WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins today introduced a resolution that would designate September 25, 2016, as “National Lobster Day.” Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also sponsored the resolution, which recognizes the historic and economic importance of lobster in the United... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (CCWI) and Educate Maine have been awarded a $4 million TechHire partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funding will be used to help TechHire Maine expand and enhance education and job training for those seeking to work in Maine’s information technology (IT) industry. Senators Collins and King wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today led a bipartisan group of eleven Senators in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz expressing concern about a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) policy that excludes some sustainably harvested forest products from federal use without scientific basis. In their letter, the Senators emphasize that DOE’s current position of accepting only lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and not from... Continue Reading »
BRUNSWICK, ME – This weekend, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the June edition of his podcast focusing on positive trends in Maine agriculture. In the podcast, he interviews Leigh Hallett of the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets and Jessie Dowling of Fuzzy Udder Creamery about Maine’s thriving local food movement and the growth in farmers’ markets and small cheese producers across the state. The “Inside Maine Podcast with Senator Angus... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the U.S. Department of Education is awarding $1,663,407 in school improvement grant funding to the State of Maine. This funding will allow the state to award competitive subgrants to school districts that demonstrate the greatest need for funds and the strongest commitment to raising student achievement in low-performing schools. “Teachers and administrators in Maine’s school districts work hard... Continue Reading »
WASHINTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today welcomed an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that it will fund an estimated 85 percent of the sea days needed for the At-Sea Monitoring (ASM) Program for the current fishing year. Beginning July 1, groundfish fishermen covered by the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan will be reimbursed for their at-sea monitoring costs through an arrangement with the Atlantic... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that he has joined the Senate Cystic Fibrosis Caucus after meeting with family members of 17-year-old Kate Marshall, a rising senior at York High School who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was 8 months old. “Kate Marshall is one of hundreds of people in Maine who confront the challenges of Cystic Fibrosis on a daily basis,” said Senator King. “And while listening to her brother and father... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today after the majority of the U.S. Senate (52-46) voted in support of a bipartisan proposal offered by him and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) that would keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists: “The vote today was an encouraging step, but it can’t be the end – we need to pass this bill,” Senator King said.... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In remarks delivered on the Senate floor this morning, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) called on his colleagues in both the Senate and House to move forward with the compromise bill he introduced earlier this week with Senator Susan Collins that would help prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons. Senator King expressed his disappointment with the difficulty in advancing such common-sense legislation and said that people across Maine, regardless of political... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With more than 45 million Americans living in poverty, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would modernize the federal government’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program to help lift more low-income families out of poverty and put them back onto the path to economic self-sufficiency. The EMPOWER (Enhancing and Modernizing... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin said today that a scientific committee of the European Union is considering arguments presented by U.S. and Canadian researchers in response to a Swedish request to ban the import of American lobsters into the EU. The researchers, who prepared their report at the request of the Maine Congressional delegation, found that there was no valid scientific evidence that... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today joined U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for a press conference to unveil a bipartisan proposal to help keep guns from terrorists and make America safer. Click HERE for a summary of the bipartisan proposal. ### Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement this evening after the Senate failed to advance legislation that would have helped prevent known or suspected terrorists from obtaining weapons: “There are some things that are just common-sense – and trying to prevent terrorists from buying weapons is one of them,” Senator King said. “I am hopeful that we can keep working on this issue to find a solution that will protect the... Continue Reading »
BATH, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered remarks today at the christening of USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) at Bath Iron Works. The USS Michael Monsoor is named in honor of Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on March 31, 2008, for his selfless and valiant actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. On September 29, 2006, during combat in Ar Ramadi, Monsoor dove onto an... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter to a top environmental official at the European Union (EU), members of the New England Congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree, spoke out against a proposal by Sweden to ban the import of live Maine lobsters into the EU. Earlier this year, members of the Maine Congressional delegation asked U.S. officials to respond to the proposed ban. The request resulted in a joint paper by top... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Hampden Fire Department, Holden Fire and Rescue, and Presque Isle Fire and Rescue will receive a total of $93,331 in grant funding through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The Hampden Fire Department will receive for $16,378 for a turnout gear washer and dryer, Holden Fire and Rescue will receive $52,381 for an air refill system and compressor, and Presque Isle Fire and Rescue... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today applauded a decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the neutrality of the internet. The decision is in line with an Amicus Brief filed by Senator King last year that urged the Court to uphold an FCC order that prevents Internet Service Providers from blocking, throttling, or prioritizing lawful online content based on the ability of content providers or end-users to pay. “Today's decision is a historic victory... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A provision authored by U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) that would require the Department of Defense to consider athletic footwear subject to the Berry Amendment and provide initial-entry service members with American-made athletic shoes upon arrival at basic training has passed the U.S. Senate today as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator King secured the provision in the NDAA during the Senate Armed Service... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement today on the passing of Timothy B. Hussey, President and CEO of Hussey Seating: “Maine has lost an extraordinary business and community leader and a wonderful friend,” Senator King said. “Tim was a strong, steady, and visionary leader who loved and valued his employees and who gave selflessly and generously to his... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee, and Angus King announced today that the Maine State Housing Authority will be awarded $3,000,000 in Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant program funding and $400,000 in Healthy Homes Supplemental funding. The Authority will address lead hazards in 230 housing units providing safer homes for low- and very low-income families with... Continue Reading »
