Consumer Alert: Free credit reports for Delawareans

Senator Coons’ constituent service team is spreading the word: everyone is entitled to a free credit report once per year.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nation’s consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. This legislation also promotes the accuracy and privacy of information held by the consumer reporting companies.

A credit report includes personal information, including your address, how you pay your bills and whether you have filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies provide this information to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance or employment.

It is extremely important to review your credit report regularly to make sure all the information is correct. If you spot an inaccuracy, you can work to have it resolved before the bad information impacts your ability to buy or rent a home, open a credit card, or complete other purchases.

To take advantage of your right to a free annual credit report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can:

• Visit annualcreditreport.com
• Call 1-877-322-8228
• Print and complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form at ftc.gov/credit and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
• Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies directly. They are providing free annual credit reports only through the website, phone number and address listed above.

For more information on accessing your credit report, please click here .

The Senator’s week ahead schedule: March 12 to March 18

Monday, March 12at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 4:00 p.m.  Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Tuesday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate until 11:00 a.m.  Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Tuesday, March 13 at 11:30 a.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate until 12:30 p.m.  Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Wednesday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting.  Key state and local Chambers of Commerce members will be present during the meeting including representatives from the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. S-207 U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press, but photographs and a readout will be made available to Delaware media.

Wednesday, March 14 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing entitled, “Sudan and South Sudan: Independence and Insecurity.” Witnesses testifying at the hearing include: the Honorable Princeton Lyman, Special Envoy for Sudan, U.S. Department of State; George Clooney, Co-founder, Satellite Sentinel Project; and John Prendergast, Co-founder, Satellite Sentinel Project, Enough Project. Senator Coons is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations African Affairs Subcommittee. 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.

Wednesday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m.  — The Senator will meet with the Delaware League of Local Governments (DLLG). The DLLG is a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of city, town, village, and county governments established in 1963 to improve and assist local governments through legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels. U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. — Closed to press.

Friday, March 16 at 7:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a St. Patrick’s Day mass and breakfast in Wilmington. The celebration will include fellowship, Irish song and a parade immediately following mass. St. Patrick’s Church, 15^th and King Street, Wilmington, DE – Open to press. (If the Senate is not in session on Friday.)

Friday, March 16 at 11:30 a.m. – The Senator will attend the grand opening of Stepping Stones Federal Credit Union. With hopes to become a key facet of the Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council’s ongoing efforts to give low-income Wilmington residents more banking options and broader sources of business-building financing.  601 North Church Street, Wilmington, DE  – Open to press. (If the Senate is not in session on Friday.)

Friday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Women Veterans Specialty Clinics Addition. The new space provides more than 9,000 square feet of patient care including triage and examination rooms, telemedicine services, waiting lobby with a children’s section and restrooms. Female veterans will receive primary and gender-specific care. Wilmington VA Medical Center, 1601 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE – Open to press. (If the Senate is not in session on Friday.)

Friday, March 16 at 6:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at the 2012 Delaware State Education Association Celebration of Leadership Event.  Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center, Dover, DE – Closed to press. (If the Senate is not in session on Friday.)

Saturday, March 17 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the Main Street Dover’s 17th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Downtown Dover, DE – Open to press. 

Note: Schedule is subject to change

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American Passport Day

Before you plan your trip abroad, you have to make sure your passport is up-to-date. The State Department has designated March 10 as Passport Day to encourage Americans looking to travel overseas to take advantage of this one day offer to apply for their U.S. passport online without an appointment.

Delawareans planning a trip more than two months in advance can apply for standard processing (4-6 weeks) or pay an additional $60 for expedited processing (2-3 weeks, door-to-door). Passport Day events are being held at Regional Passport Agencies and many Passport Acceptance Facilities across the country in communities like yours.

If you’ve been waiting to get your passport, this is the time!

