Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates 4th Year of Juneteenth Being Recognized as a Federal Holiday
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith celebrated the fourth year that Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in the United States. The annual holiday celebrates the date that news of emancipation of slaves in the South reached Galveston, Texas, two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Senator Smith’s bill establishing the holiday was signed into law by President Biden in June, 2021. Smith helped introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution this week for the legislative body to commemorate the date. She celebrated Juneteenth in Minnesota at the Northside Juneteenth Festival Celebration on June 15th. “The end of slavery in this country is a critical milestone in our history, and Juneteenth should be commemorated nationwide as a day of celebration, reflection, and rededication to the cause of racial justice,” said Senator Smith. “I am forever grateful to the generations of activists who made this possible. Commemorating Juneteenth as a federal holiday is an encouraging and deeply meaningful step – but we have much farther to go on the path towards justice. In the meantime, I hope Minnesotans find a time to celebrate the progress we’ve made and recommit themselves to the work that lies ahead.” Senator Smith gave a floor speech following the Senate’s passage of her bill in 2021. You can read her full remarks here or view/download them here. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Minnesota Fire Chiefs Celebrate Passage of the Fire Grants and Safety Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) issued the statements below after the Senate passed the Fire Grants and Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to continue providing federal funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant programs. This bill now goes to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program helps firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources. The SAFER Grants program provides direct funding to fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations to increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters and enhance their capacity to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards. Since 2015, fire departments across Minnesota have received over $33 million in SAFER grants and $59 million in AFG grants. “Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to save lives. We need to invest in our local fire departments and ensure that they have the funding they need to hire and train firefighters and purchase life-saving equipment,” said Senator Klobuchar. “That’s why I worked to pass the bipartisan Fire Grants and Safety Act which will support fire departments in Minnesota and across the country.” “Firefighters do one of the most difficult jobs possible, often at the risk of immense personal injury, to keep our families and loved ones safe. This funding is our way of giving them the support they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible,” said
U.S. Senators Tina Smith & Thom Tillis, U.S. Representative Grace Meng Lead Bipartisan Push to Support Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Radiation
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/3/21]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY 6), reintroduced their bipartisan bill in the Senate and the House to secure health care benefits for “Atomic Veterans” who were exposed to harmful radiation when they cleaned up nuclear testing sites during the late 1970s. The Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act would allow veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll on the Marshall Islands to receive the same health care and benefits given to other servicemembers who were involved in active nuclear tests. From 1946 to 1958, the U.S. military conducted more than 40
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester Continue Fight to Prepare Public Facilities for Future Emergencies
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/3/21]—As the country continues to confront the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) reintroduced legislation to make public facilities both better prepared for future emergencies and more energy efficient. The Open Back Better Act would provide stimulus funding for energy efficiency and resiliency retrofit projects—such as improving safety and air quality—in schools, medical facilities, government buildings, education institutions, libraries and more. Sen. Smith and Rep. Rochester said their legislation promotes environmental justice by prioritizing infrastructure improvements in communities of color and low-income areas hit hardest by COVID-19. “COVID-19 has exposed the
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Named Chair of Housing, Transportation & Community Development Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. [3/2/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that she has been named Chair of a key Senate Banking Subcommittee that oversees important aspects of the nation’s housing, transportation and community development policies. Sen Smith said Tuesday that besides being tapped to lead the Housing, Transportation and Community Development Subcommittee, she will also serve on Securities, Insurance and Investment Subcommittee, and the Economic Policy Subcommittee, as part of serving on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. “We need to stand up for consumers, improve access to public transportation, work to ensure fair access to financial services for
U.S. Senators Smith, Markey, Booker & U.S. Rep. Jackson Lee Renew Push to Make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/25/21]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX18) renewed their push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The lawmakers said “Juneteenth,” observed on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as “Emancipation Day,” “Jubilee Day,” and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which announced that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” Juneteenth is currently recognized by 47 states and the District of Columbia as an
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