Latest Releases
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. Senator Tina Smith Announces Significant Federal Funding to Combat Extreme Heat, Create More Green Spaces in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced over $33 million in federal funding to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs throughout Minnesota. The funding is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, which Smith helped pass. “As climate change fuels record-breaking heat waves across the country, we need to be doing more to increase tree cover and improve access to nature,” said Smith. “Extreme heat strains our energy systems and has negative effects on public health and overall well-being. These investments, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, will increase access to green spaces and help communities become more resilient to extreme heat thanks to the cooling effects of tree cover.” The grants are made possible by investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history. Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, and increased food security, and create new economic opportunities. This historic funding will help support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature, and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to Minnesota. The grants include:
Klobuchar, Smith Join Colleagues to Introduce New Legislation to Tackle Nationwide Digital Equity Gap
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to introduce new legislation aimed at closing the growing digital divide in communities across the country. The Digital Equity Act of 2019 creates new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects at the state and local level that promote “digital equity”— a concept defined by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as the “condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy.”
Klobuchar, Smith Join Colleagues in Calling for Full Funding of the Firefighter Cancer Registry
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and over 30 other senators in requesting full funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law in July 2018 and requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect the number and type of fire incidents in connection to firefighters who receive a cancer diagnosis—helping doctors and researchers to study the relationship between firefighting and an increased risk for the deadly disease. Although $2.5 million was authorized for the registry, the full
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Help Introduce Bill to Make Important Investments in High-Need Schools and Special Education in Minnesota, Across Nation
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/12/2019]—This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued to fight for strong investments in schools across the country by helping introduce the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act, which would put the nation on the right path of funding special education and making sure every child has access to quality education. “A high-quality education should be the basic right of every child, no matter where they live or how they learn,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Every student deserves fair and equal access to the best education possible, and Congress has an
U.S Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Bring Lower-Cost Insulin to Market
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/11/2019]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) continued her push to bring down the fast-rising price of insulin by introducing a bipartisan bill with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) focused on bringing lower-cost insulin to market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently transitioning the way it regulates insulin, and Sens. Smith and Cassidy’s bill—the Protecting Access to Biosimilars Act—would codify this new pathway for insulin to come to market, thus increasing market competition and driving down the cost of the life-saving medicine. You can access a summary of the bill here. “High insulin prices are
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