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Maine hospitals rank No. 3 nationally for hospital safety

Staff May 15, 2019

Maine rose seven spots and now ranks third in the top 10 states with the safest hospitals, according to the Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Hospital Safety Grades. In Leapfrog’s fall 2018 report, Maine ranked 10th with 40% of the hospitals receiving an

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Today's Poll

Do you support amending the federal trade act to allow American-grown food to be purchased by Cuban buyers on credit instead of only by cash?
Poll Description

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, have joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing the “Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2019,” legislation to remove a major hurdle for American farmers and ranchers aiming to sell American agricultural products in the Cuban market. The bipartisan bill would support jobs in Maine and throughout the country by lifting restrictions on private financing for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba.

Collins and King noted in a recent news release that the 2018 Farm Bill took steps to help American agriculture access the Cuban market by allowing funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture export promotion programs for U.S. agricultural products to be used in Cuba. However, they said, the biggest barrier for producers as they seek access to Cuba is the Trade Sanctions and Reform Act’s prohibition on providing private credit for those exports, which forces Cubans to pay with cash up-front for American-grown food. As a result, American farm goods have become less competitive, and Cuba has turned to other countries that are able to extend credit directly to Cuban buyers for transactions. 

The proposed bill would amend the Trade Sanctions and Reform Act to allow for private financing of agricultural exports and level the playing field for American farmers competing in the global market.

Noting that farming continues to be a major economic driver of Maine’s rural communities, Collins and King said the legislation would “open up a significant new export opportunity, without costing the government any money or risking any taxpayer dollars.”

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