Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine first called President Obama’s revised birth-control bill a step in the right direction when it was announced Feb. 10.

But Collins and Snowe said last week that they now want more information before taking a position on Obama’s policy.

Initially, the bill sought to require religious-affiliated employers, such Catholic hospitals and universities, to cover birth-control costs for their workers.

Churches and houses of worship would have been exempt, but many Catholic leaders were still outraged by what they saw as a violation of their faith.

As a result, Obama’s bill now allows employers who have a moral objection to covering birth-control costs to shift the responsibility of coverage onto insurance companies.

Megan Hannan, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said she was disappointed Maine’s senators haven’t embraced the contraception bill. “I have always thought they were very solid on birth control,” she said.

In 2001, Snowe authored and Collins co-sponsored a never-passed bill that prohibited insurance plans from excluding contraceptives from their prescription benefits.

There was no religious exemption in that bill as written, but Snowe and Collins have said they favored adding a “conscience clause.”

Snowe said the White House “certainly has made some critical adjustments” to its proposal, but she still wants “to see the final rule to make sure that we understand exactly what it will do.”

Collins said she has become concerned about how the revised rule would apply to self-insured Catholic institutions.

CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

Maine Sen. Susan Collins says U.S. companies and government agencies must do a better job securing important computer networks against cybercrime and terrorism.

Collins joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week in unveiling a long-anticipated computer security bill.

“The threat is not just to our national security, but also to our economic well-being,” Collins said.

The lawmakers say the bill would create a public-private partnership to secure vital computer systems that if disrupted by a cyber attack could cause mass deaths, evacuations or other damage to the economy or national security.

Some business groups have said the legislation’s requirements may be too costly and broad.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said that she, too, has been working as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the issue. Snowe said because of concerns about the bill imposing too much regulation, “I intend to work with my colleagues to ensure our federal response to the threats we face is balanced and protects the freedoms that we all cherish.”

TARIFFS ON FOREIGN GOODS

Maine’s paper industry needs some help from Congress in fighting illegally subsidized goods from China and other countries, says Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District.

Michaud, chairman of the House Trade Working Group, and 42 other House members sent a bipartisan letter last week to House leaders asking them to allow a vote on legislation that would allow the federal government to slap tariffs on such goods when needed.

The lawmakers say a recent federal appeals court decision took away that ability.

“If we do not address this ruling, we would lose one of the most important tools we have to make sure American manufacturers compete on a level playing field,” Michaud said in a statement last week. “It is critical that House leadership act immediately to preserve our ability to apply tariffs to illegally subsidized goods from China. These tariffs are critical to the coated paper industry in Maine, and it would be devastating to our paper industry if this court ruling is not addressed legislatively.”

SEN. COLLINS WANTS AMERICAN-MADE HOMELAND-SECURITY UNIFORMS

There already is a federal rule requiring the Department of Defense to buy American made uniforms and other gear. That rule should be extended to the Department of Homeland Security, says Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

Collins, the top Republican on the Senate’s homeland security committee, introduced a bill, along with Democratic Sens. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, requiring the homeland security department to outfit its workers, which include border patrol and transportation safety agents, with American-made uniforms, footwear, field packs and other equipment.

MaineToday Media Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Riskind can be contacted at 791-6280 or at:

jriskind@mainetoday.com

Twitter: Twitter.com/MaineTodayDC

 

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