Sep 15, 2014
I just encourage all of us to think about children, about the problems they face, and about our responsibility to help them navigate their way through those waters.
Olympia Snowe
The Public Record
Olympia Snowe is a former United States Senator from Maine, serving from 1995 to 2013. A member of the Republican Party, she was known for her moderate stance on various issues, often working across party lines. During her tenure, Snowe focused on health care reform, economic development, and women's rights, earning a reputation as a pragmatic legislator. She was the first woman to represent Maine in the U.S. Senate and previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1995.
★ Featured Quote
February 10, 2015
What is needed is honest, fact-based discussion and a genuine bipartisan commitment to solutions.
— Olympia Snowe
Most widely reported
by number of sources- I rise today, along with Senator Mary Landrieu, Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, to introduce the Strengthening Entrepreneurship for America's Veterans Act. This critical legislation, which is a slightly modified version of language we included in S. 1229, the Entrepreneurial Development Act of 2009, will establish a nationwide Veterans' Business Center program, housed at the Small Business Administration, or SBA, to tailor counseling and outreach programs for aspiring veteran entrepreneurs. This program will build on the extraordinary work of the SBA's Office of Veterans Business Development, headed by Bill Elmore, which currently oversees eight such centers and last year counseled or trained over 120,000 veterans. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, almost 2 million brave American men and women have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since the beginning of combat operations in September 2001, nearly 1.2 million of whom are now veterans. Regrettably, the unemployment rate among these veterans stands at 13.1 percent over three percentage points higher than the national average. It is critical that when our Nation's service-members return from duty, they receive the assistance they deserve to seamlessly assimilate back to civilian life. Many of these veterans are aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to open their own business and live the American dream.7 sources2010govinfo.gov
- I rise today to submit a resolution calling for women's rights in North Africa and the Middle East. Following weeks of tumult and protests in this area of the world, I could not be more honored to lead my 16 female colleagues in the United States Senate in emphasizing the importance of women's rights and political participation. As one unified voice, the 17 of us have introduced a resolution calling for a renewed focus on women's rights as leaders in North Africa and the Middle East consider constitutional reforms and shape new governments. The resolution we introduced reaffirms our commitment to representative and responsive democratic governments that respect women's rights and calls on leaders to include women when it comes to making decisions that will affect their lives. In the course of peaceful protests in countries throughout North Africa and the Middle East, women have stood shoulder to shoulder with men to advance their rights. Indeed, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that, ``the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century,'' and I couldn't agree more. Earlier this year, demonstrations spread from Tunisia to Egypt, with thousands of protesters peacefully calling for new governments, free and fair elections, significant constitutional and political reforms, greater economic opportunity, and an end to government corruption.…4 sources2011govinfo.gov
- I rise today with my friend and colleague Senator Thune to introduce the Reevaluate and Redirect the Stimulus Act of 2010 that would require the Obama Administration's Office of Management and Budget, OMB, to make proposals to redirect stimulus funds approved in last year's $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Although I supported the stimulus and favor the continuation of pro-growth policies, given that the federal deficit for Fiscal Year 2009 was a staggering $1.4 trillion and that the Congressional Budget Office announced on January 26 that it is projecting a baseline deficit of $6.047 trillion over the next 10 years, Congress must do more to pair the resources targeted for job creation with reductions in other areas. Before I describe the provisions of the legislation I am introducing today, I must say that it is regrettable that I feel compelled to offer a bill at all. The fact is, I wrote a letter last December 11 to OMB Director Peter Orszag urging him to analyze unobligated funds in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to determine whether they should be reprogrammed to offset the cost of future stimulus legislation.3 sources2010govinfo.gov
- I am pleased to join the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, Senator Hollings, in the introduction of the Oceans Act of 1997. This bill will establish a commission like the Stratton Commission of 1966 to review the many ocean and coastal issues facing the United States, and to develop a comprehensive, coordinated, national ocean, and coastal policy. Prior to introduction, I raised a few concerns with Senator Hollings on some provisions of the draft bill. Basically, I had recommended some language that made it clear that as we develop a new ocean and coastal policy for the Nation, we keep in mind the facts that our fiscal resources are limited, and that our Federal investments in ocean and coastal resources must be spent efficiently and wisely. I also raised some concerns about the fact that the original draft had the President appointing all of the members of this important commission. Mr. President, Senator Hollings has graciously agreed to make some changes to the bill pursuant to my recommendations.3 sources1997govinfo.gov