Click here to learn more about how Sen. Coons’ staff can help you obtain a passport or call us at 302-573- 6345

Spring job fairs announced for New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties

The Delaware Congressional Delegation announced they will be hosting three job fairs this spring – one in each of Delaware’s counties.   Businesses looking to hire are encouraged to reserve their spots early and to come prepared to interview talented job seekers who will show up with resumes in-hand.

“Even though the economy has begun to pick up, we can’t stop trying to help our out-of-work neighbors find jobs. It remains my top priority.” Senator Coons said. “Delaware is at its best when it comes together as a community. Nearly 5,000 job seekers came to our job fairs last year, and while I’ve loved hearing from Delawareans who found work at one of them, others still need our help. There are employers right here in Delaware ready to hire, and these job fairs will connect them with talented folks looking for jobs. We received a lot of great feedback about ways to improve on last year’s job fairs, and look forward to applying those lessons at these three fairs.”

Job Fair Schedule and Details:

• Kent County Job Fair: April 23, 2012 at Delaware State University in Dover

• Sussex County Job Fair: April 30, 2012 at Rehoboth Beach Convention Center in Rehoboth Beach
• New Castle County Job Fair: June 18, 2012 at Sheraton Wilmington South in New Castle

In addition to networking with companies looking to hire, job seekers can also take advantage of the myriad workshops, career counseling and resume review opportunities.

For more information or how to participate as an employer or job seekers, please call Senator Coons’ office at 302-573-6345, or email workshop@coons.senate.gov.

Click here to learn more about Senator Coons’ first job fair in Wilmington last April.

Senator Coons encourages blood donation

Senator Coons’ office recently came together to create an employee team for the Blood Bank of Delmarva. It is important to Chris and his staff that Delawareans are aware of the Blood Bank’s life- changing and life-saving work.

The Blood Bank of Delmarva is a non-profit community service organization that provides blood and blood products to 16 hospitals on the Delmarva Peninsula. In the past year, over 50,000 people provided blood donations for over 20,000 recipients.

This is a time when the nation’s blood supply is often experiencing critical shortages. Many people are unaware that much of today’s medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors. About one out of every seven people entering a hospital needs blood.

“Blood donation is about saving lives,” said Chris.  “A member of my staff recently shared with me that her father is here today because of the generosity of blood donors–a sudden illness required that he receive 11 pints of blood.  He was fortunate that blood was available at the time of his emergency because that is not always the case.  In order to keep saving lives, we must continue to encourage others to donate.” 

One pint of blood, the average donation, can save up to three people’s lives. If only an additional one percent of all Americans gave blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.

Healthy adults who are at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds may donate one pint of blood every two months. The process takes one hour and four easy steps: medical history, quick physical, give blood and snacks.

The Blood Bank of Delmarva operates four blood donor centers throughout Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, as well as 32 established mobile donation locations. Check with your company, school, place of worship, or civic organization to see if they host blood drives.

For more information about the Blood Bank, creating a team, or to schedule an appointment to give blood visit: www.delmarvablood.org

Idols against malaria on the Hill

This week, the Malaria No More Policy Center hosted an event on Capitol Hill, recognizing members of Congress committed to fighting malaria around the world. They also brought along some special guests in former American Idol contestants Elliot Yamin (Season 5), Jason Castro (Season 7) and Melinda Doolittle (Season 6).

The Idols have partnered with Malaria No More as they work to reach a goal of near zero malaria deaths by 2015.

Senator Coons, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on African Affairs, also co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Working Group on Malaria.

Malaria, an infectious blood disease spread by mosquitoes, is most prevalent in the developing world, with 90 percent of deaths occurring in Africa.  In June, the Senate unanimously adopted a resolution Chris sponsored in support of World Malaria Day, and affirming support for U.S. leadership to combat malaria as a critical component of the President’s Global Health Initiative.

Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) spoke at the event.  The American Idol contestants were vocal about their support for the fight against malaria and were grateful their celebrity gives them a platform from which to speak out for the cause.

