Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Announce Significant Federal Infrastructure Grant to Improve Highway 169
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced a $24.7 million federal grant for the US 169 Rural Safety and Mobility Interchange Project in Sherburne County, which will eliminate the signal-controlled intersection at County Road 4 and replace it with a grade-separated, hybrid diamond interchange. The current intersection has crash rates at nearly five times the state average and has been ranked the second most dangerous intersection in central Minnesota. This project will also reduce traffic congestion and accommodate anticipated growth on this important regional highway. In addition, the new interchange will have a multi-use trail for pedestrian and bike access. Funding for this project comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects) grant program. “Highway 169’s signal-controlled intersection has been ranked as one of the most dangerous intersections in central Minnesota. Drivers who use this intersection every day deserve a safer alternative,” said Klobuchar. “This federal grant will make much-needed improvements to make the interchange secure for drivers and pedestrians.” “Revitalizing our infrastructure is about more than just fixing roadways and bridges; it’s about improving people’s lives, which is precisely what this project will do,” said Smith. “This intersection on Highway 169 is dangerous in its current form. Now, Minnesota has the federal investment to make this vital corridor safer for everyone.” INFRA grants can be used by communities across the country for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of freight
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Cassidy, Cardin, Thune Reintroduce Bill to Remove Barriers to Telemental Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), John Thune (R-SD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) to reintroduce the bipartisan Telemental Health Care Access Act to remove barriers to telemental health services for Medicare beneficiaries. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that Medicare beneficiaries be seen in person within six months of being treated for mental health services through telehealth. In 2020, Congress permanently expanded access for Medicare patients to be treated virtually for mental health services. Unfortunately, it also included an arbitrary requirement that would require the patient to be seen in-person before they could receive telemental services. The Telemental Health Care Access Act eliminates this in-person requirement so that patients can directly access mental health services via telehealth. “Telehealth has proved to be an important lifeline and tool to close some of the most significant gaps in patients’ access to health care services,” said Senator Smith. “Especially for Minnesotans in small towns and rural places suffering from mental health challenges, long commutes to the nearest provider can mean virtual care is the only feasible option. This bill is an important step in making it easier for mental health patients on Medicare to ask for help and get the care they need, without having to jump through administrative hoops.” “Since the pandemic, we have seen how telehealth expanded health care access for those with substance use disorders, physical ailments, and mental health conditions. It has been an important lifeline for rural communities,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This bill removes barriers to allow Medicare patients to
Ahead of Veterans Day, U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Help Veterans Get Care for Hearing Loss, Their Most Common Service-Related Health Issue
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/07/19]—With Veterans Day around the corner, today U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to reduce the red tape many veterans face when trying to get care for hearing loss as a result of their service—something many veterans say is an enormous burden despite being the most common service-connected ailment. Sen. Smith heard about this problem through her office’s veterans’ health care tour last year, which visited some 10 communities throughout Minnesota to hear what health challenges veterans face. You can access a summary of the bill here and text of the bill here. Currently, veterans receiving benefits through the VA must
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, 37 Colleagues Lead Push to Renew Lapsed Funding for Minority-Serving Colleges
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/06/19]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and 37 of her Senate colleagues are leading a push to pass funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Smith, along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and their colleagues, called for the immediate passage of the FUTURE Act, which would reauthorize $255 million in mandatory federal funding for these institutions, and expired on September 30, 2019. The House of Representatives approved the legislation unanimously in September. “Minnesota’s Tribal Colleges are important institutions and serve as key resources for Native American students, and minority-serving institutions of higher education serve nearly 6 million students nationwide,” said Sen.
Klobuchar, Smith Announce over $26 Million for Rural Electric Infrastructure Investments in Minnesota
WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded loan funding totaling over $26 million for rural electric infrastructure improvements across Minnesota. “These investments will help our rural electric providers better serve Minnesotans by adding connections, energizing additional miles of transmission lines, and providing for more reliable electric infrastructure across the state,” Klobuchar said.“Projects like these not only boost the economy, but also help to modernize our electric grid and support essential services throughout our state.” “We need to strengthen rural Minnesota’s electric infrastructure because it’s vital to building a
U.S. Senators Klobuchar & Smith Push Consumer Watchdog to Investigate Mismanagement of Student Loan Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/04/2019]—Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are calling on the federal government’s consumer watchdog to investigate whether a key student loan service company mismanaged a student loan forgiveness program designed to help people who take on careers in public service. The Senators were joined by 21 of their Democratic colleagues in a letter urging Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Kathy Kraninger to investigate student loan servicer Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for mismanagement of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). Congress established PSLF over a decade ago to encourage people to work
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