WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King is co-sponsoring legislation to boost the availability of mental health providers in public schools across Maine and the nation. The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act would establish a five-year renewable grant program to help elementary and secondary schools hire additional school-based mental health providers such as counselors, psychologists and social workers. According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 15% of... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a joint hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and Senate Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senator Angus King pressed Fred Sganga, the Legislative Director of the National Association of State Veterans Home, about the potential harmful impacts that proposed staffing mandates could have on nursing homes, especially those homes caring for veterans. The hearing comes just days after Senator King was joined by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in requesting the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 50 years after the Supreme Court’s Griswold v. Connecticut decision protecting access to contraception, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has joined legislation to codify this right in federal law. The Right to Contraception Act would guarantee the right for people to obtain and use contraceptives and for health care providers to prescribe contraceptives and make available information related to contraception, free from government interference. Contraception includes... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) — members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) — are requesting the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) produce a report on the impact of the recently finalized Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule on staffing levels. This rule will require increased minimum staffing levels at long term care (LTC) facilities that receive funding from CMS, including facilities that serve veterans. In a letter... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Angus King announced that Aroostook County native, Sharon Campbell, has been promoted to State Director. Campbell, who began her Senate career working for then U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), recently celebrated her 25th anniversary serving the people of Maine. “I could not be more pleased to promote Sharon Campbell to State Director, a well-deserved honor that truly recognizes her selfless commitment to Aroostook County and the entirety of Maine,” said... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the United States Border Patrol (USBP). Last week, they cosponsored a bipartisan Senate resolution with their colleagues to recognize today, May 28, 2024, as the 100th anniversary of USBP. “The United States is nation of immigrants and also a nation of laws,” said Senators Collins and King. “The U.S. Border Patrol is responsible for protecting the American way of life, stopping... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On this Memorial Day, U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs (SVAC) and Armed Services Committees (SASC), released his latest episode of “Answering the Call: Maine’s Veteran Voices.” In the 14th interview of the series, produced in partnership with the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, Senator King spoke with Leslie Brown of Presque Isle. Brown was a U.S. Army jet engine mechanic who served for nearly three decades and faced two... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today released the May episode of his “Inside Maine” podcast, in which he discussed the importance of paid family and medical leave. During the podcast, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) joined Senator King to discuss how they are working together to extend existing federal paid family and medical leave policies. Later in the podcast, Drew Wyman, Executive Director of the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, joined Senator... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), the Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), is introducing bipartisan legislation to impose criminal penalties on individuals who create and share non-consensual, intimate deepfake images online—often referred to as deepfake porn. The Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act would not only establish a new criminal offense for distributing these images, but it would also allow victims to file a lawsuit against someone who... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is leading a group of his colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to consider briefly pausing student loan payments for borrowers in Maine who are nearing their final payment. Their letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona comes as the Department announced in April that it would be transferring the sole administration of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program from the Missouri Higher Education Loan... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Chairman Angus King made clear to Admiral William Houston, the Deputy Administrator for Office of Naval Nuclear Reactors for the National Nuclear Security Administration, his support for utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) printing within the Department of Defense in order to be more cost-efficient and flexible with maintenance. During the exchange, King highlighted the Advanced Structures and Composite Center at the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—After a successful pilot program used during the 2023 tax filing season was reported to have saved Americans in 12 states $5.6 million in fees, U.S. Senator Angus King is encouraging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to offer its new free filing services to more taxpayers. In a bicameral letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, King and his colleagues are encouraging the IRS, in consultation with the Department of Treasury, to expand the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— In a hearing of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee focused on America’s space defense systems, Chairman Senator Angus King asked Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, Frank Cavelli, and General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, about the importance of both collaborating with allies and prioritizing deterrence as a cornerstone of America’s national defense. The hearing comes as the Space Force submitted its Defense budget... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that a total of $33 million in federal brownfields funding has been awarded for the assessment and cleanup for 13 sites in Maine. The federal grants, awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will assist local communities as they work to redevelop these contaminated sites to improve and promote future economic development. A brownfield site is a property that contains a hazardous substance, pollutant,... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has joined bipartisan legislation to protect Americans from sexually-explicit “deepfake” forgeries of their image or likeness. The bipartisan Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act of 2024 (DEFIANCE Act) would allow victims to sue perpetrators for up to $150,000. This focuses on fake visual depictions created through the use of software, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), or any other computer-generated or... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a recent report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), all members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), are pressing the VA to improve oversight of its Community Care Network contracts to ensure veterans have timely access to providers in the community. In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the Senators urge the VA to take immediate steps to remedy the... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King joined 74 of their Senate colleagues in cosponsoring a resolution—which has been recognized by the Senate each year since 2013 and honors officers fallen in the line of duty— designating the week of May 12-18, 2024, as “National Police Week.” “National Police Week is a time to thank members of law enforcement and reflect upon the sacrifices they make every day to keep our communities safe,” said Senators Collins and King. “During this... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Chairman of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, have joined a bipartisan resolution to empower young people and their families to get outdoors and promote healthy outdoor recreation. The “Kids to Park Day” resolution designates this Saturday, May 18th as National Kids to Parks Day. The resolution passed the Senate this week unanimously. Starting in 2011 with the National Park Trust, the fourteenth annual Kids to Parks Day kicks... Continue Reading »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, to collectively award a group of Vietnam War veterans known as “Dustoff” crews with the Congressional Gold Medal. The legislation honoring the helicopter-borne medical evacuation teams now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. If this bill becomes law, two Maine residents would be recipients of this Congressional Gold Medal. “Dustoff... Continue Reading »
To watch or download the exchange, click here for part 1 and here for part 2 WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Angus King today questioned the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, the Secretary of the Navy, on the current status of the partnership between Maine employers, like Bath Iron Works (BIW), and the Navy – receiving assurances from the Secretary that stability for the BIW workforce would be maintained. Later in the hearing also asked the Secretary about what the Navy needs to protect America’s... Continue Reading »
