WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: * * * As Fishing Season Opens, NOAA Implements Emergency Action to Ensure Uninterrupted Northeast Fisheries NOAA Fisheries filed an emergency action that opened the Northeast multispecies fishery on May 1, 2025. This action ensures the fishery can continue without interruption. It is based on the best scientific information for Atlantic groundfish fisheries including cod, haddock, plaice, pollo  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security has released the following 32-page public communication dated April 1, 2025, from the U.S. Lumber Coalition Inc. Here are excerpts: * * * To: The Honorable Howard Lutnick Secretary of Commerce Attn: Bureau of Industry and Security Docket No. 250310-0030; X-RIN 0694-XC117; BIS-2025-0011 U.S. Department of Commerce 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 Re: Comments of the U.S. Lumb  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service issued the following news release: * * * Department of the Interior Announces Expansion of Hunting and Fishing Opportunities New Opportunities at 16 National Wildlife Refuge System stations and One National Fish Hatchery In a major step to expand recreational access to America's public lands, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum today announced 42 new proposed hunting opportunities across more than 87,00  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine House Democrats issued the following news release: * * * Doudera introduces bill to deter improper pesticide use AUGUSTA - Rep. Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, introduced legislation before the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee on Tuesday that would increase penalties for use violations of herbicides and pesticides. Doudera was compelled to pursue the legislation after learning of the poisoning of a Camden resident's trees by a neighbor in 2022. The  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * During Veterans Hearing, King Receives Support for Lockbox Bill to Save Veterans Lives WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs (SVAC) Committee, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke with Dr. Thomas O'Toole, the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Health for Clinical Services and the Deputy Medical Officer for Veterans' Health Administration for the U.S. Department of Veterans  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest: * * * Commission meetings and hearings On April 29 and 30, the Commission met in executive session. On April 30, the Commission held an open meeting. * * * Election of Officer On April 30, the Commission elected Shana M. Broussard to serve as Chair of the Commission, effective July 1, 2025. * * * Advisory Opinions Opinions Issued Advisory Opinion 2025-05 (https://www.fec.gov/data/legal/advisory-op  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following record on May 2, 2025: * * * The Libertarian Party of Idaho, the Libertarian Party of Maine, Inc., the Libertarian Party of Maryland, and the Libertarian Party of Vermont ("Requestors") qualify as state party committees under the Federal Election Campaign Act. Background The determination of a state party organization's status as the state committee of a political party depends on three elements. First, the national pa  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * Golden statement on President Trump's budget proposal WASHINGTON -- Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released the following statement today following the release of President Donald Trump's FY 2026 budget proposal: "Right now, my focus is on opposing the GOP's reconciliation plan to fund tax cuts for the wealthy by slashing health care for my constituents and running up the deficit. "Looking ahead to  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, issued the following news: * * * Governor Mills Statement on Maine's Settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Governor Mills issued the following statement on the State of Maine's settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over nutrition funds withheld over alleged Title IX violations: "The State of Maine went to court and fought this unlawful attempt to freeze critical funding for our school lunch program -- and we won.   more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior issued the following news release: * * * Department of the Interior Announces Expansion of Hunting and Fishing Opportunities In a major step to expand recreational access to America's public lands, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced 42 proposed hunting opportunities across more than 87,000 acres within the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Fish Hatchery System. This proposal would more than triple the number  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: * * * King, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Access to Veteran Disability Claims Exams WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), are introducing bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize a successful pilot program to expand access to medical disability exams for veterans filing claims for a service-co  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine House Democrats issued the following news release on May 1, 2025: * * * Legislature advances Sachs bill to help more Mainers afford to pay their electric bills AUGUSTA - On Tuesday, the Maine House and Senate voted to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, that would provide funding for the Low Income Assistance Program (LIAP) to help Mainers pay their electric bills. The bill passed the House 120-26 and was approved unanimously in the S  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan Announces Legislation to Lower Taxes for Hardworking New Mexicans Senate Democrats Introduce Tax Breaks for Working Families While GOP Pushes Tax Scam for Nation's Wealthiest Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, cosponsored the Tax Cut for Workers Act, legislation to give thousands of New Mexicans a much-needed tax break. The b  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the opportunity for public comment on a renewal application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) submitted by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG). The EFP would allow federally permitted fishing vessels to engage in fishing activities outside of standard regulations to further their testing of early benthic-phase (EBP) lobster traps, which are intended  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine House Democrats issued the following news release: * * * Rielly leads 47 Maine legislators in effort to protect AmeriCorps AUGUSTA - Rep. Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook, joined 47 Maine House and Senate members in sending a letter urging Maine's Congressional Delegation to work to reinstate funding for AmeriCorps programming across the country that was recently cut by the Trump Administration. Last Friday, the AmeriCorps agency immediately terminated close to   more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine Senate Democrats issued the following news on behalf of Maine State Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco: * * * Sen. Bailey celebrates Community Action Grant funding for the City of Saco and the Town of Old Orchard Beach AUGUSTA -- Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, is pleased to announce that the City of Saco and the Town of Old Orchard Beach have been awarded a Community Action Grant from the Community Resilience Partnership in the amount of $180,000. The grant will promote  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine Senate Democrats issued the following news on behalf of Maine State Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco: * * * Sen. Bailey introduces bill to protect residents of mobile home parks AUGUSTA -- On Wednesday, April 30, Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, introduced a bill to amend the real estate transfer tax and protect residents of mobile home parks. The Legislature's Taxation Committee conducted a public hearing for LD 1768, "An Act to Protect Residents of Mobile Home Parks by  more

WASHINGTON, May 2 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following floor statement on May 1, 2025, on the on the nomination of Frank Bisignano to lead Social Security: * * * Wyden Opposes Bisignano Nomination to Lead Social Security Ahead of Floor Vote As Prepared for Delivery I ask unanimous consent that the Milande Watson of my team be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the Congress. I rise to urge my colleagues to reject Frank B  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Collins Secures $50 Million for Maine Air National Guard Hangar Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $50 million for the Maine Air National Guard to construct a new hangar in Bangor. This funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2025 full-year continuing resolut  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Senator Collins' Statement on President's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a statement on the President's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026. "The President's Budget Request is simply one step in the annual budget process. This request has come to  more

AUGUSTA, Maine, May 2 -- The Maine Senate Democrats issued the following news on behalf of Maine State Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop: * * * Senator Craig Hickman introduces bipartisan bill to support the health of Gagetown veterans and reestablish the Gagetown Harmful Chemical Study Commission AUGUSTA -- On Wednesday, April 30, Senator Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, introduced a bipartisan bill to support Maine veterans affected by chemical exposure during military training at the Canadian milit  more

WASHINGTON, May 3 -- Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following news on May 2, 2025: * * * Sens. Moran, King Introduce Legislation to Permanently Expand Access to Disability Claims Exams for Veterans WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) - chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee - and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) - member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs - introduced legislation to permanently authorize a p  more

ORONO, Maine, May 3 -- The University of Maine System issued the following news release on May 2, 2025: * * * University of Maine receives restored Sea Grant funding U.S. Sen. Susan Collins had directly urged the Secretary of Commerce to restart Maine Sea Grant funding and thousands of Mainers spoke out in support of the popular program's impact on their livelihoods and Maine's working waterfronts ORONO, Maine -- Funding has been restored for Maine Sea Grant to continue its critical science   more