Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce USDA Partnership to Expand, Bolster Minnesota’s Food Supply Chain
WASHINGTON [2/7/2024] – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced federal funding to strengthen the middle portions of Minnesota’s food supply chain. These funds will help small farms and small food businesses access more customers and help consumers find more locally-grown goods – oftentimes at lower cost. The funding is made possible through the American Rescue Plan, legislation both Klobuchar and Smith supported. “To keep prices low at the grocery store, we need to invest in our food supply chain to make it resilient from disruptions and bottlenecks,” said Klobuchar. “These grants will strengthen the infrastructure needed to bring food from farm to table, support farmers as they expand into new markets, and deliver technical skills training for local food businesses.” “Farmers in Minnesota know firsthand the vulnerabilities of our food supply chain and the importance of making it more resilient in the long term,” said Smith. “This funding will help strengthen our food supply system and also expand opportunity for farmers in Minnesota and around the country by creating new and better markets for their products.” This funding is one of many actions taken under the Biden Administration to expand processing capacity and increase competition in agriculture, making markets more accessible, fair, competitive and resilient for producers. The four-year partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and United States Department of Agriculture will bolster the middle of Minnesota’s food supply chain, meaning more opportunities for producers to sell their goods, better infrastructure for food businesses to operate with, and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Increase Oversight of the For-Profit College Industry
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to reintroduce legislation to establish an interagency committee tasked with improving coordination of federal oversight of for-profit colleges, so that students are not scammed out of an education and into a mountain of debt. The bill, called the Proprietary Education Oversight Task Force Act, would improve enforcement of existing laws and make it easier for students to voice concerns about their experiences with for-profit colleges. “Students should be protected from predatory institutions that will leave them with thousands of dollars of debt and limited job prospects,” said Smith, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “This bill will protect students and taxpayers alike by improving the oversight of for-profit colleges.” “Predatory for-profit colleges rake in billions in federal student aid rather than to provide a quality education to students, who are often drowning in debt with a near-meaningless degree. We must step in to provide the proper federal oversight to stop this industry from continuing to take advantage of students,” said Durbin. “The Proprietary Education Oversight Task Force Act will give the power back to students. With readily available information about which colleges are known to take financial advantage of students, students will have the tools to make the best decision for the future of their education.” “For-profit colleges all too often put profit and enrollment over education by luring students into insufficient academic opportunities and leaving them with insurmountable debt,” said Blumenthal. “With the Proprietary Education Oversight Task Force Act, we
U. S. Senators Tina Smith & Susan Collins Secure Passage of Resolution Recognizing the Importance of School Principals to Students’ Success
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/19/20]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) recently secured passage of their bipartisan resolution honoring principals and recognizing the contributions they make to helping students succeed. “Principals work with educators to create school communities where students can learn and thrive,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “I’m glad we can honor them in this way, and recognize how principals are so critical to the success of students and schools in Minnesota and across the country.” “Principals in Maine and across the country have gone above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic, working
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig, Betty McCollum & Collin Peterson Urge Federal Agencies to Provide Clarity on Hemp Rules
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/18/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN 2), Betty McCollum (D-MN 4) and Collin Peterson (D-MN 7) are calling on the leaders of four federal agencies to streamline hemp rules. Currently, contradictory federal guidelines are leading to uncertainty in the market and preventing Minnesota farmers and Tribes from fully reaping the economic benefits of growing hemp. “The bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp in order to create economic opportunities for farmers. Minnesota farmers appreciate the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts in implementing the Interim Rule on Establishment of a Domestic Hemp
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Marco Rubio Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Recognize November as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month
MINNESOTA [11/18/20]— U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate November 2020 as National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Their resolution promotes 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. Sens. Smith and Rubio said that lung cancer is unfortunately the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the United States—accounting for more deaths than colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. “We need to take every possible step to fight this terrible disease that kills tens of thousands of people in Minnesota
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Legislation to Improve Mental Health Services for Children, Families Passes Senate with Broad Bipartisan Support
For Immediate Release: September 23, 2020 Contact: Katie McElrath katie_mcelrath@smith.senate.gov 202-365-5865 WASHINGTON, D.C. [9/23/20]–U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s (D-Minn.) priorities to make sure the child welfare system supports and connects families to mental health services recently passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support. The Supporting Family Mental Health in CAPTA Act would improve the delivery of mental health services for children and families, connect families with needed support services, support research on effective practices to prevent child abuse and neglect and address disparities in the child welfare system. Sen. Smith says that young people experience mental health conditions about as often as adults—about 1 in 5 struggle with
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