In every year of my Senate service, I have returned home to Maine virtually every weekend. In Maine and in Washington, I have met with thousands of Mainers from all walks of life, whose concerns range from local issues like funding for a community project to international issues about America's role in the world. Every one of my trips home has reinforced my view that officeholders need to listen to their constituents to represent them effectively.
During my time in the Senate, I have not missed a single roll call vote. I have cast 2,376 consecutive roll call votes since I was sworn in January of 1997 and, apart from the current group of freshman Senators, no other Senator has a perfect voting record. Voting on the legislation, nominations, and treaties that come before the Senate is my most important responsibility, and I take very seriously the charge from the people of Maine to represent their interests and to be their voice in the U.S. Senate. Much of my dedication to public service was inspired by former Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who served for many years without missing a vote until she was forced to do so because of surgery. I continue to be inspired by her example.
In looking back over the year, I am particularly proud of my legislation – which was signed into law by the President as part of the jobs and economic growth package last spring – providing $20 billion in federal aid to the states, which were experiencing dire fiscal crises. Half of the fiscal relief is targeted to Medicaid, which provides a vital health care safety net for millions of Americans. As a consequence of this bipartisan legislation, Maine will receive an additional $115 million over 18 months to help our state's neediest citizens.
I am also pleased that Congress was able to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill. This landmark piece of legislation provides the most sweeping changes to Medicare since its creation in 1965. The bill is not perfect, but we could not let the quest for perfection destroy this historic opportunity to help millions of Americans in need. For low-income seniors, in particular, this bill provides significant help with the high cost of prescription drugs.
The bill also includes legislation that I co-authored to close loopholes in our patent laws that some large pharmaceutical drug companies exploited to delay lower-priced generic drugs. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that these reforms will lower health care costs by as much as $60 billion over the next decade.
One of the challenges of being a Senator from Maine is to see that legislation tailored for the entire nation takes into account the special circumstances of small rural states. I am very pleased that this legislation contains provisions that I sponsored to help rural hospitals, to preserve home health care, and to provide assistance to Maine's family residency programs that train physicians who often serve in rural communities.
This Congress, I was privileged to become the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, the Senate's chief oversight committee. The Committee's mandate is broad and includes responsibility for the new Department of Homeland Security. Melding 22 federal agencies, with some 170,000 employees, into a single cohesive unit is a daunting task, but it is also a vital one as we seek to improve our ability to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist attacks.
I chaired numerous hearing on homeland security, examining the deficiencies in our port security and the resources needed by our "first responders," our police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. I also investigated the financing of terrorists organizations like Al Qaeda and Hamas and the threat of a terrorist attack on our food supply.
In addition to examining homeland security concerns, I also chaired hearings on a variety of other issues ranging from Maine's epidemic of prescription drug abuse to reform of the Postal Service to health care for children suffering from severe mental illness. I have introduced the "Keeping Families Together Act," which is aimed at helping families who contemplate relinquishing custody of a child to the state in order to secure the expensive mental health care the child requires. I also continued my efforts to repeal two unfair provisions of Social Security law that penalize public servants, known as the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, holding the first Senate hearings on these provisions and introducing legislation to eliminate them.
I also am a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and spent a great deal of time last year on national security issues. I supported a proposal to structure part of the funds allocated for reconstruction in Iraq as loans, and while this provision was not adopted, it sent a crucial message to the Administration that further reconstruction financing should not simply come out of U.S. taxpayers' pockets. I also worked hard to help our troops and veterans, fighting to allow veterans to receive disability and retirement pay at the same time, and introducing legislation – signed into law – to double the military death gratuity, which hadn't been increased in more than a decade.
Being a Senator is more than just legislating. It is being an advocate for Maine citizens and helping to ensure that they are treated fairly by federal agencies. It is fighting for Maine jobs in federal trade proceedings. It is helping a community organization secure a federal grant for a worthy local project. It is seizing every opportunity to promote Maine people, Maine products, and Maine values.
In closing, I'd like to mention something else I did this year, far from both Maine and Washington: I went to Iraq with other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I met with hundreds of American and British troops, including men and women from Maine. These brave men and women are rebuilding a country shattered by decades of bloodshed and tyranny, and they are doing so with courage and compassion. It was the greatest honor of my year to be able to thank them personally for their service and sacrifice.