Collins to watch over homeland security ; As a committee chairwoman, she'll also go after government waste in tight economic times. Series: Power &politics Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series on the roles of Maine's two U.S. senators in Congress. Today: An interview with Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who will head the Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the agency that will manage homeland security. Next Sunday: GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe, who rises to chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, discusses the leadership post. BART JANSEN Staff Writer . Portland Press Herald ; Portland, Me. [Portland, Me]01 Dec 2002: 1B. ProQuest document link

ABSTRACT (ABSTRACT) Since Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 5 election, Maine Sens. [Susan Collins] and [Olympia Snowe] are poised to assume key leadership positions in the 108th Congress. Collins was interviewed last week on Capitol Hill by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She talked about her new assignment, agenda and goals. A: I think that many people don't realize the impact of the Postal Service on our economy. When the Postal Service is debated, the discussion usually revolves around ensuring universal delivery so that small towns and islands in states like Maine receive the same service that residents living in large cities enjoy.

FULL TEXT "Our ports, funding for first-responders and cyberterrorism are among my highest priorities in the area of homeland Security." Sen. Susan Collins Since Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 5 election, Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are poised to assume key leadership positions in the 108th Congress. Collins was interviewed last week on Capitol Hill by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She talked about her new assignment, agenda and goals. Q: What difference does it make to Mainers to have a senator who is a committee chairwoman? A: The most important benefit to the people of Maine is that I will now participate in the leadership meetings that set the agenda for the Senate. It will increase my clout on behalf of the people of Maine. It will give me a greater voice in the decisions that are made next year. There is another reason I think it is important to the people of Maine. This committee has responsibility for PDF GENERATED BY SEARCH.PROQUEST.COM

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oversight of government programs. Every year, the General Accounting Office produces a list of federal programs that are at high risk of waste, fraud and abuse. At a time when budgets are tight, and we need to create a prescription drug benefit for seniors, we simply cannot afford to allow this kind of waste to continue. It's never acceptable, but in tight budget times it's particularly egregious. My intention is to make, as a high priority, oversight of these high-risk programs, to shine a spotlight on what has gone wrong and through investigations, hearings and legislation, dramatically reduce the amount of money that is lost each year to wasteful spending. Q: What does the Governmental Affairs Committee do? A: The Governmental Affairs Committee is the chief oversight committee of Congress. It conducts investigations and holds hearings into any aspect of management of federal agencies. It also has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security. Q: Congress has approved the Department of Homeland Security, which will combine 170,000 workers from 22 agencies. What needs to be done next? A: The new department will require a number of confirmations. The new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, and the deputy, the current secretary of the Navy, Gordon England, will come before my committee. In addition to helping oversee the establishment of the new department and the staffing of it, there are a number of issues that remain such as communication within the new department: ensuring that intelligence information is synthesized and analyzed effectively by the new department. It's going to take some time for the new department to be up and running. Obviously it's not going to be created overnight. But the committee will continue to work with the new secretary and to shine a spotlight on vulnerabilities, as far as homeland security is concerned, that we discover. Q: What are your concerns about supporting police, fire and medical workers? A: Our ports, funding for first-responders and cyberterrorism are among my highest priorities in the area of homeland security. I think we have to remember that whenever a disaster strikes, the people who respond to the calls for help are our police officers, our firefighters and our emergency medical personnel. It's not those who are working in Washington at a new Department of Homeland Security. I feel very strongly that funding is flowing back to the states and the communities so that the first-responders have access to the equipment that they need, receive the training and conduct the joint exercises that will help make our nation better prepared for a terrorist attack. That is an issue that I'm going to pursue next year. Q: You won approval of an amendment to protect the Coast Guard's traditional functions for search-and-rescue and fisheries regulation for at least two years in the new agency. Is that still a concern? A: The language that Sen. (Ted) Stevens (R-Alaska) and I drafted was included in the final version of the bill, but now we have to back up that language with funding to ensure that the Coast Guard can both perform its traditional mission, including the vital search- and-rescue mission, as well as its new port security mission. That's really important. The Coast Guard needs significant new funding and that's something I will be pushing for as well. Q: What other priorities does the committee have besides homeland security? A: This committee has the broadest oversight jurisdiction in the Senate, but it also has some significant legislative responsibilities. Any legislation reorganizing the government goes to this committee and it has jurisdiction over civil service laws, regulatory reform bills and the Postal Service. I want to help ensure that the civil service laws help us to attract and retain the very best people to work in federal service. Having been a manager in the federal government, I know from my days at the Small Business Administration that we have a very talented federal work force. But oftentimes the civil service laws are so restrictive, it is very difficult to reward federal employees who are doing exceptional work. I'm going to be working with the administration and with Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, who has a special interest in this area, and with our federal employee representatives to see what we can do to make sure that we continue to have a quality federal work force. PDF GENERATED BY SEARCH.PROQUEST.COM

