Latest Releases
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. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Meat Processing Facility in Waseca
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN), members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, announced federal funding to increase the meat processing capacity of Morgan’s Meat Market LLC in Waseca. The grant funding will go towards adding a smokehouse and vacuum stuffer, which will increase worker safety, reduce cleaning time from 3 days to only 4 hours, and increase processing capacity while saving time. “Agriculture is key to our state’s economy and to stay ahead, we must continue investing in our farms and food businesses,” said Klobuchar. “This federal grant will go toward bolstering capacity, improving worker safety, and upgrading efficiency at Morgan’s Meat Market in Waseca.” “A strong meat processing industry is critical to maintaining a stable economy in Minnesota, especially for Minnesota’s poultry and livestock farmers,” said Senator Smith. “By increasing capacity at Morgan’s Meat Market, producers will have another processing option. This helps farmers get a fair value for animals and also helps keep prices down for consumers at the grocery story.” The funding comes from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Local Meat Capacity grant program and will give Morgan’s Meat Market LLC in Waseca $250,000 for these upgrades. ###
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith & Rep. Angie Craig Introduce Legislation to Help High School Students in Minnesota Who Lost Jobs Due to COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/7/20]—This week U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-2) were joined by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Reps. Dean Phillips (MN-3), Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and Betty McCollum (MN-4) as they introduced bicameral legislation to help high school students in Minnesota who have lost jobs due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The lawmakers said that many high school students have jobs to cover basic expenses for themselves and their families like food, utilities and rent. Students also work to save money for future costs such as college. But the pandemic and its related economic downfall have put many high school students out of work, leaving
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Demands Postmaster General Explain Delays, Intent Of Sudden USPS Changes, and Mail Disruptions in Minneapolis
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/8/20]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today demanded that U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy explain the recent and sudden structural changes at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that threaten reliable mail service for millions of people in Minnesota and across the country, and provide answers about the recent, week-long halt in mail service to Minneapolis public housing residents. In a letter to Dejoy Saturday, Sen. Smith said the changes, delays and disruptions at USPS hold significant implications for millions of American households – especially veterans, older citizens and rural residents who depend on the mail for life-saving medicines, census
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Nearly $26 Million Grant for University of Minnesota, Academic Collaborators to Create Engineering Research Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. [8/7/2020]—This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine and three academic collaborators $25,999,491 to create an Engineering Research Center (ERC). The goal of the ERC, called the Advanced Technologies for Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-Bio), is to develop and deploy technology to “stop biological time” through temperature control. This will improve transplantation and other biological therapies by preserving organs, tissues and cells. It will also help drive down the cost of drug discovery and much more. In addition, the center will provide educational
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Bill Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve National COVID-19 Testing and Tracing
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/7/20]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) introduced bipartisan legislation this week to improve coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and tracing in Minnesota and across the country. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-2) and Phil Roe (TN-01) introduced the bipartisan house companion today. The Suppress COVID-19 Act would support states’ work to address the virus by helping them purchase tests and testing supplies. It would also allow states to work together in interstate compacts and regional agreements to overcome challenges with the testing supply chain, such as a lack of available tests and slow turn-around for test results. Sen. Smith says that this bipartisan strategy will help states not only contain the
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