Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Colleagues Urge the Department of Justice to Improve Public Safety on Tribal Lands
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland inquiring about the high rates of criminal cases on Tribal land that U.S. Attorneys’ Offices decline to prosecute. The letter was led by Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and was signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The Senators ask a series of questions to better understand the reasons behind the high rates of declinations. Specifically, the letter asks about the lack of evidence in these cases and the Department’s “prioritization of federal interests” to justify a decision to decline prosecution. Their letter also seeks more information regarding coordination between the Justice Department and Bureau of Indian Affair’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Unit. “According to the Justice Department’s own findings, Native American women are two to three times more likely than women of any other race to experience violence, stalking or sexual assault. Yet, the Department declines to prosecute half of these cases,” wrote the Senators. “This in turn contributes to a culture whereby offenders feel emboldened because there is no one to hold them accountable. And families of victims often feel as though law enforcement is not proving regular updates on their cases.” Read the full text of the letter below: Dear Attorney General Garland, We write with concern regarding the high rates of prosecutorial declinations in Indian Country. As you know, Section 212 of the Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) requires
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Debbie Stabenow, Reps. Paul Tonko, Brian Fitzpatrick, David Trone Reintroduce Legislation Expanding Mental Health Care Access, Increase Medicaid Reimbursement Rate
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Health Committee, joined by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, to announce reintroduced legislation to expand access to mental health services for low-income families and children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities. The Medicaid Bump Act would increase the federal reimbursement rate for mental and behavioral health care services under Medicaid, which covers one fifth of all Americans with mental health disorders. A House companion bill was introduced by U.S. Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY-20), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and David Trone (D-MD-06). “Too many people don’t have access to the mental or behavioral health care they need, and providers struggle to provide that care because they don’t get reimbursed enough for their services.” said Senator Smith. “This bill will improve equity in mental and behavioral health care by helping patients access the care that they need and ensuring providers get paid fairly. I want anyone suffering from a mental health issue to know they are not alone. We can all help break the stigma by talking about it, and then we have to go to work to get people the services they need.” “We should treat health care above the neck the same way we treat health care below the neck. Currently, too many folks don’t have access to affordable behavioral health care in our country. Senator Smith and I introduced this bill to help close the gap in services and help people get the care they need,” said Senator Stabenow. “Mental and behavioral health services should be readily
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Pushes Bipartisan Bill to Stop Big Pharma From Keeping Drug Costs High by Unfairly Extending Monopolies
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/24/21]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced a bipartisan measure to stop pharmaceutical manufacturers from claiming new innovations when they make insignificant modifications to their products in order to extend their monopolies and keep drug prices high for consumers. Currently, pharmaceutical companies engage in “evergreening,” which allows them to extend their patents for five years when they make minor, insignificant changes to a drug. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to end the practice by only granting these patent exclusivities to drugs that truly have a new chemical entity, but a district
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Says More Information Coming Forward on How National Gas Price Spike is Hurting Families Across the Country
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/23/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said more information is coming to light about how families will be hurt financially following the price of natural gas quickly spiking when extreme weather hit Texas and other parts of the central United States. During a Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MN PUC) hearing earlier today, utilities shared how these costs are projected to be passed on to customers, with major utilities estimating per customer costs averaging $250 or more. Additionally, yesterday, following Sen. Smith’s letter seeking an investigation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that they had launched an investigation
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Address America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/23/21]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced legislation to address America’s worsening maternal mortality crisis, which has a disproportionate impact on Black, Brown, Indigenous and all People of Color. The Data to Save Moms Act seeks to understand the root causes of this emergency by improving data collection on maternal mortality and morbidity. Sen. Smith said that the United States is the only industrialized country with an increasing maternal mortality rate, and that it’s one that discriminates. African American, Native and Indigenous women are two and a half times as likely to die due to a pregnancy related complication as white women. “I believe in the fundamental value that all
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Votes to Confirm Tom Vilsack for U.S. Agriculture Secretary as Senate Gives Nomination Final Approval
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/23/21]— Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) voted to confirm Tom Vilsack as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture as the Senate gave final approval to his nomination. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Vilsack, a former Iowa Governor who previously served eight years as Agriculture Secretary under President Obama, understands how important agriculture is to the economic well-being of farmers and communities in the upper Midwest and across the country. “I supported Secretary Vilsack’s nomination because he understands the challenges farmers, ranchers and rural communities have faced in recent years with low farm prices, trade disruptions,
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