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U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Tribal Self-Governance for Federal Food Assistance Program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to give Tribes in Minnesota and across the country more control over how a key federal hunger program is administered in their communities. The SNAP Tribal Food Sovereignty Act would give Tribal governments a more active role in the administration of the USDA’s vital Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as SNAP). The bill would help make sure SNAP is administered in a culturally-appropriate way that promotes the health and economic well-being of Tribal communities. Federal programs to combat hunger like SNAP are important to Tribal communities—approximately 25 percent of Native Americans receive some type of federal food assistance, and in some Tribal communities, participation is as high as 80 percent. “Tribal governments understand what works best in their communities and should have more say over how SNAP is administered,” said Senator Smith. “The SNAP Tribal Food Sovereignty Act is about promoting Tribal sovereignty and helping Tribes fight hunger in a way that works best for them.” Self-governance authority allow Tribal governments to administer federal programs within their own communities—it is widely regarded as one of the most effective federal policies for Tribes.  Self-governance policies make federal dollars work better to address the unique needs of Tribal communities. In 2018, the Farm Bill included the first ever self-governance expansion to USDA, with a pilot program within the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations that gave Tribes authority to procure the foods for distribution, including foods from

U.S. Senator Tina Smith Takes Action to Address the Childcare Funding Cliff

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a fast approaching deadline for childcare funding, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined 33 fellow Senators and 78 colleagues in the House of Representatives led by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in introducing the Child Care Stabilization Act this month. The crucial legislation aims to extend vital federal childcare stabilization funding – which is set to expire September 30th – and ensure that childcare providers can keep their doors open and continue serving children and families in every part of the country. Senator Smith also spoke about the urgent need to for greater childcare investments at a Senate hearing this week. Watch her full remarks and questions here. “Last month, I was visiting childcare providers in rural and small town Minnesota, and they shared with me the enormous impact the shortage of affordable childcare is having on families and local businesses. Everything that I have learned from talking to families and providers and local businesses in Minnesota is that this market for childcare is broken,” said Senator Smith. “When the pandemic hit, we acted to provide the childcare sector with relief funds, which was designed to save and stabilize the sector, increase compensation for workers, and make childcare more affordable and accessible for parents, all of which it did very successfully. But now we face the expiration of these Child Care Stabilization Grants. We must now extend this critical grant program, which is essential to keep families, providers and our economy

U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Democratic Colleagues Request Feedback from American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Leaders on the Effects of Climate Change on Native Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/10/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a group of her Democratic Senate colleagues encouraged input from American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian community leaders on the effects of climate change on their communities. Sen. Smith—along with Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and eleven Democratic colleagues—understands the importance of fostering a dialogue on potential solutions and responses to this urgent threat that disproportionally impacts Native communities. “As the National Climate Assessment recently confirmed, climate change is having a disproportionate impact on [Native] communities. But we would like to hear directly from you, leaders who are key voices for your communities, about how climate change threatens

U.S. Senator Tina Smith Pushes For Public Companies to Disclose Risks from Climate Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/10/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that she is pushing for new requirements for publicly traded companies to disclose critical information about how much they are contributing to climate change, including the extent of their greenhouse gas emissions and their exposure to climate risk. Originally introduced in 2018, the Climate Risk Disclosure Act will help investors appropriately assess climate-related risks, accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner and more efficient energy sources, and reduce the risks of both environmental and financial catastrophe.  It builds on the work of former Vice President Al Gore, who has warned that ignoring the risks of climate change is producing a “carbon bubble” that will have

U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Bipartisan Push to Expand U.S. Grain Exports to Canada

WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/09/19]— Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined a bipartisan group of Senators pushing Trump Administration trade officials to negotiate fewer restriction on U.S. grain exports to Canada under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA). The Senators pressed for action in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Gregg Doud. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) joined Sen. Smith on the letter. “The grain article in the agreement is a significant area of interest for North Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana grain producers,” the senators wrote. “The ability for our growers to export wheat of domestic origin to

U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Small Business Innovation with Energy Department National Labs

WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/27/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) along with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), James Risch (R-Ind.), and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced bipartisan legislation to allow small businesses to gain access to premier facilities at the Department of Energy (DOE) National Labs to spur innovation and the culture of private-public collaboration.   The Small Businesses Partnering with National Labs Act of 2019—which has a House companion bill introduced by Reps. Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)—will allow small businesses to analyze the innovation potential of new technologies by accessing facilities and expertise at National Labs to

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