middle School to "plug-in" more than 40 solar panels that will power all of the school's elctronic devices. The installation was spearheaded by York Goes Green, a local group committed to improved environmental stewarship.
Read more about the project here.
(Photo by Rich Beauchesne, courtesy of the Seacoast Online).
This past month I was also honored to attend the opening of Northland Enterprise's Sanford Mill redevelopment project. The transformation of this former textile mill into a thriving center for commerce and residential space illustrates what can be achieved when local, state, and federal officials work collaboratively with private entities on behalf of our communities.
In the News
Our Opinion: King Speech Tells What's Right in Obamacare.
King's climate change speech in Congress ponders disaster for Maine lobster industry.
Syria calls US-Russia chemical weapons agreement a victory.
This past week I sat down for my first joint interview with my friend and colleague Senator Susan Collins. We joined Fox ABC Maine to speak out against a shutdown of the federal government.
Please visit https://www.king.senate.gov. for more updates.
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