The Senator’s week ahead schedule: August 29 to September 4

Monday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. – The Senator will speak at Amherst College’s freshman orientation. A graduate of Amherst College’s 1985 class, Senator Coons will participate in the school’s annual DeMott Lecture by delivering remarks and holding a question and answer session with approximately 475 first-year students who just arrived on campus for their college orientation. Amherst College, Amherst, MA – Closed to press.

Wednesday, August 31 at 1:30 p.m. TO BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE – The Senator will visit Fisker Automotive. The purpose of the visit is to view the progress being made on refitting the facility with state of the art equipment and to meet some of the newest Fisker employees. 801 Boxwood Road, Wilmington, DE – Closed to press.  

Wednesday, August 31 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will host a roundtable on jobs for Delaware’s ‘Main Street’ businesses. The third in a series of jobs roundtable discussions being hosted by Senator Coons, explores how Delaware’s small businesses are weathering the recession and how Washington can help them create jobs. Newport Town Hall, 226 North James Street, Newport, DE  – Open to press.  

Thursday, September 1 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF). This purpose of AASF is to support aviation units, which are assigned to Delaware for all of their continuous aviation related maintenance, training, and flight activities. This facility will be Delaware’s designated location where all Army Aviation activity originates. Army Aviation Support Facility, 33 Corporate Circle, New Castle, DE – Open to press.

Thursday, September 1 at 1:45 p.m. – The Senator will join Senator Carper, Representative Carney, DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara and DelDot Secretary Shailen Bhatt at a press event to highlight the plans for a recreational trail along the C&D Canal. This project will create safe recreational opportunities along the canal where people can hike, bicycle, jog, skate and ride horses. Under the St. Georges Bridge, along the northern C&D Canal. Rain location: Grass Dale Conference Center – Open to press.

Friday, September 2 at 8:00 a.m. – The Senator will hold a live interview with WGMD’s Dan Gaffney. Jimmy’s Grill, 18541 South Main Street, Bridgeville, DE 

Friday, September 2 at 1:30 p.m. – The Senator will tour the Beebe Medical Center and its School of Nursing with Hospital President/CEO Jeff Fried. 424 Savannah Road, Lewes, DE – Closed to the press.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

—

UPDATE, AUGUST 31 – We will be rescheduling the Senator’s visit to Fisker Automotive for a later date.

Important information for Delawareans: preparing for Hurricane Irene

As Hurricane Irene approaches our region, and with the storm expected to hit Delaware hard, Governor Markell has declared a state of emergency and ordered a mandatory evacuation for all non-resident visitors to the state’s coastal communities. He has further urged residents 3/4 of a mile from coastal areas and any major body of water to leave and seek shelter with friends or family in areas inland. This includes New Castle and Delaware City in addition to beach communities in Kent and Sussex Counties. The Red Cross has already begun setting up shelters for those needing to leave their homes. Senator Coons joins in encouraging all Delawareans to be prepared for the storm. This includes obeying evacuation orders as well as staying off the roads during the storm.  Those not required to evacuate should remain indoors and away from windows. 

For important information about Hurricane Irene, please visit the following links:

• Governor Markell’s August 25 order declaring a state of emergency  
• Hurricane Irene information from the National Hurricane Center
• Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)
• PrepareDE, Delaware’s disaster preparedness site
• Information on Delaware school closings
• Information on Delaware state agency closings or delays
• Delaware Department of Agriculture recommendations for livestock owners

On Twitter, Delawareans can follow @governormarkell, @DEStormInfo and @DelawareEMA for storm updates.

Important Telephone Contact Numbers:

• Delaware Emergency Management Agency – (302) 659-3362
• New Castle County Office of Emergency Management – (302) 395-2700
• City of Wilmington Emergency Management Office – (302) 576-3914
• Kent County Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management Division – (302) 735-3465
• Sussex County Emergency Operations Center – (302) 855-7801

As always, in case of an emergency, residents across the state should contact their local emergency services by dialing 9-1-1. 

Chris encourages all residents of the First State to be safe and prepared. 

