Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Clean Energy Support for Three Minnesota Tribes
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding to connect Tribal homes to clean electricity, including homes previously not connected to electricity at all. Minnesota Tribes selected for funding include Prairie Island Indian Community, Red Lake Nation and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. The grants are made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which Senators Smith and Klobuchar both supported. “For generations, Native communities have been hurt by underinvestment and underfunding of basic infrastructure. Our transition to a clean energy economy can’t leave Indian Country behind,” said Senator Smith. “This funding gets us closer to ensuring every household in Minnesota, including on Tribal lands, have access to clean electricity.” “This federal grant will deliver critical clean energy infrastructure improvements,” said Senator Klobuchar.“Investments into clean electricity are vital for securing the power grid in Tribal communities and bolstering the transition to renewable energy.” “This investment in Indian Country and, specifically, the Prairie Island Indian Community, will literally help create a brighter future for our people,” said Prairie Island Tribal Council President Grant Johnson. “Achieving energy sovereignty while eliminating or offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions on Prairie Island is the goal of our net zero program. This grant will allow us to make electrification improvements to our members’ home and involve them more directly in our efforts to change our energy narrative and achieve our net zero goal.” “We are excited and honored to have received the funding from the Biden-Harris Administration America Agenda to Electrify Homes Across Indian Country with Clean Energy. This funding will assist us in the implementation capacity
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Kevin Cramer, John Fetterman and Katie Britt Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Domestic Bus Manufacturing Market
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) led her colleagues Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) in introducing bipartisan legislation to cut red tape and reform the domestic bus manufacturing industry by providing more flexibility for local transit systems when purchasing buses. Current U.S. standards impose outdated, 40-year-old payment practices on our bus manufacturers and purchasers, which result in unnecessarily high costs. Many domestic bus manufacturers have gone bankrupt or left the market, despite high demand for new vehicles. The Bus Rolling Stock Modernization Act would help fix this problem.The legislation allows bus manufacturers to apply for advanced payments up to 20%, enabling them to invest in the labor and machinery needed to meet demand of transit agencies and keep production costs down. “Each day, transit systems connect Minnesotans to their jobs, schools, grocery stores and countless other opportunities – all while reducing traffic congestion and pollution,” said Senator Smith. “This bill makes a straightforward and commonsense update to the current FTA regulations that would cut unnecessary red tape and strengthen the domestic bus manufacturing market. This small change will also support U.S. bus manufacturing jobs, get more buses into service, and help Americans get to their work, school, and health care appointments more easily.” “This legislation represents a bipartisan effort to revitalize the bus manufacturing industry across America. This simple change will have the dual benefit of much-needed flexibility for local transit agencies and contracting stability for manufacturers like Motor Coach Industries in Pembina North Dakota. This helps pave the way for further investment and job
U.S. Senator Tina Smith & Democratic Senate Colleagues Defend Right of Department of Defense Civilian Workers to Engage in Collective Bargaining
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/04/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) urged Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper to make sure the Pentagon upholds workplace protections and safeguards the collective bargaining rights of Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees. Sen. Smith—in an effort with the entire Senate Democratic Caucus led by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I)—wrote to Secretary Esper following a Trump Administration memorandum directing Sec. Esper to consider abolishing collective bargaining rights for as many as 750,000 of DoD’s civilian workers, including a diverse workforce of janitors, firefighters, food service workers, teachers, depot maintenance technicians, welders and other professionals. The senators strongly disagree with the President’s claims
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Measures to Improve Mental and Physical Health for Seniors Pass Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/04/20]—Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) moved forward measures to address the negative mental and physical health effects—and the economic consequences—of social isolation among seniors, as well as efforts to strengthen grants for Tribal organizations to provide home and community-based services, as part of a Senate-passed bill to amend the Older Americans Act. The legislation passed by the Senate on Tuesday contains provisions from Sen. Smith’s Older Americans Social Isolation and Loneliness Prevention Act, and from Sen. Smith’s bipartisan Strengthening Services for Native Elders Act with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “Seniors need to be connected to communities in order to thrive. So I’m pushing to
Klobuchar, Smith Urge Administration to Increase Access to Counseling Services for Veterans, Servicemembers, their Families
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) called on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to increase access to Readjustment Counseling Services to help Minnesota veterans, servicemembers, and their families transition to both military and civilian life. In the letter, Klobuchar and Smith also highlighted the importance of mental health services – particularly in rural Minnesota – to combat Minnesota’s rising veteran suicide rate. “It is critical that the Department address the shortage of behavioral health providers and expand access to these services for our veterans,” Klobuchar and Smith wrote. “For over forty years, Readjustment Counseling Services
U.S. Senators Smith, Klobuchar & Senate Colleagues Call on Census Bureau to Address Impact of Coronavirus on 2020 Census
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/04/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—along with fellow Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)—pushed the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau to put a plan in place to ensure that the expanding Coronavirus outbreak doesn’t impact the accuracy of the 2020 Census, and to make certain the health of census takers is protected. In addition to Sen. Klobuchar, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.),
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