In April Podcast, King Discusses Key Maine Community Investments Receiving FY24 Congressionally Directed Spending

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) today released the April episode of his "Inside Maine" podcast, in which he discussed just a few of the 185 important projects being supported by over $450 million of Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) secured by the Maine delegation in the FY24 Appropriations legislation. During the podcast, Deputy Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF), Tony Ronzio, joined Senator King to discuss how CDS funding will support efforts to increase energy resiliency in communities that have been seen power outages in recent storms. Later in the podcast, Chief Operations Officer of Northern Lighthouse Inc., Blake Hatt, joined Senator King to highlight how the federal funding will improve services for vulnerable young Maine people in Aroostook County.

The bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 Omnibus Appropriations Package included over $450 million for CDS funding that will support over 185 projects across Maine. The funding will be used by a broad range of state, local, and nonprofit organizations and will support projects ranging from affordable housing, to healthcare, to wastewater infrastructure.

"Maine's Congressionally-Directed Spending supports important projects that will have positive impacts in communities across the state," said Senator King. "I was a pleasure to sit down with Tony and Blake to hear about two of these projects and to learn more about how improving energy resilience and access to the bare essentials of room and board can help us create brighter futures for Maine people today and for generations to come."

Tony Ronzio leads GOPIF's strategic communications and public affairs efforts to support of its signature policy initiatives. As Deputy Director, Tony leads strategic communications and public affairs, which supports the Office of the Governor by advancing solutions to the state's most pressing issues, such as climate change, the opioid epidemic, early childhood education, affordable housing, workforce development and more. Before joining GOPIF, Tony was director of digital strategy at Colby College, where he and his team earned national recognition for digital innovation. Prior to Colby, Tony was an accomplished journalist and senior leader at several prominent Maine news outlets, including serving as executive editor of the Bangor Daily News, editor and publisher of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel in Augusta and Waterville, and editorial page editor of the Sun Journal in Lewiston. Tony is a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in journalism and history.

Blake Hatt is the Chief Operations Officer for Northern Lighthouse Inc. He began working with Northern Lighthouse Inc. in 2011 as a direct care provider to children and their families. He transitioned into to his current role as COO in 2020. Blake graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Sciences in 2010. He is an Aroostook County native. The Northern Lighthouse Inc. is a nonprofit Mental Health Organization established in 2001 and provides residential, case management and outpatient therapy services to the individuals of Aroostook County. In 2016 they expanded to offer services to the Southern part of the State. In 2022 they opened Aroostook County's first and only Emergency Shelter for Homeless Youth. Shortly after, in January of 2023, they opened their Transitional Living Program for Homeless youth.

The over 185 FY24 Maine investments secured by the Maine delegation can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet HERE and viewed on a map HERE.

CDS funding is included in annual federal appropriations legislation and provides a specific amount of discretionary funding to a state, locality, or nonprofit organization for projects with demonstrated civic and community value. Last year, Senator King secured over $250 million in Congressionally-Directed Spending for 140 Maine projects.

The "Inside Maine" podcast airs on the last Saturday of the month and aims to keep Maine people informed about issues, how they affect life in the state, and how they factor into Senator King's work.

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