Senator Coons hosts roundtable on high-tech jobs

NEWARK — Senator Coons hosted a roundtable discussion with more than a dozen participants from local cutting-edge research companies on Thursday. The 90-minute discussion, which was held at the Delaware Technology Park in Newark, was the second of three roundtables Chris is hosting this month to engage Delawareans in a conversation about job creation in the First State.

“I sincerely hope that the information flow that took place today was fruitful for all involved,” Chris said. “I know I learned a great deal by listening to what local manufacturing industry leaders had to say about hiring and maintaining a skilled-workforce to help keep their companies solvent. If we’re going to jumpstart the economy, we have to continue to support the manufacturing community right here at home.” 

Chris encouraged a dialogue that focused on what’s good about doing business in Delaware and what can be done to make the First State an even better place for companies to lay down their roots. Chris feels strongly that once businesses come to Delaware, it is up to all levels of government to support them and keep them here. Among topics discussed were targeted tax credits, improved access to capital, “wet” lab space for biotechnology research, patent reform, trade enforcement, and stronger investments in math and science education.

In April, Chris introduced his first bill, the Job Creation Through Innovation Act, to jumpstart domestic manufacturing and help innovative small business grow by:

• Expanding, simplifying and making permanent the Research & Development Tax Credit
• Creating a new Small Business Innovation Tax Credit
• Creating a new Domestic Manufacturing Tax Credit
• Extending the 1603 Treasury Grants Program
• Investing in the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit

Chris will host a third roundtable on August 31 to discuss community-based small businesses.

Senator Coons hosts roundtable on jobs for veterans

NEW CASTLE — Senator Coons hosted a roundtable discussion on jobs for veterans at the Delaware National Guard headquarters on Monday, with participants from the military, public, private, medical, and academic sectors.  They joined Chris to talk about the high unemployment rates for veterans nationally and what steps can be taken here in Delaware to provide resources to returning service members and help them find jobs. 

The first of three roundtables Chris is hosting on job creation, Monday’s meeting included 19 participants and focused on the unique challenges facing veterans as they return home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The discussion, which lasted for an hour and a half, drew on the participants’ work and areas of expertise in creating opportunities to help ease veterans’ transition back to the civilian workforce. 

“For months I’ve been meeting with military leaders, veterans who are looking for work, business leaders, and government officials, and the message I’m hearing from everyone is the same – we need to do more to boost hiring rates of those who’ve served,” Chris said.  “To help returning veterans get into the workforce we need to do two things simultaneously.  First, we need to get our economy moving again in order to create jobs, and second, we need to help businesses recognize the value in the leadership and technical skills our veterans gained from their service.”

With the national unemployment rate for veterans under the age of 24 at 21.1%, Chris introduced the Hire America’s Heroes Act in May.  The bill would provide additional assistance to service members transitioning into the civilian workforce, but Chris believes this legislation must only be a first step.  Monday’s roundtable discussion convened stakeholders in an effort to produce new ideas for Chris to bring to Washington when the Senate returns for its September session. 

Chris will host another roundtable on August 25, focusing on Delaware’s high-tech and R&D sector, and he will host a third one on August 31 to discuss community-based small businesses.   

To learn more about what Chris is doing to help Delaware’s veterans, click here. 

The Senator’s week ahead schedule: August 22 to August 28

Monday, August 22 at 11:30 a.m. – The Senator will speak at the Delaware Mentoring Council’s Back-to-School Celebration.  Last year, the Delaware Mentoring Council (DMC) received $750,000 from the federal government to support mentoring in Delaware.  Since then, the DMC has provided Student Mentoring Program Grants to 45 schools and community organizations across the state. Also attending are Senator Tom Carper, former Rep. Mike Castle, and First Lady Carla Markell. Bancroft Elementary School, 700 North Lombard Street, Wilmington, DE – Open to press. 

Monday, August 22 at 12:30 p.m. – The Senator will visit the New Castle Senior Center to talk with constituents. New Castle, DE – Closed to press.

Monday, August 22 at 1:30 p.m. – The Senator will host a roundtable on jobs for Delaware’s veterans. The nationwide unemployment rate for young veterans just back from Iraq or Afghanistan is 22 percent and amongst all veterans, it is over 13 percent.  Senator Coons will host a roundtable to listen to an array of local experts on what Congress can do to help our nation’s heroes come home to job opportunities worthy of their sacrifice. Delaware National Guard Headquarters Building, Loeffel Room, 2600 Spruance Drive, New Castle, DE 19720 – Open to press.

