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The Halifax International Security Forum
Travis Mills: A True Inspiration
Weekly Column: "New Anti-Fraud Hotline to Help Protect Seniors"
Supporting Maine's RetailersThe Retail Association of Maine awarded Senator Collins the Jim McGregor Government Service Award for her support of Maine's retail industry at the Association's 80th annual meeting in Portland.
(Topher Mallory, Mexicali Blues CEO; and Senator Collins)
“Senator Collins is widely known for her support of Maine business. However, what is less well-known was how she stuck her neck out for Maine retailers. Her critical votes to lower swipe fees for retailers and co-sponsorship of a bill to level the playing field for all retailers are just two examples of where she went above and beyond for Mainers,” stated Curtis Picard, Executive Director of the Retail Association of Maine. “The Jim McGregor Award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond, just like Jim McGregor did for our members for so many years.”
"My work in Washington on business issues is shaped by having grown up in a family-owned, multi-generation business," said Senator Collins upon receiving the award. "It is guided by this philosophy: We can best help our entrepreneurs, our risk-takers, our job creators by working for pro-growth economic policies."
From an article posted by the Retail Association of Maine:
Senator Susan Collins delivered a noteworthy acceptance speech that was both personal and significant upon being honored with the association's annual Jim McGregor Government Service Award. Senator Collins raised the irony of her reception of the Jim McGregor Government Service award on this 80th annual meeting, precisely 20 years after her family's business, SW Collins, received the association's Retailer of the Year award. It was an appropriate and memorable time for Senator Collins to receive the award, and certainly was well deserved for the work the "Guardian of Small Business" has ensued in fighting for higher standards and fair practices in regards to credit card swipe fees and e-fairness. Senator Collins addressed issues within our country that prove to be multi-dimensional in affecting retailers in every form of retail. From addressing healthcare reform to the government shutdown, the Senator tied in how so many different aspects of government affect retailers. Senator Collins did not only address these issues, but she presented solid and clear solutions, and offered an incredible opportunity for the event's members and guests to take an inside look at government developments through her eyes and day to day experiences, from Maine to the Capitol.
The Senator took the time to recognize that member involvement is the key to making changes within the retail industry. One of the stories that really hit home with the Senator was the personal firsthand experience of a retailer's witness to a customer trying out goods in a Maine outdoor sporting store, only to turn around, at that very store, and purchase the same item online via phone. And so, came the Senator's good fight for Marketplace Fairness.
Senator Collins was in no hurry to leave the meeting, addressing multiple issues in retail and taking the time to recognize Mexicali Blues as an unprecedented retailer, and well deserving of the association's 2013 Retailer of the Year award.
Holiday Cards for our Troops
Senator Collins visited the Maine Veterans' Home in Bangor to meet with vets and join them in signing and sending holiday cards to U.S. troops serving away from home. The American Red Cross in Maine coordinated the letter drive.
(Click the play button above or click hereto view the Fox Bangor story)
Weekly Column "New Anti-Fraud Hotline to Help Protect Seniors"
Our parents and grandparents worked hard their entire lives and saved for retirement. Unfortunately, there are criminals who are targeting them and who want to rob them of their hard-earned savings.
Sadly, older Americans are being financially exploited by strangers over the telephone and in the mail. Too often, they also may be targeted by family members or by people they trust. All too often, these crimes go unreported because the victim is too afraid or embarrassed.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I, along with Chairman Bill Nelson (D-FL), have made consumer protection and fraud prevention a primary focus of our committee’s work. This year, we have held hearings examining tax-related identity theft, Social Security fraud, and the impact of “payday loans” on seniors, among other issues.
One particularly egregious scam was the focus of a hearing earlier this year. It’s often referred to as the “876 scam” because the phone calls originate from an “876” area code based in Jamaica. The scammer tells the victim that they’ve just won millions of dollars in a lottery or sweepstakes and a brand new car. All they have to do to collect is wire a few hundred dollars in upfront processing fees or “taxes” and their “winnings” will be delivered. Often, the criminals will tell their elderly victims not to share the good news with anyone so that it will come as a “surprise” when their family finds out.
A Seven-Point Plan for JobsSenator Collins visited the Procter & Gamble plant in Auburn, where she met with employees and discussed her seven-point jobs plan. The plant employs 450 people, making it the city’s largest private employer, and provides feminine care products for the entire North American market.
The Halifax International Security ForumSenator Collins joined a group of three other senators in representing the U.S. Senate at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, where she met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and discussed with the Secretary his recent visit to Bath Iron Works. During their visit, Senator Collins also handed the Secretary a letterfrom she and Senator Angus King urging the Department of Defense to acquire its athletic footwear for new military recruits solely from domestic footwear manufacturers, such as those in Maine.
(From left to right: Senator Collins, Secretary Hagel, Senator Kaine, Senator Barrasso, Senator McCain)Senator Collins also met with the Canadian Minister of Defence and asked him about Veterans Affairs Canada’s decision to pay $20,000 to each of their soldiers who trained at Gagetown, New Brunswick due to exposure to toxins. The Maine National Guard also trained in Gagetown during this time, and those who have become ill have had their claims denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
From Maine Public Broadcasting Network:
The stories about diabetes, cancers and respiratory illnesses have circulated for years among Maine veterans who trained at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. For almost as long, Sen. Susan Collins says Maine veterans were pretty sure why they were getting sick.
"Those veterans believe that their illnesses may be linked to the use of the Agent Orange way back in the late 1960s," Collins says.
The U.S. government has refused to acknowledge any linkage between the soldiers' illnesses and their exposure to the chemicals. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded this year there was no linkage between veterans' illnesses and their experience at Gagetown.
But the Canadian government has been willing to provide one-time cash benefits of $20,000 to its soldiers who trained at the camp. During a trip to Halifax this week, Collins met with the Canadian defense minister to see if there's something the VA can learn from its Canadian counterpart.
"I've asked that the Canadians share information with us on how they decided to make these payments, what was the evidence," Collins says. "I think it might be helpful to some of our Maine veterans who believe that the training that they participated in in Gagetown has made them ill."
Travis Mills: A True InspirationSenator Collins had the honor of meeting a true hero and inspiration, Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, who is one of only five quadruple-amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive their injuries. Travis is the subject of a new documentary titled “Travis: A Soldier’s Story.” He has since established the National Veterans Family Center, a camp for veterans and their families located at Camp Kennebec in Belgrade, Maine.
Learn more about the camp by clicking here. Learn more about the film by clicking here.
Meeting with Mainers
Senator Collins always makes time to meet individually with constituents— either Mainers who are visiting Washington, D.C. or at home in Maine.
She values hearing from Mainers on a wide range of topics. Here are a few photos from recent meetings:
1: Astronaut Chris Cassidy of York County
2: Susan Stacey, Kristy Gould, Lydia Sy, Susan Oullette; Maine representatives of the Society for Human Resource Management
3: Vice Admiral Robin Braun of Brunswick
4: Commander Dustin Smiley of Bangor
5: Beth Hatcher, UMaine Farmington
6: Debra Dunn, Julie Kish, Janet Austin, Randa Rineer, Linda Dutton; Williams - Cone School in Topsham
7. Taylor Landry of Kennebunk
OFFICE OF SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS
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