Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing November as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/30/22] – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) reintroduced a bipartisan resolution to designate November as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Their resolution highlights the importance of early detection of lung cancer to help save lives. It also recognizes the need for research to improve early diagnosis, screening and treatment. “We need to take every possible step to fight this terrible disease that kills far too many people in Minnesota and across the country each year,” said Sen. Smith. “Raising awareness about the importance of lung cancer screenings for eligible individuals can help detect the cancer earlier, and save lives. Former Minnesota U.S. Representative Rick Nolan and his daughter Katherine inspired me to introduce this resolution. Katherine, who courageously fought stage 4 lung cancer for five years before succumbing to the disease, was a fierce advocate for early detection and research and I’m proud to carry on her fight.” “As co-chair of the Congressional Lung Cancer Caucus, I am proud to stand with Sen. Smith and Rep. Auchincloss in the battle against lung cancer,” said Congressman Boyle. “In 2022, almost a quarter of a million Americans are estimated to be newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Raising awareness and increasing education around this disease is a critical step in making sure we are detecting lung cancer at an early stage. I will continue to fight on the floor of Congress and in my district for increased resources for research and education around lung cancer, and to support those affected
Senator Smith, Colleagues Question RealPage CEO on Role in Exacerbating Housing Inflation
Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chair of the Senate Housing, Transportation and Community Development Subcommittee, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to RealPage CEO Dana Jones, expressing concern about RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software, and its role in driving rising rents across the country. This letter follows reporting indicating that the software, YieldStar, may push affordable housing for families further out of reach by “artificially inflating rents and stifling competition,” creating a rent-hike race to the top. According to a ProPublica investigation, YieldStar, a “software that uses a mysterious algorithm to help landlords push the highest possible rents on tenants,” has become the favored rent-setting tool for some of the largest landlords in the country. RealPage reported that its clients used its rent-setting technology to price nearly 20 million units in 2020. Greystar, the largest property management company in the U.S., uses this software to set rents for over 150,000 apartments. And it is not just the largest landlords utilizing this technology: ProPublica investigators found that rent in 70 percent of units in one Seattle neighborhood, overseen by ten different property managers, was set using RealPage’s pricing software. Using lease and other private information collected from RealPage customers, YieldStar’s algorithm calculates and suggests the highest rents landlords should charge, “push[ing] [them] to go places that [they] wouldn’t have gone if [they] weren’t using it.” RealPage advertises that its customers “outperform the market,” “recommend[ing] that landlords in some cases accept a
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Call on FCC Chair to Launch Probe into Frontier Communications’ Business Practices Amid Troubling Minnesota State Report, Attorney General Investigation
Frontier Received Millions in Federal Funding to Improve Rural Broadband While Delivering Shoddy Internet and Telephone Services; Senators Say Minnesotans Deserve Full FCC Investigation Into Use of Federal Funding WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/13/19]—In light of Minnesota state investigations into telecommunications provider Frontier Communications Corporation (Frontier) and its subsidiaries—which have received millions in federal funding—detailing poor service to consumers, today U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai to launch an investigation into Frontier’s business practices. A Minnesota Department of Commerce investigation alleges that Frontier may have broken at least 35 state laws and regulations, prompting the Minnesota Attorney General to open an investigation
Klobuchar, Smith Call for Continued Efforts to Support Farmers and Ranchers after Devastating February Blizzards
Klobuchar, Smith Call for Continued Efforts to Support Farmers and Ranchers after Devastating February Blizzards WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/15/19] – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to commit to continued public outreach to farmers and ranchers following February’s devastating blizzards. In a letter to Joe Martin, the State Executive Director for the Minnesota FSA, the senators asked that he continue to conduct public outreach throughout the impacted counties to ensure that impacted farmers and ranchers fully understand their options, including for payments under several Farm Bill disaster programs and
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Announces Support of Bill to Rebuild America’s Schools and Create Nearly 2 Million Jobs
Senator Says Legislation Will Help Make Infrastructure Improvements to Schools in Rural and Urban Areas, Expand Access to Broadband WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/18/19]– U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) believes schools in both rural and urban areas in Minnesota—and across the nation—need strong investments in infrastructure so students can learn in healthy and safe environments, which is why she’s announcing her support for legislation that would provide significant investments to both physical and digital infrastructure in schools across the country. The legislation enjoys widespread support from educators and parent advocacy groups in Minnesota and across the country. The Rebuild America’s Schools Act would create grant and tax bond programs
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Push Trump Admin to Provide Farmer Guidance on Republican Tax Law
Urge IRS and Treasury Department to Issue Tax Guidance Promised to Farmers Before Tax Filing Deadline WASHINGTON D.C. [03/18/19]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are pushing the IRS and Department of Treasury to provide farmers long-overdue guidance on the Republican tax law before filing deadlines this year. The GOP tax law passed in 2017 created substantial changes to the federal tax code for certain agricultural cooperatives. Yet despite promises from the Department of Treasury and the IRS that guidance would be issued by the end of 2018, it still has not been delivered. In a letter to IRS commissioner Charles Rettig and
English