Melinda Doolittle recalled a visit from Bono during the filming of American Idol, saying, “He said, ‘you have this platform and millions of people are seeing you sing, but what you are going to do with the platform?’” She cited this question as her inspiration to become more active in the Malaria No More project.

This bipartisan event highlighted the cooperation and support for the fight against malaria on Capitol Hill, and the sense that even in a tough political climate, some issues can still bring people together.

ICYMI: Senator Coons op-ed on efforts to capture LRA leader Joseph Kony

The Huffington Post: Senator Chris Coons wrote an op-ed on Thursday drawing attention to efforts to capture Joseph Kony, the notorious leader of the LRA – an organization that has kidnapped and murdered tens of thousands of people in central Africa.

As we work toward this shared goal, it is essential to be clear about certain facts that may have been blurred these last few days. Joseph Kony’s unconscionable crimes against humanity are not in doubt. Under his leadership, the LRA murdered and kidnapped tens of thousands of people and advanced the use of rape as a weapon of war.  Over two decades, they forced thousands of children to become child soldiers, displaced even more people from their homes and destabilized an entire region.

That’s why President Obama’s decisive action to bring Kony and his top lieutenants to justice is such a critical part of the story.

The Obama Administration has taken steps to “remove Kony from the battlefield,” and it has done so in the right way. In 2010, Congress passed and the President signed legislation authored by former Senator Russ Feingold to express support for increased U.S. efforts to help mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the LRA.  With this authorization, President Obama deployed 100 American military advisors to central Africa to train and assist regional militaries in their pursuit of Kony. The Administration, with the strong support of Congress, has also taken steps to increase civilian protection, support the desertion of LRA combatants, and provide assistance to populations affected by the LRA.

Click here to read the full op-ed on The Huffington Post.

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

Honoring International Women’s Day

Since the United Nations General Assembly first invited member states to proclaim March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1977, many countries pause to mark the innumerable contributions women have made in their country and around the world. The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty.

As chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senator Coons knows that in order to increase the quality of life for Africans, women must have a seat at the table and play an integral role in national decisions. This can only occur when countries invest in educating girls and boys equally and provide access to primary health care services.

The scourge of malaria impacts all kinds of people, but the majority of those killed are pregnant women and children under five years old.  Senator Coons is a co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Working Group on Malaria to raise Congressional awareness of U.S. efforts to stem the tide of malaria across the globe. Malaria, an infectious blood disease spread by mosquitoes, is most prevalent in the developing world, with 90 percent of deaths occurring in Africa. In June, the Senate unanimously adopted a resolution sponsored by Chris that supports the goals and ideals of World Malaria Day, and affirmed support for U.S. leadership to combat malaria as a critical component of the President’s Global Health Initiative.

Women play a critical role in agriculture, which forms the foundation of the economy for the rural poor. Worldwide roughly 1.6 billion women rely on farming for their livelihoods, and female farmers produce more than half of the world’s food. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, women account for 75 percent of all the agricultural producers. Due to the lack of information technology and the inability to connect rural enterprises to banks, many women in developing nations face greater obstacles than men when it comes to increasing their productivity and income.

One way women are working together to improve their communities and income is through cooperatives (co-ops) a type of business characterized by democratic ownership where farmers pool their resources for mutual economic benefit. In the war-torn country of Côte d’Ivoire, Marium Gnire partnered with Slow Foods International to organize a women’s farming co-op that would provide quality local food for school meals in her village of N’Ganon, increasing both the women’s income and the health of the community. Co-ops have been immensely successful in improving the lives of women and their families.

International Women’s Day is a time for reflection on the role women have played and continue to play in the betterment of our society and our world.

Click here to learn more about International Women’s Day.

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

Senator Coons, Judiciary Committee crack down on drug thieves

This morning, Senator Coons and his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee approved legislation to fight a dangerous and growing class of crimes – the theft and illegal trafficking of pharmaceuticals.