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I am also going to pursue my interest in protecting small investors and working on consumer fraud issues, as I did when I chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Q: Why is it important to oversee the Postal Service? A: I think that many people don't realize the impact of the Postal Service on our economy. When the Postal Service is debated, the discussion usually revolves around ensuring universal delivery so that small towns and islands in states like Maine receive the same service that residents living in large cities enjoy. But in fact, in addition to that, the Postal Service is the linchpin of our printing, paper manufacturing and catalog businesses. Last spring, I met with 20 business owners in Maine who helped to open my eyes to the impact of postal rates on the viability of their businesses and their ability to create good jobs. One small catalog company owner told me that the cost of mailing his catalog now exceeds the cost of the paper on which they are printed. A representative of International Paper recently told me that the two mills that IP has in Maine, one in Jay and one in Bucksport, produce some 40 percent of the paper that moves every day through the Postal Service. That's an astounding number. Another example of a customer of the Postal Service that is very sensitive to changes in rates is L.L. Bean, one of our best known employers in Maine. Those businesses depend upon a financially solvent Postal Service that is run efficiently, so that postal rates don't increase three times in 18 months, as they have in the last year and a half. Q: What are you doing to develop an agenda for 2003? A: I have begun talking with committee members, both current members and potential members, to determine their interests and talk about reorganizing the committee. I have had discussions with Sen. (Joseph) Lieberman (DConn.), who will be the ranking Democrat on the committee, with Sen. (Carl) Levin (D-Mich.), with whom I've worked very closely on a lot of consumer fraud issues and the investigation of corporate wrongdoing, and also with George Voinovich of Ohio and Jim Talent, who is a new member from Missouri, to get their input. Although I'll be the leader of this committee, I want to have a collaborative approach because I think that is the best way to get things done. Staff Writer Bart Jansen can be contacted at 202-488-1119 or at: [email protected] Illustration Caption: Staff file photo Sen. Susan Collins, who was endorsed by the Maine Association of Police during her reelection campaign, says she will pursue funding for first-responders as head of the committee overseeing homeland security.

DETAILS Company / organization:

Name: Senate; NAICS: 921120; Name: Postal Service; NAICS: 491110

Publication title:

Portland Press Herald; Portland, Me.

Pages:

1B

Number of pages:

0

Publication year:

2002

Publication date:

Dec 1, 2002

Section:

Maine &New England

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Publisher:

Portland Newspapers

Place of publication:

Portland, Me.

Country of publication:

United States

Publication subject:

General Interest Periodicals--United States

Source type:

Newspapers

Language of publication:

English

Document type:

NEWSPAPER

ProQuest document ID:

277110791

Document URL:

http://www.library.umaine.edu/auth/EZProxy/test/authej.asp?url=http://search.proq uest.com/docview/277110791?accountid=8120

Copyright:

Copyright 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Last updated:

2011-11-29

Database:

Global Newsstream

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