The Week Ahead for Senator Chris Coons November 24-26

Monday, November 24 at 9 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Vision To Learn event to distribute glasses to children. Vision To Learn provides free eye exams and free glasses to elementary school students in low-income communities throughout Delaware. Highlands Elementary School, 2100 Gilpin Avenue, Wilmington, DE. Open to press. Contact Brian P. Cunningham 302-650-7858.

Monday, November 24 at 6:30 p.m. – The Senator will speak to a group of Cub Scouts on the merits of citizenship. Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church 500 McKennans Church Road, Wilmington, DE. Closed to press.

Tuesday, November 25 at 10:30 a.m. – The Senator, along with University of Delaware students from the Formula Society of Automobile Engineers club, will test drive their latest race car. Senator Coons will then talk about the importance of preparing students for future manufacturing and STEM jobs currently left unfilled throughout the United States. University of Delaware STAR Campus parking lot. Open to press. Contact Brian P. Cunningham 302-650-7858.

Tuesday, November 25 at 1:30 p.m. – The Senator will attend Norman Oliver’s 32^nd Annual Turkey Drive. The Stormin’ Norman Turkey Drive is one of Delaware’s biggest and oldest Thanksgiving feeding programs. This year marks the first in which the program will expand from the city of Wilmington to across the State. Boys & Girls Club of Newark, 109 Glasgow Drive, Newark, DE. Open to press. Contact Brian P. Cunningham at 302-650-7858.

Thursday, November 26 at 9 a.m. – The Senator will fire the opening cannon of the Annual PNC Bank Thanksgiving Day Run/Walk for MS. PNC Bank’s Thanksgiving Day race is the largest race in Delaware, 36 years running. Runners participate in 5k, 10k and non-competitive 5k races in support of care and research done by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Starting line is in front of PNC Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilmington.  – Open to Press. Contact Brian P. Cunningham at 302-650-7858.

Senator Coons' office accepting fall 2014 internship applications

Interested in working for Senator Coons in Washington or Delaware? The Office of Senator Chris Coons is seeking interns for offices in Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, and Dover, DE for the fall of 2014. Responsibilities include answering phones, greeting visitors, sorting mail, handling requests for flags and tours, and assisting front office as well as legislative staff. Please note that all positions are unpaid, but may qualify for academic credit if eligible. 

This position requires outstanding organizational abilities, strong communication skills, attention to detail, poise, flexibility, and an ability to prioritize in an extremely fast-paced office. Motivated, hard-working, and professional applicants looking to get a taste of Capitol Hill or state congressional offices are encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should e-mail Eric Wall at Eric_Wall@coons.senate.gov with the subject line reading “Intern” and include a cover letter, resume, and one brief (2-3 pages) writing sample. Applicants should also specify which offices they are interested in applying to. Applications received by Sept. 1 will be given priority. Delaware ties a plus, but not required. Absolutely no walk-ins or phone calls.

Senator Coons' office accepting summer 2014 internship applications

Interested in working for Senator Coons in Washington or Delaware? The Office of Senator Chris Coons is seeking interns for offices in Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, and Dover, DE for the summer of 2014. Responsibilities include answering phones, greeting visitors, sorting mail, handling requests for flags and tours, and assisting front office as well as legislative staff. Summer internship positions are full time. Please note that all positions are unpaid, but may qualify for academic credit if eligible. 

This position requires outstanding organizational abilities, strong communication skills, attention to detail, poise, flexibility, and an ability to prioritize in an extremely fast-paced office. Motivated, hard-working, and professional applicants looking to get a taste of Capitol Hill or state congressional offices are encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should e-mail Eric Wall at Eric_Wall@coons.senate.gov with the subject line reading “Intern” and include a cover letter, resume, and one brief (2-3 pages) writing sample. Applicants should also specify which offices they are interested in applying to. Applications received by May 15 will be given priority. Delaware ties a plus, but not required. Absolutely no walk-ins or phone calls.

Senator Coons talks policy, public service with UD students

No topic was off limits in Dr. Chris Counihan’s Introduction to Politics class at the University of Delaware Monday afternoon, as Senator Coons fielded students’ questions on policy issues ranging from the recent government shutdown, to GMOs, veterans' health, and employment issues.

Chris spoke with the class of more than 100 students about his early background of non-profit work with AmeriCorps, his work in the private sector with Gore, and what led him to run for office for the first time.

“I was approached to run for County Council, and I initially rebuffed the suggestion,” Chris said. “But then my wife, who had worked in county government for many years, said 'that’s exactly what you should do.' She said, ‘It was the County Police who kept you safe when you were a kid, the county park where your youth group from church met, and the Kirkwood Highway New Castle County library is where your mom dropped you off to keep you out of trouble. You grew up here, you benefitted from this place, but you haven’t given anything back to it.'” 

“Long story short, when your wife says do it, you do it,” Chris said with a smile.

Chris also touched on the recent dysfunction in Congress. “It is better than it seems from the outside,” said Chris. “I’ve actually been able to build real friendships with Republican senators. There are good and capable members of the Senate and the House, both parties, but the bad news is sometimes we don’t act like it. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting with Republican senators, traveling with them, going to prayer breakfasts with them, so we can get to know each other and try to build something.”

Chris closed by adding, “Public service has been the best experience I’ve had in my life. I never expected it would be as rewarding and positive as it has been.”

Senator Coons advances effort to make voting faster, more accessible for all Americans

In Thursday’s marathon session of discussions about the budget and our national priorities, the Senate Budget Committee approved an amendment authored by Senator Coons to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to make voting faster and more accessible for all Americans.

