Hi John,

Jared’s top priority in Congress is delivering results for the people of Maine’s Second District. The end of the year is quickly approaching, so as 2022 comes to a close, we wanted to highlight just some of what Jared has accomplished this year. If you also want to help us reach our final quarterly fundraising goal of 2022, you can chip in here:

SUPPORTING MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESSES:
Earlier this year, Jared introduced the Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act to reauthorize and expand Small Business Development Centers that help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. The House Committee on Small Business passed Jared’s bipartisan bill that, if enacted, would expand the Maine SBDC network and help small business owners across Maine take advantage of the centers’ free business training, services, and advising.

As chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Development, Jared has also urged his colleagues to address restrictions from manufacturers that impair small businesses’ ability to fix their own equipment and machinery.

STANDING UP FOR TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN MAINE:
The Wabanaki tribes in Maine have long been excluded from federal laws and programs that benefit tribes because of an agreement negotiated with the state decades ago. Jared proposed a first step to change that by working with tribal leaders to introduce the Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act that would put the Wabanaki tribes on a more level playing field with other federally recognized tribes in the country.

In April Jared’s bill received a hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples, with four chiefs of Wabanaki tribes testifying on its behalf. The bill has subsequently passed the House of Representatives, and Jared is continuing the fight to get it passed into law.

SUPPORTING MAINE VETERANS:
Earlier this year, Washington bureaucrats — through a process called the AIR Commission — quietly recommended the closure of VA facilities across rural Maine, including in Houlton, Fort Kent, and Rumford. Jared has made veterans a top priority in Congress, which is why he introduced a bipartisan bill to eliminate the AIR Commission before it would have the chance to act on misguided recommendations to close VA health care facilities.

Jared also joined a bipartisan effort to call for the full reopening of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) so that veterans can acquire much-needed benefits. This will allow veterans to gain easier access to VA care and education, retirement, and other benefits they’ve earned.

HOLDING WASHINGTON POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE:
Jared believes that no matter which party is in power, Americans should be able to trust that their elected officials are working for the people, not trying to make a quick buck. That’s why he led a bipartisan group of 27 members pushing House leadership for a vote on the bipartisan DIVEST Act, which if enacted would ban the president, vice president, administration officials, and their close family members from trading stocks while in office.

SUPPORTING MAINE’S FIRST RESPONDERS:
In Maine, many of our rural communities are experiencing a serious and sustained shortage of officers, which affects public safety, emergency response, and peace of mind in towns across the state. That’s why Jared helped introduce the COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act of 2022 – a bipartisan bill that would nearly triple available funding for the COPS grant program, reauthorize the program for ten years, and specifically expand access to the grants for rural communities.

Firefighting is a dangerous job, and many firefighters develop long-term illnesses or injuries over the course of their careers. That’s why Jared cosponsored the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act to help those affected firefighters get the care and resources they need – and the bill passed the House.

Jared also secured $300,000 in federal funding for the East Millinocket Fire Department to buy four-wheel drive ambulances. The new vehicles will help the department respond swiftly to emergencies across their remote service area.

FIGHTING TO PROTECT GOOD PAYING JOBS IN MAINE:
Jared fought for many of Maine’s industries this year, such as when he introduced the Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act of 2021. Big Pharma has been lobbying relentlessly for prescription drug manufacturers to distribute information electronically, rather than by a paper insert – a change that would disenfranchise rural Mainers and take away jobs from the Twin Rivers Paper Company’s Madawaska Paper Mill. This bill would protect both patients and jobs by ensuring vital prescription information continues to be printed on paper inserts.

Earlier this year the House passed the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, including provisions offered by Jared to increase investments in national defense, secure authorization for the construction of a third DDG-51 destroyer, and more. This bill is important to the many Mainers who will contribute to it, particularly those at Bath Iron Works.

SECURING FEDERAL FUNDING IN FISCAL YEAR 2022 APPROPRIATIONS BILLS:
Jared, along with Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Pingree, secured over $17 million in federal funding to support Maine’s lobster industry. This will help Maine’s lobster industry cover the costs incurred by lobstermen as a result of misguided rules.

Jared, along with Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, also secured:

• $1.7 million in federal funding for the Livermore Falls and Jay wastewater treatment facility. This will help support local economies along the Androscoggin River with cleaner water through much-needed upgrades and repairs.


• More than $400,000 in federal funding to support the renovation of Johnson Hall in Gardiner. For more than 150 years, Johnson Hall has been a gathering place for people in Kennebec County, and the investment will help preserve this community institution.


• $1 million in federal funding for a biodigester at the Forest Products Hub in Madison. The Madison mill site has real potential, and the funding will play a key role in its revitalization.


• $1 million in federal funding for the construction of a new Rumford Fire Station. The construction of a new fire station in Rumford will help these first responders do their jobs and keep them and the Rumford community safe.


• A $1 million federal investment for the renovation of the roof of the Bates Mill #5 building in downtown Lewiston. This investment will help remove some of the last big obstacles to the development of the building and completing the redevelopment of the Bates Mill complex.

Thank you so much for being on our team. Jared has accomplished so much this year, and we know that none of this would have been possible without your continued support. We look forward to all that 2023 will bring!

Sincerely,
Team Golden

P.S. Jared is a fierce advocate for Mainers in Washington. Will you help him stay in Congress by chipping in $5 or more before our FEC deadline at the end of the month?