Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Legislation to Expand Access to Lifesaving HIV Prevention Drugs
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6.29.23] – This month, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that will expand access to lifesaving HIV prevention medications. The PrEP Access and Coverage Act addresses the underutilization of HIV prevention drugs – known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) – by ensuring these medications and any associated costs are covered by health insurance. The measure also establishes community public health campaigns, and it expands access to the drugs for uninsured individuals and underserved communities. “Every person deserves access to affordable, high quality health care,” said Sen. Smith. “Too many people in Minnesota and across this country are unduly burdened by the high costs of HIV prevention drugs, and many others are going without this lifesaving preventative medication. This bill takes an important step towards ensuring that these highly effective medications are accessible and affordable for every patient who needs them.” “HIV prevention drugs shouldn’t be inaccessible and unaffordable,” said Rep. Schiff. “Senator Smith and I are reintroducing the PrEP Access and Coverage Act so that LGBTQ Americans – especially those from communities of color who experience disparities in health care – have access to the HIV medications and services they need.” “To end the HIV epidemic by 2030, we must expand our efforts to improve PrEP education and access,” said Torrian L. Baskerville, Director of HIV & Health Equity for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. “It is especially critical to address decades-long inequities that disproportionately impact Black
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Access to Reproductive Health Care Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. [6.23.23] – This week, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced legislation to protect access to critical reproductive health care services—like birth control, cancer screenings, and more—by providing a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program. The Title X Family Planning Program is the only federal program dedicated to providing comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. Hundreds of thousands of Americans rely on the program for essential health care. In 2020 alone, over 1.5 million patients received family planning services through Title X. Title X is funded through the annual appropriations process, which subjects the program to an unpredictable funding stream that is insufficient to meet the national need. The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would provide a consistent and strong source of funding for Title X. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D- VT) ,and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03). “At a time when Americans’ reproductive freedoms are under attack from extremist Republicans, the Title X Family Planning Program is more important than ever,” said Senator Smith. “Title X funding provides American women with access
Senator Tina Smith, Congressman Rick Nolan Introduce Legislation to Protect Minnesota Families in Rural Areas from Losing their Homes
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) have teamed up to support affordable housing for Minnesotans who live in rural areas. The Rural Housing Preservation Act, which the two lawmakers introduced this week, would help families, seniors, and people with disabilities who are at risk of losing rental assistance through the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Housing Service. The bill also gives communities more flexibility to maintain their existing affordable housing options. “As a leader of the rural development caucus, a top priority of mine is to help communities with issues like housing access,” said Senator Smith.“I’ve had
Sens. Tina Smith, Todd Young Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Shore up Public Health Emergency Prevention & Response
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have introduced their bipartisan Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act, which would improve public health preparedness by ensuring federal agencies advance a “One Health” approach—the idea that human and animal health are linked, and that they should be studied together to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. The bill would improve coordination among those studying animal and human health by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Agriculture Department (USDA) to adopt a One Health framework with other agencies. “Minnesota was hit by an avian flu outbreak a
Sen. Tina Smith Introduces Legislative Roadmap for Next Farm Bill Energy Section
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Ag Committee, has laid out a legislative roadmap for the energy section of next federal Farm Bill, which is being written in Congress this year. Sen. Smith’s Agricultural Energy Programs Reauthorization Act is a strong marker for the future of our federal ag energy policies. It would significantly strengthen energy programs that have seen success in the current Farm Bill, including the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), the biorefinery loan guarantee program, and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Notably, REAP is the program that helps ag producers and local businesses
Sen. Tina Smith’s Statement on Trump Administration’s Decision to End Program Protecting Liberian-Americans from Deportation
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith released the following statement about the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will be ending the Deferred Enforced Departure program for Liberian immigrants: “Minnesota is now home to one of the largest Liberian-American communities in the country, some 30,000 people strong. It’s their home. And today’s news that President Trump decided, effective March 31, 2019, to terminate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberia—the program that allowed survivors of Liberia’s bloody civil war to stay in the U.S.— is shameful. “For the overwhelming majority of people this decision affects, there is nothing to go back to in
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