Passage of this amendment by the Budget Committee signals new momentum for the Louis L. Redding Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act – legislation Chris introduced to address the extraordinarily long lines and myriad of other voting issues that came up last Election Day in more than a dozen states.

 “Making it harder for citizens to vote is a violation of their civil rights,” Chris said when he re-introduced the bill this January. “The 2012 elections were a wakeup call. All over the country, in red states and blue states, Americans saw their fundamental right to vote eroded by exceptionally long lines, confusing rules and voting machine malfunctions. We have to do better than this. The FAST Voting Act is a creative way to jumpstart states’ election reform efforts.”

The amendment passed on Thursday calls for a non-mandate approach that is consistent with the FAST Voting Act, which would create a competitive grant program in the model of Race to the Top, encouraging states to aggressively pursue election reform. The states that demonstrate the most comprehensive and promising reform plans will earn a greater portion of the grant funding.

Click here to read more about the FAST Voting Act. This legislation was endorsed by the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Senator Coons helps kick off entrepreneurship program

Last week, Senator Coons took part in a launch celebration unveiling the new Horn Program in Entrepreneurship at UD.

Made possible by a generous gift from Charles and Patricia Horn, this program will encourage students to pursue the kind of entrepreneurial ideas that will power Delaware’s economy for years to come.

The Horn program will enhance and expand entrepreneurial studies at UD and be made up of a variety of initiatives like the Venture Development Center, a student business incubator, Hen Hatch, UD’s premier startup funding competition and an annual President’s Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It will also support new curricular offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Chris believes that supporting our innovators and entrepreneurs is critical to our economic recovery. 

To read more about his work to create jobs and promote American economic competitiveness, click here.

What We’re Reading: Senators urge Castro to release American

The New York Times reported Friday on Senator Coons’ meeting in Havana with President Raúl Castro of Cuba. During an official visit to Cuba, Haiti and Colombia, Senator Coons - along with five other members of Congress - lobbied for the release of imprisoned American aid worker, Alan Gross.

The meeting with Mr. Castro was the first high-level contact since former President Jimmy Carter dined with him in April 2010. The imprisonment of Mr. Gross has chilled any thaw that might have happened in the wake of the resignation of the longtime Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, and the assumption of the presidency by his brother Raúl.

…..

Mr. Coons said he was firm that Mr. Gross’s release must come first. “My message back was before anything else can be discussed, we have to make progress on our humanitarian concerns, and that means releasing Alan Gross,” he said.

 …..

Mr. Coons said the main goal of the talks was to assure Mr. Gross that his case remains the main impediment to diplomatic overtures.

Click here to read the full article on The New York Times’ website.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on foreign policy.

Senator Coons earns perfect rating on civil, human rights policy

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights released its annual Congressional Voting Record on Tuesday, highlighting the position of members of Congress on civil and human rights issues.

In historical terms, the session was one of the least productive on record with little to no work on the advancement of civil rights. Senator Coons, however, has remained an ardent supporter of advancing civil rights and received a perfect score on the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ voting record.

The scorecard, which covers the first session of the 112th Congress, outlines how U.S. senators and representatives voted and whether they co-sponsored legislation on priority issues affecting education, economic security, and civil rights. Chris is one of 38 senators to receive a perfect 100 percent rating for the first half of the 112th Congress. 

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society – an America as good as its ideals.

Founded in 1950, The Leadership Conference works to effect meaningful legislation, policies, and executive branch appointments, and to ensure the proper enforcement of civil rights laws to unite us as a nation true to its promise of equal justice, equal opportunity, and mutual respect.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work for to improve civil rights.

Budget Analysis: Promoting trade

In today’s global economy, it is critical for American businesses to be able to sell their goods and services to customers overseas. Senator Coons has been working to ensure Delaware businesses have access to the more than 95 percent of the world’s consumers who live outside the United States.

At his first Opportunity: Africa conference held this year in Wilmington, Senator Coons worked to connect Delawareans with some of the nation’s leading authorities on sustainable development and trade with Africa to help open new markets for Delaware businesses.  

President Obama’s budget proposal contains several important programs that can help meet that goal. For example:

• Export promotion. The budget provides an increase of $19 million, for a total of $432 million, to strengthen efforts at five international trade-related agencies to promote and enforce international trade, and meet the goals of the National Export Initiative. The funding will be divided among the Export-Import Bank, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. International Trade Commission and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.   
• Economic Diplomacy. Included in the State Department budget is funds for economic diplomacy and export promotion with the goal of increasing the number of “market-oriented economic and commercial policy activities and accomplishments” by 15 percent by September 2013.

Budget Analysis: College access and completion

It was fitting that President Obama unveiled his budget at a community college, because his plan focuses heavily on ensuring the next generation of American workers have access to an affordable higher education. 

This is a top priority for Senator Coons, who said “if we are to compete and succeed in the global economy, we have to invest now in the training and education required for highly skilled, good quality jobs. If we have the right workforce, we can revitalize American manufacturing so products are made in America and manufactured in Delaware.” 

In analyzing the President’s budget request, there are a several key programs related to college access, including:

• Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion.  The budget proposes a $1 billion investment in a new Race to the Top challenge for states to spur higher education reform that will help improve affordability, quality, productivity, and degree completion.
• First in the World Fund.  The budget proposes a new $55 million First in the World Fund that introduces an evidence-based framework to test, validate, and scale up effective strategies to improve higher education.
• Community College to Career Fund.  Co-administered by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education, this fund will help forge partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries, such as health care, transportation, and advanced manufacturing.