Latest Releases
Ahead of Likely Shutdown, Sen. Smith, Rep. Pressley Introduce Bill to Provide Back Pay for Federal Contract Workers
WASHINGTON — Ahead of a possible Republican government shutdown, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)introduced legislation to secure back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who face layoffs without back pay during a potential shutdown. Unlike federal government employees, the thousands of federal contract employees—many of whom serve in modestly paid jobs like custodians and cafeteria workers—have no assurances that they will receive back pay to make up for the wages they miss during a shutdown. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). The Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act seeks to ensure federal contract workers, including low-wage food service, janitorial and security service workers, are fairly compensated for the wages and benefits lost due to a lapse in appropriations. “This is about fairness—contractor workers and their families should not be penalized for a government shutdown that they did nothing to cause,” said Sen. Smith. “Contractor employees perform jobs that are critical to the operation of our government, providing food service, security, and doing custodial work. These are often low-wage jobs that mean workers are living paycheck to paycheck. In the past, these workers haven’t received back pay at the end of a government shutdown like the thousands of government employees. And it’s time we right that wrong.” “As a former hotel worker and unpaid Congressional intern who worked three jobs, I know all too well what it means to
Senators Smith, Lummis Seek Key Clarifications to Address Native American and Rural Homelessness, Overcrowding
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to Secretary Marcia Fudge urging the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help address homelessness in Native and rural communities and to provide clarity on the federal definition of homelessness. The Senators are the Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. The letter follows a bipartisan hearing led by Smith and Lummis on the “State of Native American Housing” where witnesses described the severe homelessness and overcrowding issues facing rural and Native American communities. “The stories we heard at our hearing are not isolated examples. Many Native and rural communities officially report low rates of sheltered and unsheltered homelessness, but have high rates of doubling up and overcrowding,” wrote the Senators. “Doubling up and overcrowding are likely more prevalent in rural communities that have fewer emergency shelter options and limited transportation options, so people struggle to get to the shelters that do exist. Studies confirm that some of the highest rates of overcrowding are experienced by people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native and on tribal lands. Although these situations differ from the ways homelessness is often found in non-Native and non-rural communities, we believe they warrant close attention.” Witness testimony described how some individuals are living in “fish houses” or “ice shanties,” in the face of not being able to find a safe, secure and affordable place to live. Witnesses shared that Native families
U.S. Senators Smith, Cortez Masto, Scott, Cramer, Young Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Promote Manufactured Housing as Part of Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/12/2019]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith, (D-Minn.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) introduced bipartisan legislation promoting manufactured housing as part of the solution to America’s affordable housing crisis. The HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2019 would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue guidelines for including manufactured housing in state and local governments’ Consolidated Plans, which outline their housing and community development priorities, when applying for HUD funding. This legislation will ensure that manufactured housing, a significant source of affordable housing, is considered when jurisdictions
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads Senate Colleagues in Introducing Comprehensive Bill to Address Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
WASHINGTON D.C. [06/12/19]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced comprehensive legislation to hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable for high prices and bring down costs for Americans. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee, said her measure would promote transparency by requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose just how much money is going toward research and development, as well as marketing and pay for executives. Her bill would also end the restriction that prevents the federal Medicare program from using its buying power to negotiate lower drug prices for its beneficiaries, and curb drug company monopoly practices that keep
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Representative Ayanna Pressley Highlight Step Forward for Federal Contractor Employees Affected by Shutdown with Back Pay Included in Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/11/2019]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) lauded the House Appropriations Committee government spending package for including money for federal contract workers who were not paid during the 35-day partial government shutdown. Sen. Smith and Rep. Pressley introduced companion legislation in January to provide back pay to as many as an estimated 580,000 workers who went without pay during the shutdown. Their bill would require any federal contractor that placed service workers on unpaid leave during the shutdown to provide retroactive compensation to cover wages lost through no fault of their own. Since then,
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Senate Colleagues Call on Department of Agriculture to Speed up Development of Crop Guidelines Established in Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/07/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues—led by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)—urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite the development of the cover crop guidelines that were established in the strong, bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill. Sen. Smith and her colleagues also requested that haying and grazing of cover crops on prevent plant acres be allowed prior to the current USDA-mandated November 1 harvest date. “According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture published last month, between 2012 and 2017, cover crops on
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