Pine State News

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $4,535,000 for Maine public libraries in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Agriculture and Rural Development appropriations bill. The bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 22, 2023, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.

“Public libraries are central community institutions and pillars of education throughout Maine.  Increasingly, libraries have emerged as hubs, not just for literacy and Internet access, but for workforce support and community activities,” said Senator Collins.  “These projects are a crucial step toward ensuring that Maine libraries are fully supporting the educational and workforce development needs of all Mainers.  As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to champion this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”

Funding for Maine public libraries through the FY 2024 Agriculture and Rural Development appropriations bill is as follows:

• Millinocket, ME: $115,000 to improve accessibility of the Millinocket Library.
• Machias, ME: $820,000 to improve accessibility of the Porter Memorial Library.
• Orono, ME: $3,600,000 to expand the Orono Public Library.

In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending.  Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023.  As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.

Original source can be found here.