Assignment Example on Susan Collins: United States Senator for Maine

What were the major steps in the Senator's political career that led her to the Senate?

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After graduation, Susan Collins worked as a legislative assistant of U.S. and in 1987 she became regional director for the small business administration in New England. In 1993 after moving to Massachusetts, she became the Deputy State Treasurer of Massachusetts. In gubernatorial election of 1994, she won an eight-way Republican primary which led her to be the first woman to be designated by a major party of Maine Governor. In the same year, "she became the founding executive director of the Family Center Business of Husson College in Bangor" (Bradner 15). This took place until in 1996 when she became the candidacy for the US seat Senate that was being vacated by William Cohen who was her former boss. Competing with her Democratic opponent, Joe Brennan, she won the election by defeating Brennan with a margin of 5%. She was then re-elected in 2002 and again in 2008 and also in 2014 all through carrying every county in Maine.

All these experience in her political career contributed highly in her becoming the senator. Her being a bipartisan and centrist member of the Republican Party has made her as an influential player that made her to be chosen as a senator. Her legislative accomplishments in areas like security, national defense, education health care and other specific interests of the nation has also contributed highly in her senate life. One of the cases in healthcare that has led to her Senate is through her fight programs of Diabetes and Alzheimer disease since 1997.

When was she first elected to the Senate?

Susan Collins was first elected as a Senate in 1996 and that's when she started representing Maine in that body.

What committees in the Senate does she serve on and in what capacity?

Collins serves on various committees and includes; chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee; chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging; member of the Defense Subcommittee; "member of Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee; Senate Committee on Health, Education , Labor and Pensions; and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence" ( Acee 23).

What specific legislation has the Senator sponsored? Summarize what the Legislation was about?

There is much legislation that Susan Collins has sponsored and one of the major one is in health care. The legislation was founded in 1997 which started with Senate Diabetes Caucus and has led to triple effort through diabetes research. Also in Alzheimer's disease, she is the Senate co-chair of the Congressional Task Force where she served to enhance funding for the research of the disease hence strengthening support for family care.

What issues and policies has the Senator focused on recently?

One of the major issue and policy that Susan Collins has focused recently is on the GOP tax bill. Collins proposes a change on it citing that backing it up will create worries on health care and loss state as well as deductions on local tax. She proposes an amendment to the tax bill that would retain the deduction for property taxes for up to $10,000 so as it can become beneficial for middle income individuals of the U.S. Her stand is for the lawmakers to include two separate bills of provision where one of them is for the Affordable Care Act to subside payments for less-fortunate income for a period of two years and the other is to reinsurance bill that will help insurers over the expensive patients by providing $2.25 billion annually. Also, her proposal on tax bill involves refundable tax credit for adult dependent care which will deduct medical expenses hence benefiting the public and non-profit employees.

Work Cited

Acee, Taylor W. "About Susan Collins, United States Senator for Maine" (2016). https://www.collins.senate.gov/about

Bradner, Eric. "Collins to remain in Senate, bypass run for Maine governor"The New England Journal of Political Science 9.2 (2017). https://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/13/politics/susan-collins-Maine-senator/index.html

Gates William H. Collins shares concerns about GOP tax bill propose changes. Beacon Press,(2016). https://bangordailynews.com/2017/11/30/politics/collins-says-she-is-not-committed-to-tax-bill/