Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Applauds Biden Admin Move to Eliminate Medical Debt from Credit Reports
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) celebrated a new proposed rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shielding consumers’ credit scores from being impacted by medical debt. Today’s announcement came after Senator Smith, along with 9 of her colleagues, urged the agency to take action. According to the CFPB’s own report, there is over $88 billion in medical debt on consumer credit records. “You can’t choose when you get sick – it happens whether we like it or not. You shouldn’t be punished with a lower credit score just because you needed medical care,” said Senator Smith.“This move by the Biden Administration puts the American people first, and I’m glad they listened to me and my colleagues who pushed for this new rule.” Senator Smith, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, called attention to the growing crisis of medical debt in a letter to the CFPB in 2022. The move by the CFPB compliments actions by the Minnesota State Legislature, who passed the Debt Fairness Act as part of a large omnibus bill in May of this year to address the impact medical debt has on Minnesotans. ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Funding for White Earth Nation to Increase Solar Power and Energy Storage
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced $1.75 million for the White Earth Nation in Minnesota to use energy storage to increase their use of solar power and allow for greater energy flexibility. The project will expand an existing solar array at Pine Point Elementary School and Community Center to help lower electricity costs and support White Earth’s goal to be energy independent. “Tribal Nations have always been leaders in environmental stewardship,” said Senator Tina Smith. “This funding will help White Earth Tribal Nation continue building a more resilient and clean energy system for the Tribe.” The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity selected three communities across the country to receive a total of $3.7 million in project development assistance under the Energy Storage for Social Equity Program. The program successfully launched in March 2022 and selected 14 communities for similar projects that focused on providing a strategy for energy access and affordability, decarbonization, environmental impact, resilience, and social impact. The funding will promote an equitable clean energy transition, advance more affordable and reliable electricity, and support the Biden Administration’s Justice40 goals. ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Calls for Investigation, Including Possible Price Gouging, as Massive Natural Gas Price Spikes May Pass Huge Costs on to Utilities & Consumers Nationwide
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/20/21]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is seeking an investigation, including possible price gouging, as natural gas prices skyrocketed during the recent extreme weather situation in Texas, and many parts of the central United States. The drastic price increases, some as high as 100 times typical rates, have putting a significant strain on utilities that have to buy this power, and costs that will likely be passed along to consumers in the form of higher gas bills. Sen. Smith believes it is unacceptable for gas barons to line their own pockets while many Americans are literally out in
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Minnesota Producers and Landowners Now Have Extended Time to Enroll in Conservation Reserve Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/19/21]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which was originally February 12. A new deadline has not yet been announced but producers and landowners are encouraged to use this additional time to enroll sooner rather than later. The CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States. Participants receive an annual payment in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve its condition. Senators Klobuchar and Smith said that for decades CRP has helped improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Press to Fully Fund Special Education and High-Needs Schools
WASHINGTON, D.C. [02/17/21]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are once again pressing for increased investment in special education and high-need schools by helping reintroduce the Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act. This legislation—led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)—would put Congress on a fiscally-responsible path to fully fund special education services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I on a mandatory basis. “When we invest in education, we’re investing in the next generation of Minnesotans,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “It is critical to ensure that our state receives full federal education funding — anything less shortchanges Minnesota’s students. I’ll continue working to secure the special education
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Roger Wicker Propose Bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Fix for Rural Hospitals
WASHINGTON, D.C. [2/16/21]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced their bipartisan PPP Access for Rural Hospitals Act, which would waive the Small Business Administration (SBA) affiliation rules for non-profit critical access hospitals and hospitals that serve rural areas so that they may qualify for PPP loans. Granting smaller non-profit and rural hospitals access to the PPP program would allow facilities to retain critical staff and focus their resources on providing quality care to patients for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. “Rural hospitals are vital to public health – they’re economic engines for communities in Minnesota and
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