More than a thousand Mainers who have been laid off from 21 companies from South Portland to Baileyville to Ashland because of unfair trade practices are poised to receive expanded benefits under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“This has been a critical program for Maine to retrain workers who have lost their jobs,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “We increased the funding for the program in the Recovery Act and improved it during the negotiations on the package.”
The federal stimulus package approved by Congress includes a major increase in the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, federal law enforcement funding that has been sharply cut in recent years.
The state's Justice Assistance Council is scheduled to meet Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the Department of Public Safety in Augusta to take public testimony on how Maine's $9.6 million share should be spent.
The state is likely to propose spending the funds on computer upgrades that would allow different sectors of the criminal justice system to communicate and access one another's databases, said Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan.
If courts, prisons, prosecutors and police communicate better, then offenders will get more appropriate bail conditions and probation requirements. A prosecutor would know if a person charged with domestic violence had previously failed to complete a batterer's intervention program, Jordan said, or a police officer would know if a drug suspect is already out on bail in another county.
SEN. COLLINS ANNOUNCES NEARLY $70M IN WEATHERIZATION FUNDING
Weatherization reduces home heating bills by an average of 32%
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the State of Maine will be receiving a total of $69,240,015 in federal funding for weatherization and energy efficiency. The funding is being distributed to Maine through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Senator Collins worked with a bipartisan group of senators to craft the legislation that became law last month.
Of the total, $41,935,015 will be for weatherization while $27,305,000 will be designated for the State Energy Program.
“One of the most effective and immediate ways we can help people stretch their energy dollars is through weatherization,” said Senator Collins. “It is estimated that low-income Mainers spend at least 14 percent of their income heating their homes. Experts estimate that every dollar spent insulating walls and attics, sealing drafty doors and windows, and repairing and replacing outdated or faulty heating equipment generates about $2.72 in savings over the life of a home. During this time of economic crisis, it is good to see that this weatherization funding will help create savings for the citizens who need it the most.”
According to the Department of Energy, on average, weatherization reduces home heating bills by an average of $358 per year.
NEW SHARON - Thanks to the federal stimulus package, a construction road project on Route 27 will begin immediately.
The state’s Department of Transportation has listed among its projects to be completed since the federal infusion of funding earmarked for infrastructure upgrades was announced, the resurfacing of a 2.65 mile stretch of Route 27 from the York Hill Road intersection to the intersection of Route 2 & 27.
State Rep. Paul Gilbert, D-Jay, announced today that of the federal recovery package funds sent to Maine, a portion of MDOT’s share would go to the local project.
Maine's congressional delegation says two health centers in Maine will be receiving more than $2.5 million in stimulus funds. In a release today in conjunction with President Obama, Maine Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, and Representatives Mike Michaud and Chelie Pingree announced that $2,590,713 will be provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the health centers, which include the City of Portland's health center in Portland and the Penboscot Community Health Center in Bangor.
Once again, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has put our nation's best interests before partisan politics and provided leadership during a time of crisis.
While most in Washington continue to fiddle while the U.S. economy burns, Collins, a Republican, worked with her Democratic colleagues on a compromise stimulus package that passed on a 61-37 vote on Tuesday.
"This bill is not perfect," Collins said Monday. "We're not claiming that. But, in fact, I think this bill will help to create 3.5 million jobs. ... We're facing a crisis, and it makes no sense to have a partisan divide."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other Republicans in an early morning meeting told CNN Radio that they've handed over a list of potential cuts to Democratic leaders and are waiting for a response.
"The ball's really in their court," Collins said. A few hours later, Collins walked out of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office smiling and told reporters, "We're close."
Lawmakers, the saying goes, are either workhorses or show horses. As they debated the economic stimulus package yesterday, senators took this truism a step further: The workhorses and the show horses split into rival herds and began whinnying at each other.
The workhorses -- an ad hoc group of 18 moderates and dealmakers from both parties -- holed up in a committee room on the third floor of the Dirksen Building, tossed out their staff and got to work on a compromise plan that could get bipartisan support.
The workhorses, taking a lunch break so some of them could confer with the White House about the compromise, were pleased with their labors.
The show horses -- including the leadership of both parties -- gave speeches on the Senate floor and news conferences either to trade blame for partisan deadlock or to denounce the Group of 18's dealmaking efforts.
"It is unusual to think of senators actually doing that kind of painstaking, thorough work," said Susan Collins (Maine), leader of the Republican workhorses.
Senate Democratic leaders hope to finish work on an economic stimulus bill Thursday as moderates from both parties push for spending cuts in the package, arguing that they are the best way to secure a bipartisan vote.
Ben Nelson , D-Neb., and Susan Collins , R-Maine, are leading the moderates’ effort, even as the Senate added billions more in spending provisions and tax cuts Wednesday evening, including a major expansion of a tax credit for homebuyers.
Both lawmakers met individually with President Obama earlier in the day, as he again urged quick passage of the legislation, warning that any delay could have dire consequences for the economy.
Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), whose support is critical for the fate of the economic stimulus package, told President Obama Wednesday that billions of dollars of programs would need to be slashed from the bill in order to win bipartisan backing.
Emerging from a White House meeting, the two senators said they believed Obama was open to making changes to the bill, which has become the new president’s first big test in Congress. The senators – both moderates whose votes would help the Senate hit the critical 60 vote threshold on the stimulus -- met separately with the president on Wednesday afternoon....
Collins said she raised concerns over provisions that would do little to stimulate the economy, citing spending to upgrade facilities and information technology at the State Department, addressing pandemic flu spending and boosting cybersecurity. She called on such measures to go through the regular appropriations process, and she said the president acknowledged that some provisions added by lawmakers “do not really belong in the bill.”
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