- I rise today, at this most consequential of times, and as a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, to speak to the issue of the economic stimulus we have begun to consider here in the U.S. Senate. We are deliberating on this legislation because the gravity of our economic circumstances is the most dire we have witnessed since the Great Depression, and in just three months, this recession will officially become the longest and quite possibly the deepest since the 1930s. We lost 2.6 million jobs last year, the most since 1945. The U.S. Department of Labor has reported the number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits has reached 4.8 million, an all-time high since record-keeping began in 1967--and that doesn't include the nearly 1.7 million getting benefits through an extension last summer. Mark Zandi--chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, who has advised both Senator McCain and President Obama--has stated, ``without stimulus, unemployment will rise well into the double digits by this time next year.'' And then we learned last Friday that the economy shrank at its fastest pace in nearly 27 years in the fourth quarter of 2008. Our gross national product dropped at a 3.8-percent annual rate, worst since 1982. So, indisputably, the grave nature of the current landscape dictates the urgency of passing a substantial and comprehensive economic stimulus package. I want to support a stimulus package. But I cannot support just any package.…2 sources2009govinfo.gov
- I rise to speak on the Senate version of the FY2003 National Defense authorization bill. As a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former chair of the Seapower Subcommittee, I fully appreciate the hard work and long hours my colleagues in the Senate and their counterparts in the House have dedicated to the completion of the bill. There are many important provisions in this bill. However, there are also some critical defense requirements which were overlooked. And I would like to take a moment to address those concerns. First and foremost, with the enormous increase in the defense budget overall, I am deeply troubled that we would fail to sustain the size of our naval fleet, which has played such a critical role in the war on terror. Admiral Robert J. Natter, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, captured it best when he said "We fight them here, or we can fight them there--it's America's choice." And he continued "I'd prefer to fight them there, because I know we can beat them." Well, we can't fight them there without a Navy. In the opening days of Operation Enduring Freedom, our Navy fired over 90 Tomahawk cruise missiles aimed at crippling Taliban air defenses. The Navy executed the majority of the air strikes in the land war. Aircraft-carrier based fighter and strike aircraft launched 60 to 80 missions a day dropping thousands of bombs on terrorists and Taliban targets. More than 50 Navy ships participated in the action.2 sources2002govinfo.gov
congress.gov
Jul 16, 2013
In closing, libraries are vital community technology hubs, and we simply cannot allow inadequate bandwidth to be the limiting factor for what our students and our nations can achieve.
Jul 16, 2013
Due in no small part to the leadership of Senators Rockefeller and Snowe, the E-Rate program from its inception focused on providing high-capacity transmission services to libraries and schools.
Jul 16, 2013
I do want to acknowledge the bipartisan effort and support for the E-Rate Program by Chairman Rockefeller and Maine's original E-Rate champion, Olympia Snowe.
Jul 16, 2013
We would not have connectivity and all that it brings to our schools and libraries if it were not for E-Rate.
Apr 10, 2013
If we ever want to harness the wind off of our shores, it has to be through an investment tax credit.
Mar 11, 2013
By the end of this decade, I believe that every school in America should have 1 gigabit of connectivity.
Dec 28, 2012
I rise today with a heavy heart to bid ``Aloha'' to an extraordinary colleague and a dear friend, Senator Daniel K. Inouye. I want to first and foremost offer my most sincere condolences to Dan's exceptional wife, Irene, who has been a…
Dec 21, 2012
I rise today in remembrance of an extraordinary man, an exceptional public servant, and a dear friend, Senator Warren B. Rudman. As the U.S. Senate, the people of New Hampshire, and the entire Nation mourn his loss, I wish to add my voice…
Dec 13, 2012
I rise today with an infinite appreciation for the institution of the U.S. Senate as well as a profound sense of gratitude as I prepare to conclude my 18 years in the Senate and my nearly 40 years in elective office on behalf of the people…
Dec 13, 2012
I ask unanimous consent to proceed as in morning business and that I be allowed to consume as much time as needed. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Farewell to the Senate
Dec 12, 2012
I rise today to recognize the outstanding service provided by one of my long-serving staff members, Matthew Walker, to the Small Business Committee, our beloved home State of Maine, and indeed our Nation. Matt is a dedicated individual…
Dec 12, 2012
I rise to speak in support of a bill that I am cosponsoring today with my colleague from Maine, Senator Collins, that will ensure that the Small Business Administration's, SBA, Historically Underutilized Business Zone, HUBZone, program…
Dec 5, 2012
I rise to both support the bill we are considering today but also to discuss the implications of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, WTO. I was proud to be part of a unanimous vote for this measure coming out of the Finance…
Nov 29, 2012
my colleague Senator Landrieu and I have an amendment to remove inequities that exist in the women-owned small business contracting program, when compared to other socioeconomic programs. As former chair and now ranking member of the…
Nov 28, 2012
No one has been more devoted to championing small businesses than Chair Landrieu.
Nov 28, 2012
Exactly where does that stand today and how effective has that been, because I do think it is a great approach in helping early-stage companies to get established.
Nov 28, 2012
Thank you. I will be a fast talker. And I want to thank all of you for your very impressive testimony.
Nov 28, 2012
None of these goals can be accomplished without compromise and without bipartisanship.
Nov 28, 2012
I am pleased to rise in support of this amendment, which will require that every military service must establish a crystal-clear, zero-tolerance policy that military personnel who are convicted of a sexual offense will not be permitted to…
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