Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Federal Funding to Strengthen Electric Grid Reliability and Resilience in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that they secured federal funding for upgrades to Minnesota Power’s High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) terminal stations through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program. This project will modernize the aging terminal stations of a 465-mile HVDC transmission line that runs from Center, North Dakota, to Hermantown, Minnesota, to strengthen grid reliability in rural areas and improve access to affordable, clean electricity. “Investments in our infrastructure are down-payments on the economic well-being of our state,” said Klobuchar. “This federal funding will allow us to upgrade these aging terminal stations, boost economic development in northern Minnesota, and create hundreds of good-paying jobs all while supporting our renewable energy goals.” “Modernizing our electric grid is a win for the environment and for Minnesotans who will benefit from more affordable, reliable electricity,” said Smith. “I am proud of our work to help deliver these investments and look forward to seeing the impact of these improvements on energy prices and grid reliability.” This funding was made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Klobuchar and Smith helped pass in 2021. Earlier this year, Klobuchar and Smith sent letters to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in support of Minnesota Power’s HVDC terminal station upgrade project.
U.S. Senators Smith, Padilla, Tillis, Ernst Launch Bipartisan Mental Health Caucus
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced the launch of their bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus. Amidst a national mental health crisis, the Senate Mental Health Caucus will serve as a forum for Senators to collaborate on and promote bipartisan legislation and solutions, hold events to raise awareness of critical mental health issues, and destigmatize mental health. The caucus will work to improve prevention and early intervention efforts, expand the country’s mental health professional workforce, enhance our nation’s crisis response services, and increase access to evidence-based mental health treatment and common-sense solutions for all Americans. Daniel Gillison, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Laurel Stine, Vice President of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), joined the Senators in announcing the launch. U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are also members of the caucus. “I believe that everyone should have access to quality mental health care, regardless of insurance, ZIP code, or age,” said Senator Smith. “Mental health care isn’t a partisan issue – it’s something that affects Americans in red states and blue states alike. Today’s launch represents a renewed commitment and focus to collaborate on bipartisan legislation and solutions. I’m looking forward to working alongside my colleagues to continue to tackle the mental health care crisis in this country.” “Our nation has long faced mounting mental health challenges that have touched the lives of all Americans, but we know there are bipartisan
Sen. Tina Smith Backs Paycheck Fairness Act; Says Equal Pay for Equal Work is Good For All Americans
U.S. Senator Tina Smith has cosponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help close the long-existing income gap between women and men. Sen. Smith said that equal pay for equal work shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and closing the pay gap would help support women in the workplace, helping ensure that women would be paid an equal wage for doing the same job. She called on Congress to take up and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act in order to strengthen protections for women in the workplace and help end wage discrimination. “Equal pay for equal work is good for all
As State of Minnesota Rolls out Comprehensive Opioid Proposal, Sen. Tina Smith Fights the Epidemic from Washington
As the state of Minnesota rolls out a set of proposals today to address opioids, U.S. Senator Tina Smith is working to tackle the crisis from Washington by cosponsoring “Penny-a-Pill” legislation that would require big pharmaceutical companies to fund solutions to the epidemic they helped create. The Budgeting for Opioid Addiction Treatment Act would raise funds from pharmaceutical companies to establish new addiction treatment facilities, reimburse mental health providers, expanding access to treatment programs, strengthen addiction recovery services, and build facilities to provide care for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. “The opioid epidemic has been devastating to families all across Minnesota,” said
In Her First Senate Ag Committee Meeting, Sen. Tina Smith Takes Leadership Role on Rural Development and Energy Panel
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith joined her first Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, where she was named ranking member of the Rural Development and Energy Subcommittee. She vowed to use her new position to advocate fiercely for Minnesota’s priorities during this year’s rewrite of the federal Farm Bill. You can download a clip of her speaking in the hearing here. “I fought for a spot on the Agriculture Committee because farming is the foundation of Minnesota’s economy,” said Sen. Smith. “As we move into this year’s Farm Bill debate, I’m going to push Minnesota’s priorities and talk with as many ag experts, rural businesses,
Klobuchar, Smith Introduce Legislation to Develop More Effective, Universal Flu Vaccine
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith today introduced the Flu Vaccine Act with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) to encourage additional National Institutes of Health (NIH) research to develop a more effective flu vaccine. The United States has already seen 63 pediatric deaths and high levels of illness and hospitalizations related to the flu this season. One-in-10 Americans who died the week ending on January 20th died from the flu or pneumonia. The flu costs the nation $10.4 billion in direct medical costs annually and $87 billion in total economic burden. The current flu vaccine is only 60 percent effective at best,
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