Latest Releases
Bipartisan Momentum Builds for Warehouse Worker Protection Act
Washington (September 25, 2024) – U.S. Senator Tina Smith, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, along with Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Bob Casey (D-PA), applauded the bipartisan momentum behind the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, legislation that would protect warehouse workers by prohibiting dangerous work speed quotas that lead to high rates of worker injuries. The legislation as re-introduced includes new enforcement authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as an exemption for small businesses. Senators Smith, Markey, and Casey, first introduced the Warehouse Worker Protection Act in May. “The Warehouse Worker Protection Act is about protecting the health and dignity of workers from the scourge of corporate greed at Amazon and other large companies,” said Senator Markey. “This movement is strong and growing, and we will not rest until warehouse workers know when they clock in that they will return home unharmed.” “Corporations too often prioritize profit over their workers’ safety and well-being, treating them like cogs in a machine. It has to stop. This legislation combats the warehouse industry’s worst practices while ensuring corporations do right by their employees in treating them with the dignity they deserve,” said Senator Hawley. “The momentum to protect workers is growing. These big companies hold a lot of power, they are literally controlling the lives of workers minute by minute with their productivity metrics and quotas,” said Senator Smith. “With this bill, we are saying, enough is enough. We’re putting accountability into this system and power back in the hands of workers
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Joins Colleagues to Introduce Resolution to Make Sure Every Woman Can Access Emergency Health Care
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined her colleagues to introduce a resolution to ensure that every patient has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care, regardless of where they live. The introduction comes as new reporting from ProPublica states that Republican abortion bans are preventing women from receiving lifesaving emergency health care and resulting in preventable deaths. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade over two years ago, nearly two dozen US states led by Republicans have banned or severely restricted access to abortion. These strict laws have created confusion around the treatment doctors can provide even when a pregnant patient’s life is in danger, as physicians fear that they may lose their medical license, be sued, or even charged with a felony if they perform life-saving emergency care. Despite the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act’s (EMTALA) requirements that Medicare-participating hospitals treat and stabilize pregnant patients in need of emergency medical care, women are being turned away from emergency rooms. “Patients will suffer while lawsuits and litigation move forward. There should be no legal question when medicine is clear: Abortion is health care,” said Senator Tina Smith. “Pregnant women deserve access to emergency medical care. Doctors should be free to provide that care without interference from right-wing, anti-choice politicians.” In Moyle v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court had the opportunity to reaffirm that federal law requires pregnant patients to have access to life-saving emergency care in every state, but instead, the Court dismissed the case and sent it back to the lower
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Significant Federal Funding to Expand and Upgrade I-94 in Wright County
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that they have secured $3 million in federal funding through the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to expand and upgrade a stretch of the Interstate 94 (I-94) highway in Wright County. “This federal funding will help expand and upgrade I-94, improving safety and mobility on this critical route. I am proud to have worked with local leaders to secure this funding, and I know that these resources will make a real difference for so many communities,” said Klobuchar. “The I-94 expansion project will improve access to the Interstate and reduce
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Transparency For Those Looking to Purchase Popular Long-Term Savings Vehicles Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced her bipartisan legislation with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to help provide transparency for consumers looking to purchase popular, long-term savings vehicles was signed into law as part of the bipartisan government funding bill. The law will help ensure that investors considering purchasing Registered Index Linked Annuities (RILAs) get clear and direct information that promotes investor understanding. “It’s more important than ever for consumers to have clear and concise information about their investments,” said Smith. “This legislation would help consumers looking to purchase RILAs by providing clear information about their potential investments
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Significant Federal Funding for Tribal Nations and the Native Community in the Twin Cities
WASHINGTON D.C. [1/13/23] –– U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that she helped secure over $8.6 million for Minnesota Tribal Nations and communities in the Twin Cities metro area. These funds will support the Lower Sioux Indian Community, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Prairie Island Indian Community, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, and the Native American Community Clinic. Senator Klobuchar also worked to secure this funding. “For too long, Native communities have experienced negative impacts of federal underinvestment and underfunding of critical services. I’m proud to have worked with Tribal leaders to help
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Bills to Reduce the Cost of Prescription Drugs and Expand Access to Health Care Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [1/13/23] — More than half a dozen health care bills by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) were signed into law by President Biden two weeks ago. The measures will take important steps to lower the cost of prescription drugs, address public health workforce shortages, and shore up supply chains while creating good-paying American jobs. Most of the provisions were bipartisan. “Since my first day in office, I’ve promised Minnesotans that I would work to reduce the cost of prescription drugs and expand access to health care,” said Sen. Smith. “These measures provide the tools to make significant progress on
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