The SAFE DOSES Act, co-sponsored by Senator Coons, passed the committee unanimously.

Between 2007 and 2009, the value of medicine stolen rose an estimated 350%, putting Delawareans at risk of unwittingly consuming dangerous or tainted pharmaceuticals. As co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, Senator Coons has worked hard to ensure law enforcement officers have the tools they need to combat this rapidly increasing type of crime.

The new law increases the criminal penalties for the theft of pre-retail medical products, including counterfeiting the label of a drug before it hits store shelves.  If the value stolen is over $5,000, the penalty can be up to 15 years in prison, and if a consumer or patient suffers serious bodily harm from the hijacked medicine, that doubles to 30 years.  In addition, civil penalties and restitution provisions will further deter the theft or counterfeiting of medical products.

Senator Coons is inspired at Sussex County Science Fair

Senator Coons went back to his roots as a chemistry major at the 20th annual Sussex County Science Fair on Monday. Chris was blown away by the work of the middle and high school participants whose projects covered a wide spectrum of scientific studies. He also took the opportunity to meet with and thank science teachers who encouraged students to participate.

“Teachers who go the extra mile, teachers who inspire kids to use what they’re learning in the classroom and apply it to everyday life–those are the educators who motivate students to follow their dreams and to go on to do great things,” said Chris.

The fair provided students with the opportunity to be recognized by the community for their curiosity and achievements in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academics. Since arriving in the Senate, Chris has worked hard to promote STEM education.

“An education rooted in STEM gives students a leg up when it comes to finding good quality jobs,” he said.

Chris also spoke with Priyen Patel and his sister, Bansri, students at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown who he previously met last year in Washington when they were on Capitol Hill for the international BioGENEius competition.

At the fair, Chris recognized all the hard work students, educators, judges, sponsors and volunteers like Helen Gieske put in to make this important event a reality for the 20th straight year. He also congratulated all of the winners:

Sussex County BioGENEius Winners             

Priyen Patel, Sussex Tech            

Bansri Patel, Sussex Tech             

Gopika Lakshmanan, Indian River            

Melissa Schoonfield, Sussex Central                                       

William McCabe, Indian River                    

Sussex County Science Fair Winners            

Grade 7                               

First Place: Cohen Davis, Sussex Academy

Second Place: Golden Fees, Sussex Academy

Third Place: Brooke Ward, Sussex Academy

Honorable Mention: Colleen Anderson, Sussex Academy

Honorable Mention: Gabrielle Hastings, Sussex Academy

Honorable Mention: Griffin McCormick, Sussex Academy

Grade 8                               

First Place: Ricky Brokaw, Sussex Academy

Second Place: Ashe Hebrank-Ekas, Beacon Middle

Third Place: Grace Brokaw, Sussex Academy

Honorable Mention: Tobias Ferl, Sussex Academy

Honorable Mention: Nicholas Conrad, Beacon Middle

Grade 9                               

First Place: Melissa Schoonfield, Sussex Central

Second Place: Alison Jennings, Indian River

Third Place: John Douglass Messick, Sussex Central

Honorable Mention: Tiffany Raeuber, Sussex Central

Honorable Mention: Jack Saxton, Indian River

Grade 10                             

First Place: Bansri Patel, Sussex Tech

Second Place: Sid Miller, Cape Henlopen

Third Place: Merrick Kovatch, Indian River

Honorable Mention: Jennifer Peasnall, Sussex Central

Honorable Mention: Mason Chambers, Sussex Central

Honorable Mention: Chelsea Shanahan, Indian River

Grade 11                             

First Place: Caroline Maahs, Sussex Central

Second Place: Priyen Patel, Sussex Tech

Third Place: Trevor Aldred, Cape Henlopen

Honorable Mention: Kristin Kneller, Indian River

Grade 12                             

First Place: Sara Westhafer, Indian River

Second Place: Amber Pearce, Sussex Central