Check out the photos at the very bottom of Senator Collins message!! Great
pic of Our Policy Team spreading the TRIOworks message!
Thanks again Pat Marshall, Leanne Barschdorf-Nichols and Nikita Gagain for
your presence at Policy Seminar!!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Senator Susan Collins* <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, April 8, 2016
Subject: {Disarmed} Senator Collins Meets with Supreme Court Nominee;
Chairs Hearing on Fight to End Alzheimer's; Joins Patriots Linebacker in
the Fight Against Diabetes in Washington and More
To: [log in to unmask]
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Item 2 <#m_-2726738796986070956_>
*April 8, 2016*
*Senator Collins Meets with Supreme Court Nominee Judge Merrick Garland*
U.S. Senator Susan Collins met privately earlier this week with Chief Judge
Merrick Garland, the
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nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States, for more than an hour in
her Washington office.
Following their meeting, Senator Collins released this statement:
Considering a Supreme Court nominee is one of the Senates most important
constitutional responsibilities.
During our
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discussion this morning, Chief Judge Garland and I discussed a wide variety
of issues, ranging from executive overreach and the separation of powers,
to Second Amendment cases, to his judicial philosophy. Judge Garland gave
thorough, impressive responses to all of my questions, and I found him to
be well informed, thoughtful, and extraordinarily bright.
Throughout my time in the Senate, I have always found that whether its
legislation, nominations, or treaties, we are best served by following the
regular order. That is why I have called for the Senate to proceed to the
next step by holding public hearings.
My meeting today with Judge Garland left me more convinced than ever that
the process should proceed. Public hearings before the Judiciary Committee
would allow the issues that we explored in my office today to be further
reviewed and analyzed by the Senate.
*Senator Collins Warns Seniors About Pernicious IRS Impersonation Scam*
Senator Collins, who chairs the Senate Aging Committee, is warning of a
recurring IRS impersonation phone scam, the number one fraud reported to
the Aging Committees Fraud Hotline (1-855-303-9470). This scam is
particularly prevalent during tax season. In the past two days alone, the
Hotline has received approximately 150 calls from Mainers reporting this
scam.
Through this scam, of which there are multiple variations, con artists
pretend to be from the IRS, demand immediate payment of back taxes, and
threaten retaliation, such as home foreclosure and even arrest, if payment
of back taxes is not made.
*IRS scams target Franklin County, court scammers hit Maine
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From the *Lewiston Sun Journal *| Staff Report
Franklin County is being hit hard by scammers claiming to be from the IRS,
the Franklin County Sheriff's Office warned Wednesday.
Residents have been inundated with phone calls from scammers posing as IRS
employees, making statements that residents owe money and if they do not
pay, they will be arrested, the Franklin County Sheriff's office Facebook
page said.
"It is a scam. Neither the IRS nor any other government agency will ever
call you on the phone demanding money, the office warned. Please protect
yourselves, your parents and neighbors by letting everyone know these are
scammers trying to steal your money.
Anyone who receives one of these calls is asked to call U.S. Sen. Susan
Collins' office at 1-855-303-9470 to speak with one of her staff members.
Collins chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which offers a fraud
hotline (1-855-303-9470).
On Wednesday, that hotline received more than 50 calls from Mainers,
Collins office said.
* Senator Collins Chairs Hearing on Fight to End Alzheimers*
Senator Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, recently held
a hearing on the importance of
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research and the need to support family caregivers.
In 2011, Senator Collins co-authored the bipartisan National Alzheimers
Project Act with then-Senator Evan Bayh. That legislation created an
expert council, which determined that $2 billion per year is needed to
achieve the goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimers by
2025.
As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins has
worked to turn that recommendation into action. The spending bill passed
last year includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of
Health, the largest increase since 2003. That includes a $350 million
increase for Alzheimers research, the largest in history, bringing total
funding for Alzheimers disease and related dementias research to $991
million a more than 50 percent increase and almost half-way to our $2
billion-per-year goal.
At the invitation of Senator Collins, Polly Bradley, the Director of Adult
Day Centers and Services at the Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) in
Scarborough, testified. Ms. Bradley spoke about the importance of adult
day services and the impact they have on the members who attend. SMAA
operates two adult day centers: the Stewart Center in Falmouth and the Sam
L. Cohen Center in Biddeford.
The two centers operated by SMAA serve some 200 families with a welcoming,
person-centered approach that encourages social interaction and activity
that helps maintain physical and emotional health as well as cognitive
function. These programs also support the overall physical health and
emotional wellbeing of family caregivers by giving them a much-needed
respite from the 24/7 care of their loved ones with Alzheimers.
*Senator Collins, Top Navy Official Praise PNSY Workforce*
<https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=quorum_collins-iq&crop=16807.19877694.11103828.7057308&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dXT1fUkTFYuc%26feature%3dyoutu.be>During
a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a
senior member of the Committee, expressed her support for the inclusion of
almost $75 million for three projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
(PNSY) in the Presidents fiscal year 2017 budget request. Earlier this
year, Senator Collins sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee
expressing her support for these crucial investments, which will
consolidate unaccompanied housing, improve utilities for nuclear platforms,
and replace a 100-year-old medical and dental clinic.
Im very pleased to see that the Presidents budget request includes
funding for three very important projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
in Kittery, Maine, said Senator Collins. [Portsmouth Naval Shipyard] is
considered the gold standard. Its the most productive of our four public
shipyards Im very proud of the workers there.
Assistant Navy Secretary Steven Iselin, who testified at the hearing,
thanked Senator Collins for her support for the proposed funding for the
facilities at PNSY. He noted that he was stationed at PNSY almost 30 years
ago and that he has a fondness in my heart [for the shipyard]. Secretary
Iselin also remarked that he visited the shipyard last year and was really
pleased to see how far its come over the last couple of decades and the
pride of the workforce in what they do.
