Latest Releases
Senators Smith, Rounds Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Mental Health Services in Rural America
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) reintroduced legislation to improve access to mental health and substance use services. The Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act of 2023 would establish a grant program for health providers to expand telemental health services in rural areas and for individuals working in the farming, forestry and fishing industries. “When I experienced depression, resources were there for me. But right now, too many people don’t have access to the mental or behavioral health care they need, and that’s especially true in rural communities,” said Smith. “Our bipartisan bill will help health providers in rural areas expand tele-mental health care services for farmers, ranchers and foresters, and many others in local communities who are experiencing stress, burnout and other mental challenges.” “Individuals in rural areas may not have easy access to a mental health facility, making in-person visits difficult for those seeking care,” said Rounds. “Utilizing telemental health capabilities will allow South Dakotans in rural areas to receive quality care from the comfort of their homes. Not only does this save time and resources, it provides an important mental health service for our farmers and ranchers, who for years have suffered economically due to challenging weather, trade disputes and price disparities.” This legislation would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Rural Health Liaison of the Department of Agriculture, to award grants to public and non-profit mental health and substance use providers to expand access to telehealth services
Sen. Smith Joins Push to Introduce Trans Bill of Rights Ahead of International Transgender Day of Visibility
Washington – Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined a group of her colleagues led by Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) in introducing the Transgender Bill of Rights, a landmark resolution to recognize the federal government’s duty in protecting and codifying the rights of transgender and nonbinary people. Trans and nonbinary people across the United States have faced relentless and escalating attacks on their health, safety, and wellbeing. Since January, state and federal legislators have proposed more than 450 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that restrict health care, ban LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula in schools, exclude trans youth from athletics, and otherwise endanger and harm trans people. These bills are negatively affecting the mental health and physical safety of LGBTQ+ youth, particularly trans youth who have been the primary target of these attacks. In the United States, trans people are four times more likely to face violent attacks than their cisgender peers and more than 40 percent of trans people have attempted to commit suicide. “Trans people are facing a torrent of harmful legislation and dangerous rhetoric from people in power. It is past time we come together to defend their dignity, protect them from discrimination, and ensure their safety,” said Senator Smith. “This resolution calls for basic protections for trans people, from ensuring they have the right to bodily autonomy and ethical healthcare, to equal access to public services and accommodations. I will continue working to ensure that our founding principles of civil rights and liberty extend to the trans community.” “On this and every International Transgender
Sen. Tina Smith Continues Fighting for Ag with Support for Bill to Safely Transport Livestock
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/25/18]—U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is supporting bipartisan legislation—the Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act—to give drivers more flexibility during their trips and better protect the safety of livestock, especially in the hot summer months and cold Minnesota winters. Currently, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires haulers to turn on an electronic logging device in their trucks when they reach a certain point from where they originally picked up their livestock. From that point on, haulers must track their on-duty time before taking a mandatory extended rest period. This extended rest period puts
Sen. Tina Smith Leads Bipartisan Call to Extend Enrollment Period for Margin Protection Program to Help Dairy Farmers in Minnesota, Across the Country
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/31/18]—Today, U.S Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led a bipartisan effort—joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar—to help more dairy farmers in Minnesota and across the country by calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to extend the June 1 deadline to enroll in the improved Margin Protection Program (MPP), which helps dairy producers weather difficult years and prevent further losses on their farms and in the rural communities they support. The MPP was created in the last Farm Bill in order to give farmers more stability as milk or feed prices change, but improvements were needed as milk prices
Sen. Tina Smith Tells Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders that Farm Bill Energy Programs Are Key to Reviving Lagging Farm Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C [06/04/18]—As the Senate prepares to begin work on the 2018 Farm Bill, U.S Senator Tina Smith, today told the leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee that expanded use of renewable fuels and increased investment in rural energy programs will be key to creating jobs and reviving the nation’s lagging farm economy. In a letter Monday to Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sen. Smith, led a bipartisan group of a committee members in calling for improvements and strong funding in the program’s that make up the Energy section of the Farm Bill when
Sen. Tina Smith and Colleagues Introduce Bill to Ensure Trump Administration Complies with Buy America Laws
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/06/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation alongside five of her colleagues that requires federal agencies to publicly release reports on their compliance with and options to improve our nation’s Buy America laws. “I believe that taxpayer funds should go to U.S. companies to create American jobs, not overseas to foreign companies. Families across the country deserve to know the truth about how their taxpayer dollars are being used,” Sen. Smith said. “By making sure federal agencies issue public reports on their compliance with Buy America laws, Minnesotans and lawmakers alike will be able to judge for themselves who
English