Latest Releases
Senators Smith, Daines Renew Push to Permanently Expand Telehealth Services
Washington – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Steve Daines (R-MT) reintroduced their bipartisan Expanded Telehealth Access Act to make pandemic-driven expanded access to certain telehealth services under Medicare permanent. “The pandemic showed us that telehealth services are a lifeline for patients across Minnesota who may otherwise not be able to access the health care they need,” said Smith. “This legislation will ensure that patients who access physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, and speech language pathologists via telehealth can continue to get those services reimbursed permanently.” “In rural states like Montana, folks often have to drive long distances just to receive care,” said Daines. “Expanded telehealth services help relieve this burden and give folks increased access to quality, affordable care. Now is not the time to cut back on these critical services, and I’ll keep working to ensure Montanans are able to see the providers they need.” To help reduce risks associated with visiting medical providers during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded the types of health care providers who receive reimbursement for telehealth services. The Expanded Telehealth Access Act makes permanent the reimbursement eligibility for physical therapists, audiologists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists and permits the Secretary of Health and Human services to expand this list.
Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, and Representative Angie Craig Press Postal Service for Answers on Mail Carriers’ Missing Paychecks
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/25/23] — Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (all D-Minn.) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy seeking answers about an apparent payroll system error that led to an estimated 53,000 rural letter carriers missing or receiving only a partial paycheck on September 1. After hearing from Minnesotans affected by the error, the lawmakers pressed DeJoy on the Postal Service’s insufficient response to their significant error, and demanded immediate back pay for the impacted workers. “Rural letter carriers – including carrier assistants – are essential workers whose services are critical to small towns and rural places in Minnesota and around the country,” wrote the lawmakers in their letter. “As you know, these carriers deliver medications to veterans, bills to seniors, and support businesses large and small, all for relatively modest pay. Like a lot of American families, many rural letter carriers can’t afford a missed paycheck. We understand that USPS offered affected employees the option to receive a salary advance in the form of a money order at 65 percent of gross pay. However, that is an insufficient proposal that fails to address the scope of these employees’ needs, and does not demonstrate a commitment to getting these workers the pay they earned.” In their letter, Smith, Klobuchar, and Craig called for DeJoy to answer the following questions by September 30, 2023: You can access a full copy of the letter here.
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith, Angus King, Jeff Merkley Press to Enhance Nation’s Energy Efficiency Capabilities
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/25/19]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to boost the use of cutting-edge technologies to increase energy efficiency capabilities across America. The American Energy Efficiency Act of 2019 builds upon state success to establish a nationwide energy efficiency standard that would ask retail electric and national gas utilities to achieve energy savings of 22% and 14% respectively by 2035. Currently, 26 states have such standards, which have proven to be cost-effective energy savers. “One of the immediate actions necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce the amount of energy we use—more energy efficiency,” said Sen.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, 19 Colleagues Fight to Protect Children When Parents are Detained By Immigration Authorities
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/25/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to protect the safety and well-being of children who might be left alone and vulnerable after their parents are arrested or detained by U.S. immigration authorities in communities across the country. Sen. Smith is pushing the legislation because, in the past, children have been abandoned at home or at school after their parents’ detention, often without information about their parents’ location and without adequate arrangements for their care. She pointed to a 2006 incident in Minnesota where, after Immigrations and Customs Enforcement carried out an enforcement action against a family in Worthington, one child—a second grader—came home from school to find
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Ensure 22,000 Retired Minnesota Workers Don’t Lose Their Pensions
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/24/19]—With more than a million Americans facing massive cuts to their hard-earned pensions—including more than 22,000 Minnesotans—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued her push to head off looming pension cuts and shore up the nation’s troubled pension systems. On Wednesday, Sen. Smith and several of her Senate colleagues reintroduced the Butch Lewis Act to help the chronically-underfunded Central States Pension Fund, which covers over 22,000 Minnesotans. The measure would also strengthen many more underfunded multi-employer pension plans across the country. Since coming to the Senate, Sen. Smith has met with many Minnesotans who spent their working years paying into
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Push to Ensure Married Couples in Minnesota, Across Country Can Avoid Depleting Savings When Caring for Spouse
WASHINGTON, D.C. [07/22/19]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) want to permanently ensure that married couples in Minnesota and across the country are able to access home and community-based Medicaid services without having to completely deplete their savings. As the nation’s primary source of coverage for long-term services and supports, Medicaid funds more than 50 percent of long-term care provided nationwide. While many Americans receive this care in institutional settings like nursing homes, in 2014 more than 3 million Americans received this care at home. Three decades ago, Congress established protections—known as spousal impoverishment rules—in cases where a spouse
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