Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today joined her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 8294, the National Apprenticeship Act. The legislation reauthorizes and invests in the Registered Apprenticeship system, America’s most successful federal workforce development program. The bill passed 246 to 140.
“94% of people… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) voted to approve H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2019, to provide new protections for workers and hold employers who violate workers' rights accountable. The bill passed 224 to 194.
“Unions have been under attack by wealthy corporate interests for decades… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife in support of her bill, H.R. 3596, the Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act. The bill would create a Working Waterfront Grant Program and establish a Working Waterfront Task Force at the… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s plan to relocate hundreds of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) staff to the Kansas City area:
“I am appalled with the Trump administration’s decision to force hundreds of Washington-based USDA research staffers to… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today advanced an increase in the number of H-2B visas through an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The amendment would give DHS the authority to add up to 63,000 additional visas in FY2020—essentially doubling the number of H-2B visas available next year to seasonal businesses in Maine and… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) helped to secure the inclusion of a bipartisan amendment to the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill that is a first step toward making more H-2B visa available for seasonal businesses. The amendment would modify H-2B visa allocation to a quarterly disbursement and proportional distribution to ensure every certified… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, following a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announcement that it would release 30,000 additional H-2B seasonal visas fiscal year 2019, about half of the maximum amount authorized by Congress, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:
“For the last two summers, I’ve heard from seasonal business owners in… Read more »
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) as well as U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-M.D.) today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urging the administration to immediately increase the statutory cap of H-2B visas for fiscal year 2019 as authorized by the… Read more »
Brunswick, Maine—This morning, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) held a press conference at CEI in Brunswick to raise awareness of the USDA ReConnect Program, a new package of grants and loans to improve Internet speeds in rural areas. Along with stakeholders in attendance, Pingree discussed the problems that slow Internet in parts of Maine creates for those who live and work… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today encouraged Maine communities to apply for a new USDA program providing loans and grants to improve rural broadband access.
“Slow internet in so many Maine towns is more than just an inconvenience for the people who live there—it’s a severe handicap. If we can’t bring their Internet speeds up quickly, our rural… Read more »