Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said a Republican sponsored bill up for a vote today would gut key provisions of the Violence Against Women Act and she called on House Members to put politics aside and support a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate.

“This law was passed and renewed twice without a fight because reducing violence against women has always been something everyone can agree on, but this time Republicans in the House have decided they want to play politics with it,” said Pingree.

Since the Violence Against Women Act was passed in 1994, domestic violence crimes have dropped by more than half. The law was reauthorized twice without a partisan fight and last month the Senate again reauthorized it, with bipartisan support including the votes of Senators Snowe and Colliins.

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Portland city hall where the mayor has stated cuts in the state budget would hurt the city. photo by Ramona du Houx

Portland, Maine, Mayor Michael Brennan voiced concern over the proposed thirty percent cut to programs funded by the Fund for a Healthy Maine (FHM) and administered by the City of Portland. FHM, funds received by the state from the Master Tobacco Settlement, are the only dollars dedicated to prevent chronic disease and health promotion in Maine. While details are not complete, the Republican Legislative Leadership budget proposal calls for cuts of at least $250,000 to city programs specifically Healthy Maine Partnerships, school-based health centers and home visitation.

“As a legislator, I was proud to be a part of the effort to invest the monies coming from the tobacco settlement into programs that would prevent disease and help Mainers live healthy and active lives, and as Mayor, I see the direct benefit of these investments in our community,” stated Mayor Brennan. “This simple fact of the matter is that the old adage penny wise and pound foolish applies to these cuts. For every dollar the state has invested in these prevention efforts, Maine has saved approximately $7.50 in costs, the highest return of investment for any state in the country.”

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This morning in Washington, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree talked to hundreds of veterans from around the country who had been victim of sexual assault in the military.  Pingree congratulated the veterans, who had gathered at a conference put on by the Service Women’s Action Network, for speaking out.

“I know this is a deeply emotional issue for you, and you should be congratulated for having the courage to come here today and tell your stories.  By going to Capitol Hill and talking to Members of Congress directly about your story, you will help bring about real change,” said Pingree.

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For a number of years male veterans have been honored with commemorative coins. Now Maine Women veterans are being honored with State of Maine Silver Commemorative Coins in a ceremony at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough.

These commemorative coins have the same image of the Women Veterans Plaque that hangs in the Hall of Flags Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta. The effort to highlight the service of women to our country began in 2009. The coins will be presented to eight women who are veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and Persian Gulf War. There will be other women veterans honored, in the same way, throughout the state in the coming years. Donations to keep the project going can be made.

A public opinion survey question on a proposal to give people credit for work done caring for children and family members with disabilities when calculating their Social Security benefits resulted in 67.5 percent of those surveyed favoring the idea.

“Taking care of a family member is one of the most important jobs anyone can have and people who make that choice should not be penalized by having their Social Security benefits reduced,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “A caregiver credit would help preserve the future financial stability of family members who stay home or reduce their work hours to take care of a loved one. It’s good for individuals, it’s good for workers and it’s good for our whole society.”

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This May, the Portland Police Department will offer its Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Training class. R.A.D. provides women with the tools they need to both avoid dangerous situations and escape them. The course is specifically designed to help women survive situations in which their lives are in jeopardy.

This class is open to all women, ages 13 and older, in the Greater Portland area who would like to develop real life defensive tools and tactics. The Basic Self-Defense Course consists of a series of four classes and one scenario day. The class is scheduled for May 8, 10, 15, and 17, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM and May 19 from 8:00 AM to noon. All classes must be attended to complete the course. The classes will be held at the Portland Police Department, 109 Middle Street, Portland, Maine.

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This Friday and Saturday as a part of the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take-Back Day, the City of Portland’s Police Department in partnership with the Maine Medical Center, Rite Aid and University of New England and other drug enforcement agencies will host a medication collection drive for medications including vitamins, over-the-counter drugs, prescriptions, and veterinary drugs.

If not properly disposed of, these medications could be used illegally or cause accidental poisoning. Additionally, the city’s waste system is not designed to remove pharmaceuticals.

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A Presque Isle man has been charged by Maine Forest Service Forest Rangers in connection with three small wildfires set earlier this month.

Chad Hamilton, 23, was charged on Sunday with one count of felony aggravated criminal mischief and three counts of criminal mischief for allegedly starting three wildfires in April in the city of Presque Isle.Hamilton became the focus of the investigation of the fires early on, according to MFS Forest Ranger Steve Wipperman, the lead investigator on the cases. All of the fires occurred in the city adjacent to the town’s ATV trail.

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In an article entitled “U.S. Outgunned in Hacker War” published on March 28, 2012, the Journal cited Shawn Henry, FBI Executive Assistant Director, who said, “The current public and private approach to fending off hackers is ‘unsustainable.’ Computer criminals are simply too talented and defensive measures too weak to stop them.”

With hackers growing more sophisticated every day, basic firewall protection and anti-virus software are quickly becoming antiquated and ineffective. In fact, less than 12% of the targeted malware collected was caught by anti-virus software in 2011, according to the Trustwave 2012 Global Security Report. As a result, the corporate network is increasingly exposed to malware, Trojans, advanced persistent threats, fake anti-virus software and other attacks that have the potential to lead to a data breach, network disruption, compromise of sensitive data and/or theft.

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sits at the head of the conference table during a meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta courtesy photo

In 2011 there were nearly 3,200 cases of sexual assault reported in the U.S. military, which was a 1 percent increase over 2010. The Pentagon estimates that 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta addressed the issue on April 9, 2012, announcing new steps to fight the problem. Before making the announcement, Panetta met with members of the House Armed Services Committee, including Democrat Chellie Pingree. Pingree met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night to discuss the proposed changes.

“These changes aren’t going to make sexual assault in the military go away, but they’re a good start and will give victims more of the protection they deserve,” said Pingree. “It’s also important that Secretary Panetta is speaking out on this issue. He couldn’t have been clearer when he talked to us last night. He said the rate of sexual assault in the military is totally unacceptable and I couldn’t agree with him more.”

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