By Morgan Rogers May 9, 2012 Rep. Cornell Du houx at the state house in committee photo by Ramona du Houx Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx is in his second term and represents district 66 in Brunswick Maine. He serves on the Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee, is chair of the Veterans Caucus and is Vice Chair of the National […]
By Morgan Rogers
May 9, 2012
Rep. Cornell Du houx at the state house in committee photo by Ramona du Houx
Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx is in his second term and represents district 66 in Brunswick Maine. He serves on the Energy, Technology and Utilities Committee, is chair of the Veterans Caucus and is Vice Chair of the National Council of State Legislatures Committees on Energy and Agriculture. He is also a member of the National Council of Environmental Legislators.
He grew up in the small town of Solon Maine and attended Bowdoin College as a Mitchell Scholar. Cornell du Houx joined the Marine Reserves in 2002 and was deployed to Iraq with the Marines’ in 2006 – spending a year patrolling the streets in and around Fallujah. Rep. Cornell du Houx was commissioned into the Navy Reserves in December 2011. He serves as a public affairs officer stationed out of Bangor Maine. He conducts operational support for US Central Command (Middle East operations).
“I have served and continue to serve our country in the military since 2002 and the people of Brunswick in the legislature simultaneously since 2008,” said Cornell du Houx.
Rep. Cornell du Houx is chair of the Mitchell Scholarship Alumni Council and is working to promote clean energy and jobs in his district and across the nation. From 2009 to 2012 he worked with the Truman National Security Project on national security and energy issues.
Sen. John Warner, and Iraq Vetran Jon Powers listen to Rep. Cornell du Houx speak about Operation Free’s mission to make America energy independent from oil, for our national security at the White House. photo by Ramona du Houx
While he worked for the Truman Project in Washington, DC, he brought veterans of all wars together to form a coalition called Operation Free. He organized and took part in a press event at the White House about the issue. In each state he recruited, and trained future leaders, elected officials, their staff, nonprofits, and others involved in national security issues. He went on national bus tours with Operation Free spreading the truth that America’s dependency on foreign oil is a national security threat. The bus came to Maine in 2008. The Truman Project won the coveted REED award for the campaign. Operation Free gives many veterans a new mission to believe in. (www.operationfree.net).
With the Truman Project he also traveled to Copenhagen for the climate negotiations where he spoke at an international press conference and panels on this issue and promoted Maine’s leadership through our weatherization and Regional New England Greenhouse Gas Initiative programs.
President Obama recognized Rep. Cornell du Houx with a few other Young Elected Officials personally last June. Cornell du Houx’ work on energy and national security earned him that honor. He was the only legislator from Maine to do so.
“Our strong team of Democrats, lead by members like Rep. Alex Cornell Du Houx of Brunswick and Rep. Mark Dion of Portland, were able to negotiate effectively with commonsense Republicans. At the end of the day, we did what was best for Maine ratepayers – residential consumers and businesses alike – and pushed back against the LePage’s extreme agenda,” said Rep. Jon Hinck who serves on the committee with Rep. Cornell du Houx.
Rep. Cornell du Houx writes for the Huffintonpost at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-cornell-du-houx
His website that currently needs updating to reflect this session of the legislature is at: http://alexcornell.org/
More about his record in Maine:
Gov. John Baldacci with Alex Cornell du Houx before deploying to the Iraq War photo by Ramona du Houx
Veterans
• Alex is a Marine who deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2006 and in the 2009 -2010 legislative session he served on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. He also sits on the VA Homeless Veterans Working Group and chairs the Veterans Caucus. He now is an officer in the U.S. Navy.
• Veterans Education – Alex passed legislation to make Maine one of the only states in the nation that allows any veteran to take advantage our quality higher education system at no cost in conjunction with the 21st Century GI Bill.
• Homelessness – Alex sponsored and passed legislation to evaluate and address the issue of Maine’s homeless veterans and sits on the VA Homeless Veterans Working Group.
• Veterans’ Service Officer – Alex worked hard with members of his committee in 2009 to find the funding to hire a veterans’ service officer in southern Maine as the veteran center was closed there and Cumberland and York County have the highest population of veterans.
• State Parks – Alex was successful in providing free access to all veterans to our state parks and historical sites as a small token of thanks and a chance to relax after returning from deployment.
• Women Veterans’ Memorial – Alex co-sponsored successful legislation to recognize the heroic efforts of women veterans and provide for a memorial in the State House Hall of Flags.
• Military Children – Alex co-sponsored successful legislation to join an interstate compact to make the transition easier for children of military members entering new school systems.
• Maine Armories – Alex passed a resolution to request that Congress provide a higher percentage of the funding to operate our armories as our service members are being utilized at a higher level by the federal government. Currently, the National Guard sells property to pay for armory upkeep.
Energy and Economic Development
• Renewable Energy Investment – Alex submitted legislation to create “Pine Tree Economic Development Zones” to encourage renewable energy investment, which was rolled into a committee bill and is now helping boost economic investment in Maine.