Monday, August 22 at 3:15 p.m. – The Senator will visit Exceptional Care for Children, the first and only pediatric skilled nursing facility in Delaware. The Senator will see first-hand how ECC plans to expand to serve even more children and their families.  Newark, DE — Closed to press.

Tuesday, August 23 at 8:00 a.m. – The Senator will help kick off the new school year with welcoming remarks at the Smyrna School District Opening Day Breakfast Meeting.  Smyrna High School, 500 Duck Creek Parkway, Smyrna, DE – Open to press.

Tuesday, August 23 at 11:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend the “Sky-Breaking” of the Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children Expansion project. 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE – Open to press.

Tuesday, August 23 at 2:30 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate gallery.

Wednesday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. – The Senator will tour the Dow Chemical Company where chemical mechanical polishing products (CMPs) are manufactured.  CMPs are used in the making of every type of mechanical chip for computers. Newark, DE – Closed to press.

Wednesday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m. – The Senator will participate in a town hall meeting hosted by WDEL 1150 AM. WDEL’s Allan Loudell, Rick Jensen and Al Mascitti will moderate the discussion, which will be broadcast live on the radio and online. The event is open to the public.  Wilmington Campus of Delaware Technical & Community College, 333 Shipley Street, Wilmington, DE – Open to press.

Thursday, August 25 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will host a roundtable on jobs in Delaware’s high-tech and R&D sector.  Delaware’s most innovative emerging businesses have the opportunity to drive the next generation of our state’s manufacturing economy.  Senator Coons will host a roundtable to listen to an array of local experts on what Washington can do to help Delaware’s young high-tech firms grow and create jobs.  Delaware Technology Park, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 – Open to press.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

Senator Coons to host roundtable on jobs for veterans on Monday

Senator Coons will host the first of three roundtable discussions on job creation on Monday afternoon at the headquarters of the Delaware National Guard in New Castle.  Focusing on finding ways to increase job opportunities for veterans — especially recently returned veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — this first roundtable will include participants from the military, civilian agencies, veterans groups, and Delaware businesses. 

“After working for years in the private sector and local government,” Chris said, “I know that the best ideas for creating jobs are going to come from the people on the front lines of the economic recovery.  I talk with out-of-work Delawareans and small business owners just about every day, but these roundtables will facilitate a more dynamic group discussion that I hope will generate new ideas that we can apply in Washington to help create jobs for Delawareans.”

Nationally, unemployment among veterans is 13.3%, and for those under the age of twenty-four returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the rate is a staggering 21.1%, according to the Department of Labor.  Chris joined in introducing the Hiring Heroes Act in May, which would provide additional assistance to service members transitioning into the civilian workforce, but he believes more can and must be done.  The goal of this roundtable discussion is to bring stakeholders together in order to generate new ideas that Chris can take back with him to Washington when Congress reconvenes in September. 

“After they fought for our freedom abroad, our veterans shouldn’t have to fight hard just to get a job here at home,” Chris said.  Those participating in this first roundtable will be:

• Christine F. Kubik, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, Delaware
• Daniel Young, Delaware Military Community Partners
• Jim Tribbitt, Delaware Department of Labor
• Harry Gravell, Helmets to Hardhats, National Building Trades
• Antonio “Tony” Davila, Delaware Veterans Commission
• Edward Scully, Summit Aviation
• Robert Fitzpatrick, Summit Aviation
• Wesley Schroeder, Summit Aviation
• Jeffery Brown, Tidewater Utilities
• Sheila Mittucci, Saint Francis Hospital
• Sarmite Tyus, Wilmington VA Medical Center
• Victor Santos, Delaware State University
• Wendelin Henry, Delaware State University
• Shannon Freeze-Flory, DuPont
• Patricia R. Edwards, Dover Air Force Base
• Laura Coseglia, Dover Air Force Base
• James S. Webb, Wilmington University
• David B. Rich, United States Department of Labor
• James M. Provo, Small Business Administration
• Tim Keefe, JPMorgan Chase

Working to create sustainable, profitable jobs in rural communities

Senator Chris Coons offered his support today for a series of initiatives unveiled by President Obama this week to grow the economy and create jobs in rural communities.

