Wednesday, June 19, 2013
It's a movement that began last year and seems to be in fashion again this year amid continuing partisan sniping and gridlock on Capitol Hill: bipartisan seating when President Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said this afternoon she will sit with Sen. Mark Begich, D-Ak. They are the top Republican and chairman, respectively, of the Senate Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will sit next to Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. That's another committee pairing. Lieberman chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Collins is the top Republican.
Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, has made a commitment to join the bipartisan seating movement, too, but doesn't have a seat mate yet. No word yet from Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District.
The bipartisan seating movement happened last year after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Az. One of the groups pushing it again this year is No Labels, a group of Republicans, Democrats and independents that says lawmakers must do a better job cooperating in forging legislation and getting things done.
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Kevin Miller is Washington bureau chief for the Portland Press Herald and MaineToday Media. He has worked as a journalist in Maine for 6 ½ years, covering the environment, politics and the State House. Before arriving in Maine, he wrote about politics, government and education for newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
Kevin can be reached at 317-6256 or kmiller@mainetoday.com
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