Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Smith Joins Colleagues in Bipartisan Push for Clear Guidance on the New Free Applications for Federal Student Aid
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) joined a bipartisan group of colleagues led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in sending a letter urging the Department of Education to provide clear guidance and communication to students, families, educators, and schools leading up to and after the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The redesigned FAFSA will make it easier for millions of students to get financial aid and help 1.5 million more students access the maximum Pell Grant award, which is $7,395 for the 2023-24 award year. While the Department announced earlier in November that the new FAFSA will be released by December 31, 2023, it did not provide a concrete date and indicated that there will be processing delays in the first months of 2024, creating uncertainty for students and their families. The letter is also signed by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN),Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). “We understand that overhauling
Klobuchar, Baldwin, Smith, Stauber Urge Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to Support Federal Funding to Rebuild the Blatnik Bridge
WASHINGTON – Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) sent a bipartisan letter urging Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to support Minnesota and Wisconsin’s application for federal funding to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge. “We write to reiterate our strong support of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Transportations’ application for federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” wrote the lawmakers. “By replacing the Blatnik Bridge, the project would exemplify the type of critical infrastructure project that was envisioned by Congress.”“As noted in our previous letter to President Biden in September 2023, the Blatnik Bridge, located over St. Louis Bay on Lake Superior, is one of two bridges that connects the cities of Duluth, Minnesota with Superior, Wisconsin,” the lawmakers continued. “It is an essential economic engine in the region and a key link in the global supply chain.”In September, Klobuchar, Smith, Baldwin, and Representative Stauber sent a letter to President Biden urging him to fund this project. In August, Klobuchar and Smith sent letters to Secretary Buttigieg in support of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)’s applications for funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the U.S. Department of Transportation National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program and its Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Program. In 2022, Klobuchar, Smith, and Baldwin sent a letter to President Biden urging him to fund this project. President Biden visited the Blatnik Bridge in 2022 with Klobuchar, Baldwin, and Smith, to discuss how the bridge could benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In 2021, Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Commerce
U.S. Senators Tina Smith & Mike Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Health Care Providers Continue Delivering Telehealth Services to Rural America
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/1/20]—U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced bipartisan legislation to help health care providers continue delivering telehealth services to rural communities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program Extension Act would provide an additional $200 million for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which ran out of funding in July. A bipartisan House companion bill has been introduced by U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.). The FCC established the COVID-19 Telehealth Program in April to help health care providers acquire telehealth technology to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Such infrastructure included telehealth platforms, wireless access points for patients, tablets
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Legislation to Help Students Access Mental Health Services in Schools Passes the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/1/20]–U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that her legislation to make sure students in schools across the nation are able to access mental health services passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. This gets her bill over a major hurdle on its way to becoming law. Sen. Smith’s bill—the Mental Health Services for Students Act—would help schools partner with local mental health providers to establish on-site, mental health services for students. It would also provide training for school personnel on how to recognize, assist and refer students who may need mental health assistance. Sen. Smith says that young people
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to Stop Surprise Medical Bills for COVID-19 Tests
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/30/20]—Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said far too many people are being forced by their insurance companies to pay for coronavirus (COVID-19) tests that should be free. On Wednesday, Sen. Smith introduced her Stop COVID-19 Test Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 to protect Americans from unanticipated COVID-19 test charges. The measure clarifies that insurers cannot refuse to cover medically necessary tests, directs federal health officials to help ensure providers and insurers understand how to submit claims to protect patients from surprise bills, and strengthens price transparency requirements. A House companion was introduced by U.S. Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07). Right now, Senator Smith’s Free COVID-19 Testing Act—enacted into law as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18—requires public health insurance
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on President Trump’s Nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/26/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Americans need Supreme Court Justices who will protect the rights of all Americans, and deliver equal justice for all. Judge Barrett’s record opposing the Affordable Care Act and reproductive rights for women shows that she is not qualified to safeguard our constitutional rights and liberties as a member of our nation’s highest court. It is for those reasons that I will oppose the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.”
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