• Weatherization — Alex has worked on legislation with the aim to weatherize every house in the state and half of all businesses. He has traveled to the White House to promote Maine’s leadership in this area and sits on the board for Habitat for Humanity in midcoast Maine, where they launched a weatherization and rehab program to weatherize 150 houses in the community.
• Brunswick Naval Air Station Redevelopment — Alex is working hard with the region’s delegation to ensure the redevelopment of BNAS brings quality jobs and turns into an economic boost to Brunswick and the region. He worked on legislation to bring the University of Maine’s and Southern Maine’s Community College’s advanced composite program to the Brunswick Landing.
• Veterans and Green Jobs – A third of those who deployed with the Maine National Guard did not have employment when they deployed. Alex is working to bring a “Veterans Green Jobs” program to the state, which trains veterans in weatherization and clean energy technology jobs.
• Preserve Homeownership and Protecting Tenants During Foreclosure – Alex submitted and cosponsored legislation to protect tenants during foreclosures and help homeowners keep their homes, which is now helping homeowners and tenants across the state.
• Rail and Amtrak – As a member of the Rail Caucus, Alex is working hard to bring passenger and freight trains to Brunswick and the rest of the state. Maine recently received 35 million dollars to upgrade the tracks from Portland to Brunswick in stimulus funding because of the work accomplished to make the project shovel ready.
Education
• Alex has volunteered in the Brunswick school system for six years as an America Counts and Reads tutor and in previous years was a coach for boy’s lacrosse and soccer at the Brunswick junior high school. He also worked to improve the Maine Learning Results in underage substance abuse and athletic policy.
• Veterans Education – Alex passed legislation to make Maine one of the only states in the nation that allows any veteran to take advantage our quality higher education system at no cost in conjunction with the 21st Century GI Bill.
• Community College Development – Alex worked hard with the Brunswick delegation to bring a bond to the ballot to fund the development of Southern Maine Community College at the redeveloped Brunswick Naval Air Station to focus on composite technology.
• Financial Literacy – Alex is implementing a financial literacy program to Brunswick’s high school with former state representative Tommy Davison at no cost to the district.
Environment
• Alex is vice chair of the National Council of State Legislators Energy Committee and is a member of the National Council of Environmental Legislators. He worked for a summer on a local organic farm and supports organic farms and farmers’ markets.
• Preserving Maine’s Quality of Place – Alex introduced legislation to promote renewable energy investment at the Brunswick Naval Air Station and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation to help prevent tarsand oil from entering the state, lead in wheels and recycling of fluorescent light bulbs to prevent mercury from spreading, responsible water extraction, and supported funding for land for Maine’s future, as well as legislation to weatherize every house and half of businesses in Maine.
Healthcare
• Alex worked for the Governor’s Office of Health Policy and Finance during the Baldacci administration and has been active in lobbying for quality, accessible, affordable healthcare for everyone at the national, state and community level with the Oasis health clinic.
• Dental Care — Alex is co-sponsored successful legislation to ensure insurance companies provide dental care for all children by age one, not age four, as by then their teeth and long term health are permanently harmed.
• Physical Education – Alex co-sponsored successful legislation to promote physical education in our school system to prevent childhood obesity.
• Family Caregivers – Alex worked on and co-sponsored legislation to protect family caregivers with Rep. Walsh Innes to provide for mothers in the workplace.
Government & Service
• Lobbyist Disclosure and Photos – Alex co-sponsored and worked on legislation to require all lobbyists to wear nametags and provide a photo of themselves online at the ethics commission’s website.
• Native Americans –Alex worked to change the rules to allow our two Native American representatives to have their names displayed with the rest of the legislature.
• Strengthening Clean Elections – Alex co-sponsored successful legislation to strengthen our clean election system and make it viable for the future during the 2009– 2010 legislative session.
• Equality – Alex co-sponsored legislation to end discrimination in civil marriage and affirm religious freedom.
• Non-Profits – Alex successfully co-sponsored legislation to allow non-profits to hold larger ticket raffles to benefit the community.
Welcome to the Solon Center for Research and Publishing first bimonthly issue of Insights Literary/Art Journal. Stories from authors published and unpublished will debut here. Original art will accompany the stories. We’ll host contests, working with Gallery Fukurou, of Rockland, Maine and the Maine publisher Polar Bear & Company.
Maine Insights, a 501(c)4, connects our main streets with lawmakers in Augusta, highlighting state policies, technological innovations, agriculture, education, community growth and economics with factual analysis, individual profiles and exclusive in-depth coverage. We also report on areas where justice is not being served in the hope to be a contributing catalyst for change.
Your contribution today, will ensure our reporting continues into the future. Please send your donation to 8 Brook St., Solon, ME 04979.
Visit PEN for in-depth coverage of how America is addressing the climate crises. Systemic racism has held back progress, along with the deep pockets of industry that don’t want to change the status quo.
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