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Susan (Susan) M. Collins (R)
Web Site
Capitol: 202.224.5344
FAX: 202.224.1946
District: 207.622.8292
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Senator
Room 413 DSOB- Dirksen Senate Office Building Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE
Washington, DC 20510-1904
Residence: Bangor, ME
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| Elected: 1996 Next Election: 2014 | | DOB: 12/7/1952 |
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BioMaine voters first elected Susan M. Collins to represent them in the United States Senate in 1996. She was reelected in 2002 and 2008. She has earned a national reputation as a thoughtful, effective legislator, who works across party lines to seek consensus on our nation’s most important issues. Senator Collins has a record of accomplishments in strengthening our homeland security against terrorist attacks and natural disasters. She has authored many bipartisan pieces of legislation that strengthen homeland security including - Reforming national intelligence- Senator Collins coauthored the Collins-Lieberman intelligence reform legislation, which was signed into law in December 2004. The law represents the most sweeping changes to our intelligence community in more than 50 years and implements many of the ecommendations of the 9-11 Commission with a focus on improving our intelligence systems to help prevent future terrorist attacks. Improving disaster response- After observing the poor response at all levels of government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005, Senators Collins led a thorough investigation of our national system for preparing for and responding to disasters. As a result, Senators Collins and Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) coauthored legislation that reorganized FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security. Among other major reforms, the new law statute reunites FEMA’s preparedness and response capabilities to meet the challenges of all aspects of emergency management. Preventing attacks through ports- More than 11 million cargo containers entered American ports last year. The steady flow of shipping containers creates opportunities for “Trojan Horse” operations that might smuggle explosives, toxins, weapons, or even terrorists into America’s busy ports. The bipartisan SAFE Port Act authored by Senator Collins and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) significantly strengthens port-security with improved cargo-screening standards, incentives for importers to enhance their security measures, and installation of radiation detectors at the 22 largest American ports. It also requires that DHS develop a system to resume shipping after a terrorist attack. Preventing attacks on chemical facilities- America’s thousands of facilities that manufacture, store, or use hazardous chemicals are economically vital, but could expose thousands or even millions of people to risk if attacked. The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act authored by Senators Collins and Lieberman directs DHS to require vulnerability assessments, establish security standards, and require plans and drills at high-risk chemical facilities. Senator Collins is the 15th woman in history to be elected to the Senate in her own right. Susan Margaret Collins was born in the small northern Maine city of Caribou on December 7, 1952. Her family runs a fifth-generation lumber business, founded by her ancestors in 1844, and operated today by two of her brothers. Each of Senator Collins’ parents has served as Mayor of Caribou, and her father served Maine as a State Senator. In 1975, she graduated with magna cum laude honors from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where she was also elected to the Phi Beta Kappa national academic society. After working for 12 years on the Capitol Hill staff of Maine Senator William Cohen, she joined the cabinet of Maine Governor John McKernan in 1987 as Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation. After five years in that post, she then served as New England Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration from 1992 to 1993. In 1994, Senator Collins ran her first campaign for public office. She emerged from an eight-way Republican primary in June 1994 as the first woman in Maine history to win a major-party nomination for governor. She lost that fall’s general election, but remained committed to public service. In December 1994, Senator Collins became the founding executive director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College in Bangor, Maine. She resigned in 1996 to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Cohen. She went on to win both a contested Republican primary and a four-way general election later that year. In 2002, Senator Collins was reelected with 59 percent of the general-election vote. In 2008, Senator Collins was relected with 61 percent of the vote. Senator Collins has also earned honors from many professional and civic groups. Senator Collins was honored by families who lost loved ones on September 11th for her work authoring the Collins-Lieberman intelligence reform legislation. In 2006, the American Association of Port Authorities named Senator Collins as “Ports Person of the Year” for her work in helping to secure our nation’s ports. In addition, Senator Collins has been named “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, “Legislator of the Year” by the American Diabetes Association, and has received honors from other groups ranging from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Association to the National School Boards Association.
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