Latest Releases
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
Senators Smith, Wyden Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Mental Health Care Coverage, Hold Insurance Companies Accountable
WASHINGTON, D.C. [11/15/22] — Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), introduced legislation to improve mental health coverage. Specifically, the bill would crack down on inaccurate health care provider listings or “ghost networks,” and create stronger enforcement standards to protect those seeking mental health care. “We need to treat mental health with the same urgency we treat physical health, and that means making sure everyone has access to the care they need,” said Sen. Smith. “By law, insurance companies must cover mental health just like they cover physical health, yet they’re still finding ways to dodge compliance and deny coverage. By setting stricter standards and holding insurance companies accountable for inaccurate listings, this legislation will help ensure people can access the mental health care coverage they are entitled to.” “Too often, Americans who need affordable mental health care hit a dead end when they try to find a provider that’s covered by their insurance,” Wyden said. “Ghost networks mean that the lists of mental health providers in insurance company directories are almost useless. This legislation will create real accountability and consequences for insurance companies that refuse to do the necessary work of keeping provider directories up to date.” “People face great barriers accessing mental health care. One of those barriers is finding a provider who is in network and taking new patients,” said Sue Abderholden, Executive Director, NAMI Minnesota. “Too many people find inaccurate information in network listings and many of the providers are not taking new
Strong standards projected to save consumers more than $1 trillion and nearly 2.5 million barrels of oil a day by 2030, reduce global warming pollution by six billion metric tons
Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced the Greener Air Standards Mean Our National Security, Environment, and Youth (GAS MONEY) Saved Act, legislation that would block Trump administration efforts to roll back the historic 54.5 fuel economy emissions standards. The legislation reaffirms the Final Determination made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in January 2017 that stated that the 2012 fuel economy emissions standards are appropriate. The GAS MONEY Saved Act also would block EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt from issuing rules to weaken the emissions standards
Sen. Tina Smith Supports Bipartisan Bill to Protect Robert Mueller from Being Fired for Political Reasons
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith said she supports a new legislative effort to insulate special counsel Robert Mueller—who’s in charge of the Trump-Russia investigation—from being fired by President Trump. By establishing an expedited judicial review process to scrutinize and even overturn the firing of a special counsel if such a dismissal happens without good cause, the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act would help ensure that the investigation into the Trump team’s ties to Russia remains free from political attacks. “Russia is a hostile foreign government that interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of undermining our democracy. No
Sen. Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Deploy Broadband to Unserved Rural and Tribal Communities
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith introduced legislation—the Community Connect Grant Program Act—to establish the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program under law and make improvements to the grant program that makes funding available for broadband projects in tribal, low-income, and remote rural areas. The USDA Community Connect program through the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) helps fund broadband deployment into rural communities. In addition to authorizing the program and targeting areas that lack access across the nation, Sen. Smith’s bill would increase internet speed service under the program because she hears time and time again that this is a real concern for
Sen. Tina Smith Takes Stand for Minnesota Travelers Abandoned in Mexico by Sun Country Airlines
Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith took a stand for the Minnesota travelers who were effectively abandoned by Eagan-based Sun Country Airlines after the company cancelled return flights to the Twin Cities during the weekend snowstorm but failed to rebook or adequately refund the passengers. In a letter to the Department of Transportation sent today, she called on federal transportation officials to look into Sun Country’s failures and to explain what is being done to ensure that airline cancellation policies protect travelers. She also criticized Sun Country for how it mishandled the rebooking and refunding of passengers who have been forced
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