*Tackling Diabetes: Senator Collins, Joined by Patriots Linebacker Donta
Hightower, Urges Congress to Maintain Its Strong Commitment to Diabetes
Research*
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Susan Collins and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the co-chairs of the Senate
Diabetes Caucus, recently joined with Patriots linebacker Donta Hightower
to urge Congress to pass legislation supporting research to prevent, treat,
and eventually cure diabetes. Hightower is a member of the American
Diabetes Associations (ADA) Team Tackle. The Senators and Hightower
were also joined by patient advocates with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and
representatives from the ADA.
Since I founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus in 1997, funding for diabetes
research has more than tripled, said Senator Collins. The 2016 omnibus
spending bill passed late last year continues this progress with an overall
$2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, the largest
since 2003, but there is still much work to be done. I have called on my
colleagues to maintain our strong commitment to diabetes research in the
2017 spending bill, and Senator Shaheen and I are determined to require
Medicare to cover Continuous Glucose Monitors, just as many private
insurance companies already do. Todays investments will yield cures and
therapies for patients tomorrow.
Diabetes is one of the most costly diseases to the health system.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimated
annual total cost of diabetes is $245 billion.
*Senator Collins Speaks at International Association of Fire Fighters
Conference*
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Collins delivered remarks at the International Association of Fire
Fighters (IAFF) 53rd Annual Legislative Conference. She also met with
Professional Fire Fighters of Maine President John Martell and IAFF Local
F-123 President Mike Melhorn of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
We in government have a special obligation to ensure that those who
protect our nation have the resources and support they need, said Senator
Collins. Most of us cant begin to imagine the courage and selflessness
it takes to enter a burning building or approach a blazing truck or
railroad car that may be about to explodeespecially when others are
running in the opposite direction. We can only dimly grasp the skill and
discipline it takes to rescue and tend to a victim of a fire or accident in
the midst of confusion and danger.
As the co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Senator Collins
has fought for legislation that supports fire fighters. Senator Collins
cosponsored the original FIRE Act and has cosponsored subsequent bills to
extend this grant program; she was the lead cosponsor of the Federal
Firefighters Fairness Act, which would create a presumption that a federal
fire fighter who has certain diseases is eligible for federal workers
compensation benefits; and she cosponsored the James Zadroga 9/11 Act,
which was signed into law late last year.
*Maine Delegation Seeks to Prevent Barriers to Exporting Maine Lobster*
*Battle is on to preserve lobster shipments from Maine to Europe*
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From the *Portland Press Herald *| By: Matt Byrne
The lobster fishing and export industries and Maines congressional
delegation are moving swiftly to pressure the European Union not to approve
a Swedish proposal to list the American lobster as an invasive species.
Such a listing would effectively ban 28 member nations from importing live
American lobster, also known as Maine lobster, from the United States and
Canada, and could cost U.S. lobster fishermen and exporters $150 million a
year, including about $10.6 million in Maine. Maines congressional
delegation sent letters Monday to Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Trade
Representative Michael Froman and NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan,
calling on them to protest the proposed change in EU trade rules that have
worked around the globe for decades.
We urge you to engage in immediate efforts to ensure the continuation of
safe and responsible import of live Maine lobsters, consistent with the
EUs World Trade Organization obligations, wrote Sens. Susan Collins and
Angus King and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin. Since only
a small number of Maine lobsters have been found in foreign waters, we
believe regulators should take a more finely tuned approach before calling
this an invasion.
In their letter to the administration Monday, the Maine delegation pointed
to reports that have suggested individuals are releasing lobsters into
European waters after their arrival.
If this is the case, the delegation wrote, such a violation should be
handled first by local law enforcement, rather than used to erect a barrier
to legitimate international trade.
*Celebrating Maine Maple Sunday at Black Acres Farm*
U.S. Senator Susan Collins visited Rep. Russell Blacks farm, Black Acres
Farm, in Wilton to celebrate the 33rd Maine Maple Weekend, an annual event
that showcases maple syrup made locally by family farms across the state.
Each year, dozens of Maine sugarhouses spur millions of dollars worth of
economic activity and produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of maple
syrup.
*Sen. Collins recognized for work on climate change
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From the *Lewiston Sun Journal *| By: Pam Harnden
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Saturday visited Black Acres where
she was recognized for her leadership in Congress on climate change. State
Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, his wife, Susan, and their family open their
maple syrup operation each year. Visitors learn how the sweet topping is
made, sample foods made with the syrup and visit the farm animals.
Black explained to Collins how his evaporator works. About 40 gallons of
sap are needed to produce 1 gallon of syrup, he said.
Collins sampled syrup and maple baked beans.
Collins said two issues are affecting the state's maple syrup industry:
false labeling and changes in climate. Collins and other senators have
asked the Food and Drug Administration to investigate those who label
artificial maple syrup as being pure.
"That can hurt the industry here in Maine and New England, she said.
"Climate change affects maple syrup, other agricultural production, and
the fishing and forestry industries, she said. I am working with Beth
Ahearn of Maine Conservation Voters, farmers and others to come up with
common-sense solutions to help ensure we preserve our way of life in
Maine.
*Mainers Visiting Washington*
Over the past few weeks, Senator Collins has been hosting Mainers visiting
Washington, D.C., for constituent coffees in her office. Below are a few
photos of Senator Collins meeting with constituents and discussing issues
important to Maine.
------------------------------
* OFFICE OF SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS*
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2523
Fax: (202) 224-2693
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--
Teri
Teri Morse, Advisor (2015-16 President, MEEOA)
Maine Educational Opportunity Center
Mid Coast Territory
207.551.3331 CELL
207.581.2532 FAX
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