During the 109th Congress, Congress gave final approval to many bipartisan pieces of legislation authored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) that will benefit Maine, strengthen homeland security, improve governmentaccountability, and continues tax relief to America’s school teachers.
Bills sponsored by Senator Collins that were passed this year include:
· Iraq Reconstruction Accountability Act – Congress approved a bill authored by Senator Collins and Russ Feingold (D-WI) that will extend the term of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), paving the way for the bill to be signed into law. Without this legislation, the SIGIR’s term would have expired on October 1, 2007. Senator Collins believes the work of the SIGIR’s office, led by Stuart Bowen, has rooted out millions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse, and therefore, must be continued as long as tax dollars are being spent on Iraqi reconstruction projects.
- SAFE Port Act – This legislation authored by Senators Collins and Patty Murray (D-WA) significantly strengthens security at American ports by establishing improved cargo screening standards, providing incentives to importers to enhance their security measures, requiring DHS to develop a plan for the resumption of shipping in the event of a terrorist attack, and installing radiation detectors at the 22 largest American ports.
- Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act – This bill authored by Senators Collins and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) directs DHS to establish and require security measures at high-risk chemical facilities to help protect against terrorist attacks.
- Bill to Strengthen FEMA – Senators Collins and Lieberman authored legislation that reorganizes FEMA within DHS and reunites the agency’s preparedness and response capabilities to meet the challenges of all aspects of emergency management.
- Reservists Pay Security Act – Senator Collins’ Committee approved this legislation that entitles Federal employees who are absent from their positions while on active duty in the uniformed services or the National Guard to receive the amount of their basic pay
· Immigration legislation authored by Senator Collins that allows minor league athletes, such as the MAINEiacs, to qualify for the same cateogry of immigration visas as major league athletes. Previously, MAINEiacs players and coaches from other countries had to apply for visas under a different program that caused problems every year, keeping them out of the U.S. until Senator Collins and other congressional members could help them to obtain special waivers. Senator Collins’ legislation permanently amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand the P-1 visa program to include athletes that play on minor-league professional and high-level amateur teams such as the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Portland Sea Dogs.
· Postal reform legislation authored by Senators Collins and Tom Carper (D-DE). This landmark legislation is the first modernization of the Postal Service in more than 30 years. Senator Collins’ postal reform bill will modernize the rate setting-process to provide more predictability and stability in postal rates and will help ensure a stronger financial future for the Postal Service, which is the lynchpin of a $900 billion mailing industry, providing nine million jobs nationwide in fields as diverse as direct mailing, printing, catalog companies, paper manufacturing, and financial services.
· Teachers’ Tax Deduction – The U.S. Senate gave final approval to a package of necessary tax, trade and health policy extensions that includes legislation, authored by Senator Collins, to provide a $250 above-the-line tax deduction to teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. According to surveys by the National Education Association, teachers spend, on average, $443 per year on classroom supplies out of their pockets.
· Tariff legislation introduced by Senator Collins that lifts the tariff on imports of a special rayon material that is important to manufacturing at the Procter & Gamble Tambrands factory in Auburn. The legislation, called a duty suspension bill, would lift the tariff for three years on a specific patented rayon fiber that the factory needs for its production. Duty suspension bills apply to a variety of imported products for which there is no U.S. producer of the product.
· Legislation that extends the production tax credit for renewable energy, including open loop biomass. This tax credit was first introduced in 1999 by Senator Collins as the Biomass Energy Equity Act, and became law in 2004. This credit increases energy diversity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps Maine’s forest products industry by turning waste biomass into energy.
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