Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Revitalizing Olson Memorial Highway
[Washington, DC] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced federal funding to restore and revitalize the 6thAvenue North corridor, an area in North Minneapolis that was devastated by the construction of Olson Memorial Highway in the 1940s. The project will include converting the roadway to reconnect the area’s residents and promote new housing and commercial development and modeling the project’s impacts on environmental justice and racial equity. The funding was awarded to Open Streets Minneapolis thanks to President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, which both Senators supported. “The 6th Avenue North corridor in Minneapolis is in need of upgrades to better protect drivers and pedestrians and reconnect residents,” said Klobuchar. “With this funding, Our Streets Minneapolis can begin the revitalization project and lay the groundwork needed to advance these improvements.” “North 6th Avenue was once home to one of Minneapolis’ most diverse immigrant communities,” said Smith. “When Olson Memorial Highway was built, the neighborhood’s deep cultural connections were torn apart in the process. This project is the first step to restoring what redlining and systemic racism stole from the community.” North 6th Avenue was home to a bustling working-class neighborhood and was one of Minneapolis’ most diverse and welcoming areas for immigrants known for its affordable housing. The community began to suffer following federal redlining, which labeled Near North as a poor investment and led to segregation. The construction of Olson Memorial Highway accelerated the neighborhood’s decline. The $1.6 million in funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot program, the
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Laphonza Butler Introduce Legislation to Combat LGBTQ+ Mental Health Crisis
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D – Minn.) and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) — the first Black and openly LGBTQ+ senator to serve in the Senate — led five Senate colleagues in introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act which would strengthen mental health and crisis intervention resources for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. “Mental health care is health care. And for some LGBTQ+ youth, receiving access to the mental health care they need can mean the difference between living in safety and dignity, and suffering alone through discrimination, bullying, and even violence,” said Senator Smith. “The data shows what many parents and educators see every day—an epidemic of students in classrooms dealing with anxiety, depression and other serious mental health conditions, with nowhere to turn. Meeting LGBTQ+ students where they already are—in school—helps us break down the stigma they might face and get kids the health care they need.” “Accessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,” said Senator Butler. “Barriers get even more difficult if you are a young person who lacks a supportive community or is fearful of being outed, harassed, or threatened. I am introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act to help equip LGBTQ+ youth with the resources to get the affirming and often life-saving care they need.” LGBTQ+ youth experience disproportionate rates of mental health challenges. A 2023 study found that 54 percent of LGBTQ+ youth reported symptoms of depression, while only 35 percent of heterosexual youth reported similar feelings. LGBTQ+ high school students
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: Bipartisan Senate Coronavirus Deal Will Help Minnesota Health Providers Deal with Surge, Send Much-Needed Aid to Families, Workers & Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/25/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said the nearly $2 trillion Senate coronavirus deal approved late Wednesday will speed up assistance to health care providers in Minnesota and across the country in order to deal with the coming surge in cases, and help hard-hit Minnesota families, workers and small businesses deal with the fallout. Sen. Smith said she will push hard to get it signed by the President and get the assistance out to states as quickly as possible. “We are facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis in the coronavirus pandemic. With this bipartisan legislation, help is
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses Top Roche Diagnostics Executive to Prioritize Supplying Key Coronavirus Testing Reagent to Increase Capacity at Public Health Labs
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/25/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pressed Roche Diagnostics to supply the vital reagent—which is a solution critical for coronavirus testing—that public health laboratories need in order to increase testing capacity. Sen. Smith has heard from the Minnesota Department of Health that it is quickly running out of reagents and diagnostic kits needed to keep up with demand. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been able to issue COVID-19 test kits, testing requires additional reagents that are not provided by the CDC. Roche Diagnostics has developed a reagent system that would enable labs to
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith & Democratic Senate Colleagues Raise Concerns About Dangerous Medicaid Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/25/20]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a number of their Senate Democratic colleagues called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to withdraw proposed changes to the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR), which would disrupt state Medicaid financing. The proposed rule would limit the types of financing mechanisms states can use to pay for their non-federal share of Medicaid costs. In addition, the discretion reserved by CMS to approve or deny state proposals does not provide enough guidance to states who must plan far in the future for program expenditures. Right now, state budgets are
Klobuchar, Smith, Cramer, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Sustain Rural Broadband Connectivity During Coronavirus Pandemic
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), along with Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Steve Daines (R-MT), Doug Jones (D-AL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the Keeping Critical Connections Act to help small broadband providers ensure rural broadband connectivity for students and their families during the coronavirus pandemic. “Access to high speed internet is critical for students and their families during the coronavirus outbreak,” Klobuchar said. “The Keeping Critical Connections Act would help small broadband providers continue offering free
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