“Washington can and must do more to help America’s businesses create jobs,” Chris said in a statement to the press. “The initiatives the President unveiled this week to help rural businesses are consistent with what I’m hearing from Delaware’s small business owners, who need better access to capital to grow and expanded health care services in their communities to keep costs down.”

To help small businesses get better access to capital, President Obama this week proposed to double the Small Business Administration’s investment funds for rural small businesses over the next five years as part of its Startup America Initiative. The President is also launching a series of conferences nationwide to connect private equity and venture capital investors with rural start-ups.

To help out-of-work Americans find jobs, President Obama announced a partnership between the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase access to existing job search and job training opportunities by making them available at USDA’s 2,800 field offices nationwide.

This initiative by the White House coincides with this week’s announcement of more than $48,900 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to four agricultural producers and small businesses in Kent and Sussex counties. The grants are designed to encourage the integration of renewable energy sources and implementation of energy efficiency measures in their operations to reduce dependence of foreign oil, promote job creation, and spur the economic competitiveness of rural communities.

“By investing in clean energy technology, Delaware’s rural businesses are investing in a sustainable, profitable future that will help them compete on a global level,” Chris said in a statement to the press. “Encouraging farmers and small businesses to increase their energy efficiency can have a positive ripple effect for the entire country. I congratulate the winners of these grants and applaud the President for leading in this effort to strengthen our agricultural communities.”

To read Chris’ statement on the White House rural economy initiative, click HERE.

To read Chris’ statement on the USDA grant to Delaware farms and rural small businesses, click HERE.

To read more about Chris’ work for Delaware’s agricultural community, click HERE

To read more about President’s Obama’s rural tour, click HERE.

Follow Senator Coons on Facebook

Senator Coons is always looking for ways to make it easier for Delawareans to engage with him and our office. It’s important to his work in the Senate that he hears how constituents feel about the issues facing our state and our nation.

Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook, citizens can keep tabs on what their members of Congress are doing on a daily basis while engaging in real-time, right from their computers or mobile devices.

Earlier this month, the office launched a page on Facebook to make it easier for Delawareans to stay in touch. Our staff will share the latest news and answer questions from constituents, and Chris will stop by from time to time to engage directly.

Become a ‘fan’ of Senator Coons’ Facebook page by clicking here.

Senator Coons offers support to President’s plan for boosting biofuels industry

Senator Coons today praised President Obama’s announcement of a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy and Navy to invest up to $510 million over the next three years to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation.

“If we’re going to shake our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, we’ve got to support emerging alternative energy sources like biofuels,” Senator Coons said. “We hear a lot about the enormous potential biofuels have not only for diversifying our energy consumption but for creating jobs across the country, so it’s important that our actions match our rhetoric and that our government leads the way. But it’s just as important that the private sector keep pace, which is why this creative plan is important.”

The plan, which you can download as a PDF here, calls for the Department of Energy to invest in the technology necessary for producing biofuels, while the Department of Agriculture takes steps to ensure that biofuel production doesn’t harm the food supply. The Navy will use the new biofuels in its fleet.

You can read more about the announcement here in Politico.

Chris visits PATS Aircraft in Georgetown

GEORGETOWN — Senator Coons visited with leadership and workers at PATS Aircraft Systems in Georgetown last week.  The Sussex company performs aircraft maintenance, modification and interior completion services.  

Customers include heads of state, business leaders, and VIPs from around the globe. PATS also provides auxiliary fuel systems and other integrated systems and components to several major aircraft companies and hundreds of individual customers. PATS has about 350 highly skilled employees who keep the company running.

“I’m impressed by the diversity of PATS’ skilled workforce. From manufacturing related jobs to those employees whose skills include machining, upholstering, woodworking and a deep knowledge of advanced avionics—everyone plays a key role in making PATS a viable business in Sussex County,” said Chris.

PATS’ facility has a very large footprint at the Georgetown airport that includes a 35,000 square foot manufacturing facility, four hangars that can house up to seven B737-sized aircrafts with a full back shop capability of over 42,000 square feet.