Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Bill to Improve Rural Health Care Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON [01/06/23] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Co-Chairs of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, announced that their bipartisan bill to improve rural health care was signed into law by President Biden. The State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) Reauthorization Act of 2022 will reauthorize a key program that supports health facilities in rural areas across the country. “When I meet with families, farmers, businesses and community leaders in greater Minnesota, one of the first issues that comes up is health care,” said Smith. “This bipartisan legislation will help make sure State Offices of Rural Health have the resources they need to expand and improve health care services in rural communities. I’m proud of our work to get this bill signed into law and help address the unique health care needs of rural America.” “As a doctor, I have seen how this critical program benefits clinics and hospitals in rural areas across Wyoming. I am pleased to see the president sign our bill to reauthorize this important program into law,” said Barrasso. “Now, we can ensure Wyoming’s Office of Rural Health continues to have the necessary resources needed to give our patients the highest quality of care they deserve.” This bill supports State Offices of Rural Health by extending a successful law on information-sharing, technical assistance, and care delivery in rural settings. Under the bill, the program will be reauthorized for five years, which will preserve the program’s flexibility to meet the needs of providers and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Statement on Recent Decisions by FDA and Justice Department Protecting Access to Medication Abortion
WASHINGTON [1/6/22] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement on recent announcements by the FDA and Justice Department regarding the availability of abortion pills: “These two decisions by the Justice Department and the FDA are big steps in the right direction and will ensure millions of women across the country have access to medication abortion. But these decisions can be overturned by a future administration and we need more permanent solutions. By attacking and undermining access to safe and effective medications, Republicans are saying that government – not women, not their health care providers – should decide what’s best for women. As we enter the new year, I will continue working to pass my legislation protecting access to medication abortion and restore the reproductive freedoms Republicans have ripped away.” This week, the FDA announced that abortion pills will soon be available for purchase at local U.S. pharmacies with a prescription. Additionally, the Justice Department cleared the U.S. Postal Service to deliver abortion pills in states with strict anti-abortion laws.
Sen. Tina Smith Presses Top Transportation Safety Agency Over Troubling Deaths Caused by Keyless Vehicles
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/15/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith pressed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for action to protect families across the country following reports of numerous deaths caused by keyless ignition vehicles. Over the Mother’s Day weekend, a New York Times report detailed how over two dozen people have been killed—and dozens more injured—due to carbon monoxide poisoning related to exposure from exhaust by a keyless ignition vehicle. Sen. Tina Smith finds it concerning that while technology in the automotive industry continues to progress, safety standards and action to address potential hazards have not kept pace. You can read a copy of
Sen. Tina Smith’s Statement on Senate Net Neutrality Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/16/18]—Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) voted to restore net neutrality protections that were recently overturned by President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). “I’ve heard from Minnesotans across the state, including large and small businesses, educators, and health care providers that a free and open internet is critically important to their bottom line and to our state’s economic future. They strongly oppose the creation of fast lanes and slow lanes dictated by companies like Comcast and Verizon.” said Sen. Smith. “Today’s vote continues our efforts to restore protections for an open internet that millions of people across the country need
Bipartisan, bicameral bill from Sens. Coons, Risch, Smith, Gardner & Reps Luján, Fleischmann, Hultgren, Lipinski supports small business innovation
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), James Risch (R-ID), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Cory Gardner (R-CO) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) today introduced the Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act, which allows small businesses to gain access to premier facilities at the national labs, spurring innovation and stimulating the culture of private-public collaboration. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy. However, the cost of investing in necessary but expensive capital equipment often prohibits small businesses from pursuing truly innovative ideas and developing
Sen. Tina Smith Says Minnesotans Deserve to Know How Drug Companies Are Using Billions in Tax Breaks
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/17/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith is introducing legislation that would require pharmaceutical companies to share with Minnesotans and people across the country how they’re using the billions of dollars in tax breaks they received as a result of the Republican tax bill. The GOP tax law provided pharmaceutical companies with large windfalls that could have been used to bring down costs for consumers. But earlier this year, news reports showed that some top pharmaceutical companies used a large chunk of their tax cuts to benefit investors and drive up stocks. Sen. Smith’s bill—the Disclosing Pharmaceutical Company Windfall Profits Act—would make