Latest Releases
Senator Tina Smith Introduces Legislation to Ensure Accurate, Thorough Education About Native Peoples
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced significant legislation to improve public education and understanding about Native American peoples and their histories. Accurate, thorough education about Native peoples benefits all students, Native and non-Native alike. Unfortunately, the education most students receive regarding Native histories and cultures is woefully inadequate. For example, nearly half of Americans say that what they were taught in schools about Native Americans was inaccurate and in most K-12 classrooms, students are not taught about Native peoples at all post-1900. Furthermore, teachers rate “history of Native American peoples” and “pre-Columbian American history and culture” as two of the worst subjects in terms of coverage and accuracy. These glaring educational deficiencies allow negative stereotypes and misconceptions to take hold and persist. “It is unacceptable that so many Americans are under- and misinformed about Native peoples and their history,” said Senator Smith. “Teachers and Native groups around the country have been sounding the alarm and pushing for action on this issue for years, and it’s time we listened. This legislation would help develop accurate and thorough curriculum for our schools so that harmful misconceptions and stereotypes do not persist.” Deficiencies in our education system are a top driver of false narratives about Native peoples. Senator Smith’s legislation, the Native Histories and Cultures Education Act, would help states improve primary and secondary education about Native histories and cultures in North America by: This legislation is inspired by the Understand Native Minnesota initiative, led by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Ahead of Likely Shutdown, Sen. Smith, Rep. Pressley Introduce Bill to Provide Back Pay for Federal Contract Workers
WASHINGTON — Ahead of a possible Republican government shutdown, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)introduced legislation to secure back pay for the thousands of federal contract workers who face layoffs without back pay during a potential shutdown. Unlike federal government employees, the thousands of federal contract employees—many of whom serve in modestly paid jobs like custodians and cafeteria workers—have no assurances that they will receive back pay to make up for the wages they miss during a shutdown. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). The Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act seeks to ensure federal contract workers, including low-wage food service, janitorial and security service workers, are fairly compensated for the wages and benefits lost due to a lapse in appropriations. “This is about fairness—contractor workers and their families should not be penalized for a government shutdown that they did nothing to cause,” said Sen. Smith. “Contractor employees perform jobs that are critical to the operation of our government, providing food service, security, and doing custodial work. These are often low-wage jobs that mean workers are living paycheck to paycheck. In the past, these workers haven’t received back pay at the end of a government shutdown like the thousands of government employees. And it’s time we right that wrong.” “As a former hotel worker and unpaid Congressional intern who worked three jobs, I know all too well what it means to
U.S. Senators Smith and Warren Unveil Their Plan for a $50 Billion Child Care Bailout
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/15/20]—Today, United States Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) published a Medium post about their plan for a $50 billion child care bailout—the latest estimates that the child care sector will need to stay afloat—to stabilize the child care system, keep providers in business, and ensure parents are able to go back to work when it is safe to return. The full text of the Medium post is available here and below. Medium Post: Our Plan for a $50 Billion Child Care Bailout By Senators Tina Smith and Elizabeth Warren The coronavirus pandemic is causing a crisis for the
Klobuchar, Smith Announce $306 Million for Public Transit Infrastructure Funding in Minnesota in Response to Coronavirus
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded Minnesota $306,702,378 for public transit infrastructure funding in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted all of Minnesota’s 87 counties and 11 tribes. The CARES Act directs the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to allocate funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus through the existing Urbanized Area Formula Grants Program, Rural Area Formula Grants Program, and the Tribal Transit Formula Grants Program, which provide funding for public transit in cities, rural areas, and tribes. These funds may be used for the operating expenses of
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads 45 Colleagues in Push for More Information, Transparency on Coronavirus Testing Across Country
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/10/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) led a large group of her fellow Senate Democrats—45 members—in calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the Coronavirus Task Force, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to conduct a national inventory of the coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnostic testing supply, publicly release data on testing results, and provide a detailed plan and timeline for addressing future shortages and gaps in the testing supply chain. “Over three weeks after President Trump declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency, we continue to hear from our states and Tribal Nations about the lack of supplies and testing
U.S. Senator Tina Smith to Financial Regulators: Follow the Law, Stop Attempts to Weaken the Community Reinvestment Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/10/20] U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Housing and Banking Committee—joined 42 Senate Democrats in calling on federal financial regulators to rescind a proposed rule that would seriously hurt communities of color getting access to credit. More than 40 years ago, Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act to address the problem of government-enabled disinvestment in communities of color through redlining; the geographic disparity in branching and the provision of credit; and the resulting lack of credit available in rural and urban areas. The new proposed rule would undermine those protections. “This proposal threatens to undermine more than 40 years of access
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